Star Nissan Vereeniging! Not your average car dealership!!
When dealing with a car salesmen one tends to compare them with insurance brokers and estate agents, unfortunately one of those catch 22’s the people in the industry find themselves in.
Well, I had an experience last week that yet again made one realise that prejudice toward certain industries, especially the sales industry is not always called for!
Star Nissan Vereeniging have received their new range of Nissan Qashqai and I received a call from one of the branches star salesmen, Martin Both.
I am invited to test drive their new stock! Come and visit us at our branch and test drive our new range, I am told. The date is confirmed and I am feeling very chuffed with myself!
On the 5th of August I arrive at Star Nissan Vereeniging, right on time!
Martin is waiting for me outside the Show Room and after some idle chat I am told we should move inside expecting to be ushered toward one of the vehicles to be test driven.
To my surprise I am directed toward the stairs and lead to a very professional looking conference room already filled with a number of patrons sitting around a large conference table chatting idly to each other.
Directed toward an open chair I am seated, wondering about the test drive and thinking to myself: “Really? Another presentation?” (The last week or so I have been put through the agony of three very boring sales presentations).
We are requested to become silent and Wikus Niemand moves toward the head of the table. He proceeds with an insightful presentation of the brand new Qashqai and the different models now available from Star Nissan Vereeniging. He then introduces Edwin Strauss, their Director. At this point one is wondering what happened to the “test drive??”
Presentation done, we are informed that our test drive will take about four hours and we will be driving three different models, the 1.200 turbo, 1.500 turbo diesel and 1.6 turbo diesel auto. We will be driving from Vereeniging to Parys with two stops on the way to swop cars and drivers! This was big surprise no. 1!
We are divided into three groups of four, bustled to “our” cars and off we go! We arrive in Sasolburg and pull over, swop cars and we’re on the road again. Just outside Parys, another stop and swop.
We drive through Parys and are told to turn into the Vaal De Grace golf club, the little convoy follows the road until we reach the club house and we are instructed to park.
We are ushered into the club house and lead upstairs to a balcony area to find an enormous spread of salads braaivleis and soft drinks! Big surprise no. 2!
Idle chat and discussions of the performance of the new Nissan Qashqai models and their differences is the order of the day. Lyndsey Singh, Dawie Goosen and Etienne Breytenbach were the other three guests in our group and on asking Martin how he chose his guests, including the other eight, he replied; “I’ll never be a rich car salesman, my clients become my friends, I’d rather have a few select clients who return to me than punt as many cars as possible to anyone who walks through the sales door. With every client who walks onto our sales floor I make it personal, albeit one for the day or ten. We want as many clients as possible to come and experience us”
Then, everything around us started to rattle and shake, the first thing that went through my mind is; “Where’s the truck?” Then I realise, we’re on a golf course! We all look at each other and realised we’re in the middle of an earth quake, and quite a big one! We all start to shuffle away from the balcony edge trying to look like we live through one of these on a daily basis but not realising we are looking at each other with wide and concerned eyes. In about thirty seconds it’s all over and we are all alive, well and the building is still standing.
We arrive back at Star Nissan Vereeniging just after 14:00 the afternoon. I ponder upon the day’s events and eye the other salesmen on the floor. Big smiles, friendly conversation, earnest explanations on product filter through the air. I realise that I have dealt with many car dealers and bought a few cars in my life, but never have I experienced an atmosphere such as the one at Star Nissan Vereeniging.
Dedicated friendly staff with heart, the staff are Star Nissan Vereeniging, definitely not your average car dealership and I would recommend anyone to visit, meet and buy!
For more information on Star Nissan Vereeniging and the range of vehicles in stock, give Martin a call at: 016 450 3700 or 079 865 5687, pop him an email at sales6@starnissan.co.za.
Article & Photos: Leon Joubert, ShowMe Vaal.