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» RYCO NZ Manager, Azim Aslam – our Man in the Field Employee Spotlight

Meet & Greet RYCO NZ Manager, Azim Aslam!

Profile

Name Azim Aslam
Department RYCO Sales Team
Title New Zealand Manager, Sales & Operations

Introduction:

Our RYCO NZ Manager, Azim Aslam believes that active listening to customers is the key to success!

During his 10 years of service at RYCO, Azim has become the “man in the field”.  As a true Kiwi at heart, Azim’s role incorporates a variety of tasks – from managing relationships with nationwide RYCO 24•7 NZ franchisees to dealing with customers’ enquiries daily.

Let us not forget to mention Azim’s vibrant personality and passion for motorsports. He managed to build his own car and has been a part of our NZ V8 Ute Sponsorship for three consecutive years!

Azim is super excited to develop new strategies for the RYCO Hydraulics NZ market and shares with us his ongoing passion for RYCO products, embracing the “hot seat”, and his personable approach to his team and clientele.

Q&A:

General

  • What does your day-to-day role entail?
    Some day’s I’m a fireman and others I’m a sounding board. Apart from that my day-to-day role is to ensure the safety of our staff and that our customers receive premier service from all our team and ensure our product is available to our nation-wide RYCO 24•7 franchisees.
  • Briefly describe that “one” situation or scenario that has shaped you professionally.
    It is difficult to narrow it down to one… my 10-year journey with RYCO and the situations and scenarios that have presented themselves have all played a part to shape who I am today, not only personally but professionally.
  • What are the most important aspects of developing strong and longstanding customer relationships?
    I believe the single most important thing is trust, if someone doesn’t trust you there is no relationship.
  • Name your biggest achievement during your time at RYCO? Ten years ago, my manager at the time asked me, “where do you see yourself in five years with RYCO?” My answer was sitting in the hot seat, six years later here I am.
  • What does your perfect day at RYCO look like? Is there such a thing as perfect? A good day for me at RYCO is when all our staff are singing and smiling while customer orders are being fulfilled.
  • What parts of the RYCO mission do you connect with?I think I connect with the part where we listen to our customers, I believe the key to a great partnership is to listen. Without paying attention and listening you can’t understand, and without this understanding, you cannot deliver the best solution for the customer.
  • What is your favourite product at RYCO that you can talk for hours about and why? This is a difficult one, I don’t have a favourite product. For me, all of our products are premium, and I don’t just say this because I work for RYCO, I truly believe that our product is by far the best on the market. So, I can talk about all of our product lines nonstop for hours and hours!

Sales

  • Do you feel like the “man in the field” while running sales and operations with the team in New Zealand? Yes, I do feel like the “man in the field”, the only way to understand our customers’ business is to be in it with them, whatever that may look like. Could be on a job site one day or knocking on doors the next. It’s all about building relationships and strengthening them.
  • Do you recall your biggest sale or accomplishment during your career to date? The biggest accomplishment to date for me is helping grow one of our Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) accounts. Being a part of their supply chain and learning about their business has helped not only develop my knowledge but has aided RYCO to provide the best solutions to this customer.
  • In your opinion, what qualities should a salesperson have to succeed? Qualities that a salesman needs that I believe are important are good listening skills, honesty, passion for the company and/or product that they represent and the drive to make things better for the customer.
  • Do you believe the saying: “people buy from people they like”? Why or why not?
    I truly believe in this; people will always buy from people they like. If we go back to RYCO’s Mission Statement, the keywords here are “listen to our customers”, and we do this well.

Outside of Work

  • Does the following statement describe you: “I like fast cars, and I always have”?
    Yes, it does. I’ve just sold the car that I built over 10 years. Currently looking at purchasing a motorbike.
  • Did you find the RYCO 24•7 NZ V8 Ute Sponsorship inspiring?
    Very much so, being amongst some of the big names in our industry and talking to these people has opened my eyes to what these businessmen are about. It’s all about family and the laughs that come with this great bunch of people.
  • Can you say: “I am a proud New Zealander” and, why?
    Yes, I can say I am a proud Kiwi. NZ is my home and has been for over 30 years, both my kids and wife are born in NZ, it is a beautiful country, that is safe and there’s a lot to do.
  • When you are not at RYCO, what do you enjoy doing the most?
    All my time away from work I spend it with my family.
  • Being a family man, how do you switch off after a long day at RYCO?
    Seeing my little girl run up to me and hug me when I open the front door, helps me switch off very quickly.
  • What personal qualities help you to get through challenges?
    I’ve learnt over the years that in any situation taking a deep breath and assessing the situation helps. Normally even the biggest challenges become achievable.

Conclusion:

Shep Hyken quoted “a brand is defined by the customer’s experience. The experience is delivered by the employees”. Azim, as RYCO NZ Manager, is passionate about customer service and RYCO products! His personable approach, and a strong desire to develop RYCO and RYCO 24•7 NZ market are his definite keys to success!

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