Sytner Chigwell, 12th August 2010, Day 19
Next on the MINI merry-go-round tour of East England was Chigwell. As soon as the clock struck 4, the floodgates opened to MINI fans hoping to have a good look at the Coutryman.
Dharmesh and the team were very welcoming, coping with the early rush with consummate ease. The Chigwell event-goers were very knowledgeable and were anxious to get as much information about the different specs available for the Countryman.
The event was a rousing success and the Chigwell team are anticipating huge numbers of Countymans to be driving around the streets of Essex come Autumn.
Enfield, 11th August, 2010, Day 18
Enfield had also closed 3 sales for the Countryman prier to the event today with 3 sales on the day and they did a very impressive 11 Test Drives.
Well done Enfield!
Tring, 10th August, 2010, Day 17
Gianni and I turned up at Tring and was meet by the whole team, firstly by Jo who was working the door, meeting and greeting everyone as they came in.
The food was amazing, it was all hand made by one of the sales staffs partners and it was loved by everyone.
Greg did a great job organising and arranging the event as there seemed to be a system in place, where they would be met by Jo then asked fro a drink or food then a salesman would be appointed to that customer and shown round the car.
It was very professional and the customer service was outstanding.
Tring did so well as they had already made 5 sales prior to the event and mad a further 3 sales on the day of the event. I was most happy with the result they had with the test drives, at the end of the day Tring managed to book in 12 test drives. So Tring share 1st place with Chelmford.
Milton Keynes, 9th August, 2010, Day 16
It was really nice to be in Milton Keynes, everyone was really friendly even thought the weather wasn't that great .
David did a good job organising everyone on the day it seemed everyone enjoyed having the Countryman in their showroom.
It was quiet busy however, Milton Keynes, approach was more about customer relations therefore they had a lot of interest on the day however, they didnt close anyone on the day but I'm sure they will have a long list of sales soon.
Well done everyone you're all an asset to the Mini brand.
Cooper, Chelmsford, 6th August, 2010, Day 15
Sytner Harold Wood, Romford, 5th August 2010, Day 14
After being stuck in the worst traffic jam in the world I finally arrived at the dealership in Chelmsford and when I arrived all the sales staff were at their desks selling cars.
The atmosphere was amazing, all the sales staff were all buzzed up to see the new Countryman and most of them were busy all day.
It was like musical chairs for most of the day and I didn’t even get to speak to some of the staff as they were so busy with customers. For me this is the best dealership I have Ever been in,…this place is a machine.
Glen & Dave have done so well building the dealership to what it is as everyone was so proud to be working for Mini.
I was very impressed with Chelmsford, a really good friendly bunch of people.
I felt honoured to be in their presence and witness their excellence as they are all true professionals!
Chelmsford had over 50 people through their doors throughout the event with 7 sales prior to the event, closed a further 5 sales on the day and booked an impressive 12 test drives.
Well done Chelmsford...absolutely faultless
Sytner Harold Wood, Romford, 5th August 2010, Day 14
Fairfield, Leigh-On-Sea, 4 August 2010, Day 13
When I arrived at the dealership in Leigh-On-Sea I was welcomed by the smartest looking sales team yet, very slick! All the sales team were very excited to see the Countryman and they were more than prepared to deal with the customer due to come in.
From the outset the showroom was buzzing with customers (new and old). The sales team were all on form and acted in the most professional manner.
All the customers were very happy and Leigh-On-Sea had a great day all round and it showed when all the results came in at the end of the day.
Leigh-On-Sea had a total of 53 customers through the door and closed 3 sales today with 6 sales already confirmed prior to the event today.
All the sales team were really pushing for the TDAC's and they managed to book 8 test drives, what a great result!
Well done Fairfield, you showed great strength in all areas and you all worked like true professionals.
I'm sure you'll all do really well in the future and I wish you all the success for your big launch!
Cooper, Colchester, 3rd August 2010, Day 12
We arrived really early after a short drive only a few miles down the road from Ipswich.
We had a great welcome from all the staff at Colchester and everyone was eager to help us set up however, I couldn’t except as we had over 3 hours to get ready.
All the staff were really great, the girls were always smiling and the guys were grabbing everyone that came in.
Hayley Haywood did a great job preparing the days events and the food went down very well with all the customers so well done Hayley.
Although it wasn’t a busy day, I'd give Colchester 10/10 for enthusiasm as their energy didn’t go unmissed.
Colchester had 6 potential customers through their doors, 2 pre-event sales and an unfortunately no sales on the day however, Colchester made a staggering 5 test drives!
Well done Colchester and thank you for a great day, you all made it so enjoyable!
Cooper Ipswich, 2nd August 2010, Day 11
After a well deserved relaxing weekend I was excited to be back on the road heading to Ipswich where I was met by Yvonne the marketing manager who did a great job organising everything at the dealership.
All the staff was enthusiastic to see the Countryman and worked every customer that came to the showroom.
Unfortunately Ipswich only had 20 people through their doors however, they did manage to make 3 sales on the day so they had a great conversion rate. Ipswich also booked in 3 test drives so it was a great day all in all!
Rybrook, Stratford-Upon-Avon, 30th July 2010, Day 10
On my way down from Northampton the day before I heard on the radio that there was a festival just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon starting on the 30th. So I expected heavy traffic and set off in plenty of time.
Stratford was happy to see us although they seemed very preoccupied with there work as the showroom was busy for that time of the morning. So we set up straight way and the people kept on coming.
As you can see from the pictures they had a lot of potential customers in today with only one customer away from knocking Leicester off their 1st position with 63 customers on the day.
So second position goes to Stratford-Upon-Avon
Stratford had also closed a whopping 8 sales for the Countryman prier to the event today with 2 sales on the day and they stormed to first position with 9 Test Drives.
Well done Stratford!
Wollaston, Northampton, 29th July 2010, Day 9
Everyone at Northampton was excited and enthusiastic to see the Countryman.
It seemed so busy at some points of the afternoon however; there was a constant flow of potential and existing customers.
Northampton didn’t do well in getting test drives but after speaking to Simon the manager it was clear that all the sales team were pushing for the sale rather than booking people in for test drives.
Northampton had over 60 people through their doors with a comfortable 4 pre-sales under their belts with a further 3 sales on the day.
The sales team we're convinced they would att to the list of sales in the next couple of days as there were a few customers on the edge that needed a little more time.
I hope they do as they were all grate and very professional.
It was good to see Paul again and the food was reeaalllyyy goood! ahaha
I wish them all the best of luck in the future.
Elms Bedford, 28th July 2010, Day 8
The day started slow however, there was a steady flow of potential customers coming through the door.
Bedfords showroom has to be the best one I've seen yet with the hole sales experience they have created with the designers at Mini.
Bedford has a health 5 post event sales for the Countryman, 31 potential customer visited the dealership with 2 sales on the the day and they also booked 6 test drives.
Everyone who works at the dealership were happy to finally see the Countryman and have the opportunity to show it off to their customers.
Well done everyone, it was a good day!
Bury St Edmunds, 27th July 2010, Day 7
The Bury St Edmunds dealership was one of the best experiences of my tour so far.
The dealership is run like a close family business and all the staff seemed more like friends than co-workers.
The energy was really noticeable and everyone was having fun and it rubbed off on the customers that came in, everyone left the dealership feeling they had experiences first hand the true meaning of the funky fun Mini brand.
Bury St Edmunds had 49 potential customers through the door, 4 post event sales, 3 sales on the day and 6 test drives...I'm sure they will be adding to this list in the next few days.
10/10 for effort, energy & excitement
I wish them all the success for the future as they truly deserve it!
Cooper Norwich, 26th July 2010, Day 6
The first day of the second week and everyone was excited to see the new Countryman.
Norwich had all hands on deck with a meet and greet girl on the entrance, someone on the food counter and the slick sales team waiting to take care of the the customers coming through the door.
Norwich had 32 people through the door, 7 pre-sales, 8 test drives book and 2 sales on the day.
All 7 purchasers come down today to see the Countryman, they all walked away really happy with their decision to buy.
Not a bad result all in all
Listers King Lynn, 23th July 2010, Day 5
The boss took all the staff out last night so everyone was really relaxed and they had fun with the customers that came in.
They also got a local butcher to come down today to cook on a BBQ for everyone, which I thought was a nice touch.
Everyone was in very good spirit (they all had the Friday feeling)
King Lynn had 48 people through there doors with 3 sales on the day, 8 test drives booked and 4 post sales. Not a bad result.
Sycamore, Peterborough, 22th July 2010, Day 4
Well what can I say about Peterborough... They had 23 people through the door, No food, no pre-sales with no sales on the day however, they did manage to book one test drive between them.
The people I spoke to really liked the car and showed a lot of interest.
Sytner, Leicester, 21th July 2010, Day 3,
I was a little shocked when I arrived at the dealership in Leicester as I was suddenly surround by blond woman, I was expecting to meet Nicky the manager to be a lady but I wasn't expecting the whole sales force to be woman too. The competition was on and the girls we're hungry...I wonder if that's where all the men went...?
At the end of the day I was a true believer in girl power as the girls were great, one of the girls was still working on a couple till 21.10 when she finally closed the sale.
Leicester had 63 visitors, filled out 10 test drives, closed 13 sales prior to the event with a further 6 sales on the day! Well Done!
Sytner, Coventry, Tuesday 20th July, Day2
I meet John Hands in Solihull on the Monday as he couldn't wait to see the car too!
I could tell John was excited as he'd cleared the whole showroom and put on some nice really food for the customer, he was working the crowed all afternoon.
Everyone loved the car however, Paul (salesman) did mention having a lighter car next time as the showroom was very dark and the car is in dark blue.
Coventry ended up with 46 visitors, 7 deposits and booked in 6 test drives. Coventry's in the lead so far-well done, they all worked really hard!
I could tell John was excited as he'd cleared the whole showroom and put on some nice really food for the customer, he was working the crowed all afternoon.
Everyone loved the car however, Paul (salesman) did mention having a lighter car next time as the showroom was very dark and the car is in dark blue.
Coventry ended up with 46 visitors, 7 deposits and booked in 6 test drives. Coventry's in the lead so far-well done, they all worked really hard!
(Coventry hard at it!)
Sytner, Solihull, Monday 19th July, Day 1
Andy and his team were eagerly awaiting for our arrival as they knew they were one of the first dealerships in the country to see the Countryman. So we had a very warm welcome with everyone rushing outside to great us. All the sales staff loved the car and the customers couldnt keep their hands off it!
Solihull had just over 50 people turn up for the sneak preview and managed to take 6 deposits on the day and booked in 5 test drives. Go Solihull, great start, lets see if Coventry can do better...
