Nissan Philippines Ups Its Game With the Nissan Olympics

The year 2016 was a great year for Nissan Philippines Inc (NPI). According to Mr. Ramesh Narasimhan, NPI President and Managing Director, the Japanese vehicle maker had a record-breaking year, thanks in no small part to increased demand for its vehicles and customers’ continued confidence in the brand.

Not resting on its laurels, however, NPI seeks to push the envelope further by finding ways to further boost consumer confidence in the marque. One of the ways they are doing so is via the very first Nissan Olympics, held at the Nissan Training Center at the NPI plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The skills competition is a showcase of the best technical and professional talent within the brand’s ranks.

The said competition was so stiff that in the Sales category, for instance, only 11 of 550 Marketing Professionals were eligible to join the contest. The cream of the crop for this bunch garnered a 90% score for online exams, 90% on the sales satisfaction index, and were able to sell at least 3 units within the last 12 month.

The same goes for the After Sales category, where only 6 teams with four members each were chosen. Plus, only 11 dealer representatives out of the 14 total entries were selected to showcase their V-Up projects. All these were meant to show just how serious NPI is about quality and professional competence.

After an entire day of written exams, showroom scenarios, interviews, vehicle troubleshooting, and V-up presentations, the winners were chosen:

Sales Category:

Champion: Marvin Sarmiento, Nissan Don Chino Roces

2^nd Place: Ryan Damaso, Nissan Isabela

3^rd Place: Neil Villamoreal, Nissan Isabela

Best Dealer Marketing Officers

1^st Place: Jasmine Mercado, Nissan Commonwealth.

2^nd Place: Maria Victoria Manalastas, Nissan North EDSA

3^rd Place: Rosalie Dominguez, Nissan Mantrade

Best Service Advisers

1^st Place: Manuel Zapanta, Nissan Commonwealth

2^nd Place: Lawrence Lim, Nissan Mantrade

3^rd Place: Joebert Entereso, Nissan UN

Best Parts Personnel

1^st Place: Bernie Dalida, Nissan Mantrade

2^nd Place: Celso Tibang, Nissan Isabela

3^rd Place: Ariel Bang, Nissan Commonwealth

Best Technicians

1^st Place: Charlie Marcos, Nissan Mantrade

2^nd Place: Kier Ojenar, Nissan Commonwealth

3^rd Place: Jefrey Arquero, Nissan Isabela

After Sales Category (Teams)

1^st Place: Nissan Mantrade

2^nd Place: Nissan Isabela

3^rd Place: Nissan Commonwealth

V-up Projects:

Nissan spirit of innovation - Nissan Isabela, represented by Chito Lucas and Ronald Villanueva

Nissan Commonwealth represented by Catherine De Jesus and Nestle Retardo

Nissan Don Chino Roces represented by Ferdie Sundiam and Jorge Saddie

Nissan Palawan represented by Jay Angelo Begino and Ronnie Go

Nissan Southwoods represented by Connie Villanueva and Carlos Ereve

Nissan UN, represented by Riza Evangelista and Maria Milagros Saberon, who showed off a solution for improving the lead time for the delivery of brand new vehicles, complete with accessories.

(in the photo): Former NPI Vice President for Sales, Marketing & Dealer Development SJ Huh (leftmost), NPI General Manager for TCS Eddielyn Quiazon (second from left), NPI President and Managing Director Ramesh Narasimhan (second from right) and NPI TCS Manager for Quality and Assurance Ariel Mamino with the champion from Nissan UN for the V-Up Program category at the 2017 Nissan Skills Olympics.

With the Nissan Olympics, the idea is to find the best talent among the Nissan network and share it. This way, customer experience is enhanced further, resulting in more satisfied clients.  It ties in with the braned’s recently unveiled Nissan Express Service, a program that aims to encourage preventive maintenance by offering things like quick, 30-minute service and your own mechanic to look after your vehicle.

Of course, being quick doesn’t mean service is sloppy, On the contrary, the Nissan Olympics aims to ensure that any work done on a Nissan (or any vehicle, for that matter) is of the highest quality. And it doesn’t just focus on mechanical issues. Even professional and aftersales services are put to the test to keep all team members on their toes and always at their best.

And this, along with continuing the growth momentum of the brand, is the main challenge for 2017.