On arriving back at the motor-home sales office after seeing Gladys in her home, Mandy had outlined her plans to Ruarc and got a grudging acceptance.
A week later Mandy’s strategy for expanding the motorhome sales business was already under way. In fact everything was really going very well with the exception that she had not heard from Tom Hutchinson.
Even Ruarc seemed pleased.
“Well done gal, said Ruarc, “It’s a bit different to the ways we are used to but its no time to be picky. I’ll hold off the deliveries on the new motor homes from my supplier for a few weeks, just to be on the safe side, as you suggest.”
Gladys had come back off sick too, and, for a change, she was getting down to work instead of merely filing her nails. She still hadn’t been paid but Ruarc had agreed, at Mandy’s suggestion, that she could have the use of a smart little Romahome motorhome to drive too and from work and for the occasional holiday.
The Romahome motor home was small, compact, agile in traffic and economical on fuel. Plus there was no other way that Gladys and her husband were otherwise likely ever to be able to afford a holiday so this was a good holding plan. However, Gladys would need paying eventually and her wage arrears caught up.
Mandy had also taken over writing the motor-home advertising copy, with the proviso that it be approved by Ruarc before going for publication.
Her first strategy was to extend the motorhome sales business mailing list with a promotional competition. People could win the prize of a free motorhome holiday for two weeks by providing the best description of what they would do with the motorhome if they won.
The competition was designed to identify people who had some sort of interest in obtaining a motorhome, ‘qualifying customers’ as Mandy described them to Ruarc. The recession meant that many of them had delayed their plans even to look at motorhomes. But, if they could be persuaded to come forward, perhaps ways and means could be devised to provide them with a motor-home despite the recession.
If Ruarc’s motorhomes could supply people with the motorhome of their dreams at a cost that was acceptable to both, however big the discounts, the business was working, decided Mandy.
“It’s all a matter of flexibility,” she had said to Ruarc. “The closer we can get to our prospective customers the better we will be able to create opportunities for the motorhome business.”
Gladys looked happier too. Mandy had given her the job of ringing around prospective customers and arranging their visits to Ruarc’s motorhome sales so they could choose the motorhome they wanted for two weeks, if they won the motor-home competition. She was very chatty on the phone and did the job well. It meant that Mandy could spend her time dealing with the customers personally when they arrived and it was a system that was beginning to work with one motorhome hire sale made already when a young couple decided, bearing in mind the discounts, they would go ahead and take a rental immediately with the chance of an extra one for two weeks later in the year, if they won the competition.
When Mandy confronted Ruarc, in his office and suggested that the best use of the income from the young couple’s motor home rental sale was to bring Gladys wages up to date, after a lot of harrumphing, he grudgingly agreed.
“Gladys is doing a very good job on the telephone bringing in the motorhome sales leads. We need her to be motivated and she can’t work properly if she’s worried about paying her own bills at home,” said Mandy, persuasively.
That day Gladys went home looking really pleased and the day after she was in early to the motor-home sales office and Mandy could see she was now giving the job her full commitment.
With Ruarc’s motorhome sales marketing now on an even keel, Mandy turned to other practical aspects of the business. These involved Ruarc’s son Ralph. She approached Ruarc with her ideas and he, after considerable discussion, gave her the OK.
“He’s got a mind of his own, though. He’s not really interested in motor-home sales and he doesn’t like being told what to do, especially by a woman.”
“I’ll try my best to deal with that,” promised Mandy. “But our priority is to shift motor-homes and his help is absolutely necessary.”
