Total honesty is the name of the game. Customers should know exactly what the situation is, especially these days with unpredictable stock availability.
This is the motto of Daryl Naidoo, Sales Manager at Suzuki Zululand in Richards Bay. Daryl received the Sales Manager of the Year Award from Suzuki Auto South Africa as the top salesman in the country.
With a career and extensive experience in the trucking industry, he joined the independent Suzuki and GWM/Haval multi-franchise dealership about four years ago as a Sales Executive. Soon afterwards, he became the Sales Manager with a team of four Sales Executives.
“Clients need to know exactly what the status of vehicle availability and delivery is. When a potential customer approaches you, you need to be on the ball with product knowledge from specifications to the pricing of the different models. People do their homework before buying a new vehicle, so you need to be sharp.
“Today everyone is doing business all over the country, and I personally deliver vehicles as far afield as Johannesburg and Mpumalanga. It is important to stay in contact with your customers. I will contact them regularly afterwards to make sure they are happy and attend to any issues that might arise.
“For me it is also important to keep in contact with customers who bring their vehicles for servicing and repairs and, when possible, I will be present when they collect their vehicles afterwards. It is just as important to keep customers up to speed about when the vehicle they bought will be available. We contact those customers once a week,” Daryl says.
“The way you treat a customer is the foundation for your next customer. We have a lot of referrals that emphasise the point of good customer retention. We also try to assist customers who have paid a deposit upfront with a demo vehicle if there is a delay in the delivery of the new vehicle,” he tells Dealerfloor.
“I was surprised and honoured winning this award. It means we are doing something right, and I am proud of our team, dealership and our Dealer Principal, Roland Witthoft, for rising to the occasion and been recognised,” Daryl says.
Honda has expanded its local SUV line-up with the introduction of the CR-V RS e:HEV AWD. The newcomer brings hybrid power to the CR-V range while adding updated styling, additional technology and a revised cabin layout.
South African Auto Week 2026 opened in Durban on Tuesday, 13 October, with transformation and skills development among the key issues for the automotive industry, highlighted by an Absa Group investment of R13.5 million in the Automotive Business Council | naamsa’s Dreams Academy.
South Africa’s used-vehicle market showed signs of renewed momentum in September 2026, with trading activity improving after a softer August and several key brands strengthening their positions.
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