Hino East Rand, headed up by Frans Cloete, has been judged the Hino Dealer of the Year for 2013. The award was presented at a gala event in Durban recently and it was the dealership’s third success since 2000.

“This dealer’s success is driven by the efforts of more than 50 passionate and knowledgeable team members who are dedicated Hino brand ambassadors,” explained the vice president of Hino SA, Dr. Casper Kruger. “Most importantly this dealer is regarded as a benchmark truck and Hino dealer, being respected by customers, competitors and fellow Hino dealers alike.

“Numbers do not always tell the whole story about a dealership’s performance,” continued Dr. Kruger. “What differentiates this dealer, which is part of the Unitrans Group, is its passion and dedication to the truck business and the Hino brand with sincere interest in its customers. The management and its team members are always looking for a better way of doing things with a willingness to consider and explore new business opportunities.”

This is the fifth time that this dealership, previously Pat Hinde Toyota Trucks and now Hino East Rand, has come out top in the annual dealer of the year contest. The years in which it triumphed were 1994, 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2013.

A modest Frans Cloete says that his team did not do anything special to retain the award last year, but continued where they left off after a successful 2012.

“We just kept doing the basics right,” explained the dealer principal. “The secondary strike in the industry did affect us, probably to the extent of one month’s trading. We embarked on a classical focused marketing approach with daily targets and measurement. Hard work and more hard work is what it takes in today’s environment.

“We literally made the targets in the final over if not from the last ball. We had to remind ourselves of former President Mandela’s quote: ‘It always seems impossible until it is done,” added Cloete.

The Hino Customer Experience Award for 2013 went to Hino Parow, headed up by Wouter Nel. This was the company’s second year in succession that it had come out top in customer care among Hino dealers.

“This award goes to the Hino dealer that consistently achieves positive customer service ratings during the year,” explained Dr. Kruger. “This year’s winner rated best in the country in the service category and second best in the parts category. Hino Parow also won the service and parts awards at the recent West Coast regional dealer function.”

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