Women in Business
Showcasing all of the amazing women that work in variety of departments within Sytner MINI.
Jaz Atwall, Sales Executive at Sytner Leicester, answers our Women in Business questions.
How long have you worked for Sytner BMW/MINI? 6 years.
How long have you been in your current role? 6 years.
What is your favourite part about your current role? Interacting with customers and building long term relationships with them and having a great relationship with my colleagues and managers.
What motivates you in the morning? Apart from my morning coffee!! Knowing each day is different and looking forward to what the day has to bring. I also enjoy passing my knowledge onto my colleagues- inspiring other people through my own experiences, and learning more and more every day.
Three words to describe yourself? Persistent, Driven, Approachable.
What is your greatest achievement? Finishing in the top 5 for Sytner for 4 consecutive years and also achieving a 2:1 in my law degree and getting my diploma in property law.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to be in your role? Work hard, don’t over promise and under deliver, do what you said you were going to do, always help others, at times it can get tough but keep going!
How have you seen the Automotive industry landscape change and evolve to engage more women? Over the last 6 years I have seen a huge increase of women working in all departments of the automotive industry including sales and also more women in management roles inspiring women that they can also do it. I feel the presence of more women in the dealership makes it a more inviting and comfortable experience for women to buy cars on their own. I remember when I came in for my interview I had to do a role play with the managers acting as customers. The brand manager of MINI at the time was a woman and she said it was really refreshing as I made contact with her, not just the husband (male sales manager) and didn’t assume it was the man buying the car! She also gave me the best advice that its usually the woman that has the final say so always address the woman!
Top tip for how you organise your days? I use Outlook calendar- I put every appointment in there and it gives you a 15 min reminder too which is really useful, and I always make a to do list!! I use excel spreadsheets for customers’ orders to help me update them every 2 weeks. And if I think of anything later (normally in the evening) I email myself to remind me. I always split my day, 1st hour to update customers, 2nd hour to reply to emails, and then structure my prospecting in-between appointments.
Top tip for working in the automotive industry? Listen and read your customer - and then adapt to each customer accordingly, always help your colleagues, plan your day, stay up to date with new products and technology, be organised, be prepared to go the extra mile, and most importantly smile, be positive and enjoy it!