Two Hino dealers have swept the Hino National Dealers Awards, the pair sharing the 2008 Hino Metropolitan Dealer of the Year honour.

Vanderfield Hino's Darwin branch and WA Hino, located at Welshpool 10km south-east of Perth's CBD, were adjudged the best metropolitan dealers of the year.

Hino has 44 dealers located across Australia.

The annual awards are based on performance in sales, service, parts and accessories, and customer satisfaction.

Vanderfield Hino's Toowoomba branch also claimed its fourth Rural Dealer of the Year award since 2002.

"We are delighted to have won both the rural and metro awards, as they are as much a tribute to our customers as to the Vanderfield team," said Bruce Vandersee, managing director of Vanderfield Hino.

"The recent economic downturn shows how strong the culture and stability of a business is. I must commend my two branch managers - Aaron Heath in Darwin and Jason Jones in Toowoomba - for the leadership they have shown in keeping our customers happy and loyal to Hino.

"Toowoomba and Darwin are quite different markets, and the customers in both locations have different expectations that each dealership must understand and adapt to."

WA Hino general manager Paul McGovern echoed Mr Vandersee's thoughts, saying that the truck business is a people business that rewards dealerships who build their culture around that trusim.

"When it comes down to it, trucks are bought by people and sold by people, so establishing that bond between our staff and our clients has been crucial to WA Hino's success," Mr McGovern said.

"I've been in the business for 25 years and I am still selling trucks to the same people who started dealing with us all those years ago, because customers like dealing with an experienced sales team they know and trust. The 'newest' member in our sales team has been with us seven years."

Mr McGovern said developing staff to occupy key positions in WA Hino had been a key factor in maintaining stability and raising skill levels among his staff.

"We have a policy of employing from within, and two of our salesmen originally started with us as apprentice mechanics.

"Western Australia has been hit the hardest by the economic downturn so the award is great recognition for the efforts of the entire WA Hino team in a very tough market."

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