Chris_CommercialManager

I do believe that Nissan will slot right into this market and take their respective piece of the pie. The vehicles sell pretty well already, it will only improve from here. When you say "dealer criteria" I'm assuming it is in reference to gaining the "commercial" stamp and thus being able to sell the large NV. There really isn't much. You just need to be able to carry inventory of standard parts and be able to service them. I'm spending the whole day with my manufacturer rep on Wednesday and will have more understanding at that time. However, I don't believe they even place minimum stock requirements as far as vehicles are concerned, though I could be wrong. So there's nothing really unattainable about the process that I'm aware of. This predates me but I believe someone told me that the NV200 when first offered was available only to dealerships that had gained the "commercial" stamp from Nissan corporate. They are now of course available anywhere. Never, will all dealers sell the large NV. Just as with Sprinters, I believe the largest hurdle is probably the initial out of pocket expense for for the equipment and items needed to service them. Most every dealership does not have a lift for the big NV, so they need the extra space, roof height in the facility, and initial $$. To erect an extra building if the space doesn't exist (which in a lot of cases it won't) could potentially cost upwards of a million dollars, it wouldn't be chump change. Those three things will eliminate a ton off the list right away. I believe here at my dealership we have about 50 NV's in stock at the moment, that would be including the nv200 and big boys. I'll defer right back to what I said in post 5. There is a lack of inventory, caused by a lack of sales, caused by the lack of knowledge on how to sell the trucks. And what you mention about transits getting serviced anywhere would surprise me, though you may be true. I'm going be visiting ford and dodge dealerships this week and that is one of the many questions I will be asking. Remember, you can get your large NV serviced anywhere as well, it's simply the warranty work that can't be done unless it's a commercial store.

Hey matt, what was bad about the bluetooth if you don't mind me asking. I too have had the same experience with most aftermarket bluetooths. I've done up a whole bunch of my cars and put in plenty of high end pioneer and kenwood units over the recent years. They've been ok at best, always seem to have microphone or background noise problems.

That's a very good point and important topic you bring up. It's almost as important as the product you're building, marketing. If people don't know a product is out there it doesn't matter how good it is. Look at companies like Apple and Harley Davidson, effective marketing is what separates leaders them from rest of the pack. I'll elaborate and maybe give you guys some insight from my point of view on this. It speaks to a larger challenge that a new player to the US market (like Nissan) who doesn't already have a foothold in the commercial market faces, marketing and brand awareness. The best marketing that can be done to drive sales and traffic to the dealership is the consumer seeing the vehicles on the road. So how is that done??? Well, the fact of the matter is commercial products are are marketed differently than a regular consumer vehicles, the lack of print, television, or radio advertising does not bother me. I've begun doing personal research on local trade shows for myself and I've seen some big very popular national one's that we are not partaking in. On a national level those events reach out to the most customers, raise brand awareness, and put trucks on the road. I'm still skimming the surface, and that's just one example. But it illustrates what I'm talking about and the point you've brought up. The following is all speculation but I believe probably a fair assessment, you guys are welcome to chime in. I believe it stems from potentially two major factors. One being money to market and the second being experience. I believe like with any new venture there is trial and error, and also a limited budget. The marketing guys probably want to spend more and attend tons of events and their bosses are probably saying we need to sell more vehicles in order to have the budget. I will go through the same here on non factory level. My boss will say Chris you need to sell more to offset the cost of that event, or whatever it is I'm looking to do. I am however very fortunate in that I have group behind me that knows the old adage that it takes money to make money, and is dedicated to giving me resources to raise awareness, build an all in one shopping experience for the customer, and do all the things I know I need to do to blow the doors off my Charlotte market. Nissan has a great reputation and that in and of itself will sell trucks, I've seen on here numerous times "I bought it if for nothing else Nissan reliability" and that's awesome!!! Nissan has built and imported a quality vehicle that is a viable alternative to the hordes of Fords and Chevys out there. And hey gang, that is the hardest part right? Is all we have to do now is reach out and let the consumer know we're here and what we have. It won't happen over night but it will happen. Nissan is committed, as am I and I'm sure others like me. PS....I'm not going to say I can disassemble the NV200 blindfolded and put it back together but I'm not far away :) I spent a considerable amount of time with it and know the vehicle very well. I personally really like the visibility out of the truck. The small windows in the a pillars and low slung windshield and side windows provide some of the best views of curbs when parking and the road I quite frankly have ever seen. I also really like the fact that Nissan has included factory hardboard on the inside for all models. Coming from Chicago we had during winter of course a ton of salt on the road. Our sprinters did not have that standard and guys would run without it. They would inevitably have something slide into a wall and damage the skin via a dent or the like, that could be seen from the outside. A term that we referred to as "micro cracks" in the paint potentially then occur and rust in many cases is not too far down the line. Overall the vehicle is just very practical and extremely easy to drive. It's also priced less than all the competitors. I expect these to sell very well for me. Today, right when I'm done writing this I will be on to the big NV. Don't know if I'll get her all done today but I've got a good 6-7 hours now to learn. Sometime in the next week I plan on meeting with manufacturer reps from Weather Guard, Adrian, and Ranger togo over all the shelving and work space solutions for the tradesman among us. If you have any questions on upfit equipment please ask. It is my specialty if I do say so. :) I've built everything from bed bug remediation trucks to ambulances to food trucks in the past.

You need to purchase a 2014 for that warranty. You'll be receiving a 3/36k "basic" warranty. FYI, most manufacturers have done away with the term "bumper to bumper". Also, with my customers I usually advise to go factory nav for the fit and finish, and the ability to have it serviced at the dealership in the event of a problem. The bluetooth is a no brainer in my opinion, it is a nice system and while my experience with it is limited it does function as it should and is easy to operate. Hopefully an owner will chime in that's spent tons of time with the system. Even though they are going the way of the dino a garmin is always a good cheap nav fix. Good Luck!! Chris

So....Good to hear from you guys. I'm a week in with Nissan so far and honestly I've not left my desk yet. I have been working on getting all the nissan certifications done to become brand compliant. Once I'm done typing this post I'm heading out with my brochures and I'm going to study and drive the trucks, literally all day long. Tomorrow or Monday I'm going to spy on the competition and will spend some time at a Ford and Dodge dealership. I do expect the Nissan world I'm stepping into to have many differences than the Sprinter world I'm stepping out of. I view the vehicles and many of the customers (maybe not the jobs they are performing, but the underlying reason for driving them into my Showroom as opposed to Benz) to be completely different. The vehicles are fundamentally different but many of the jobs that will be asked of them will be very similair most of the time. Does that make sense btw? I hope I explained that right. IE A plumber needs to....well.....work on pipes and needs a vehicle to house his tools and work in. However that plumber may have a bias towards a gas engine, Japanese durability, low out of pocket cost, etc etc I'm excited to figure out what has been the driver to the Nissan for you guys. I know the perils of commercial brand management and will try to address some of what the last poster (radin2son) was talking about in not so many words. On a manufacturer basis there are alot of similarities comparing Benz to Nissan and it's why I've decided to move to Nissan and use the model of creation I previously used with Benz. Most Benz and Nissan dealerships simply are not familair with the ins and outs of operating a commercial dept, and most don't even have one. All dealerships can sell parts and mechanics can wrench but it's the sales dept that drives those things. The one's that do (90% of the time) have simply moved over a "car" guy who takes his "car" knowledge and tries to apply it to the commercial side. It causes a revolving door at the position and the dept (again if they have one) never really gains any traction. The amount of upfit product knowledge and mechanical knowledge needed in my opinion is simply too much for most people. There are soooo many products, companies, and quality differences that it really takes an eye. It's honestly just a boatload of work but for me personally, I'm a gear head and I'd be doing stuff like this regardless of wether or not it was my job, I love it. In summation, Nissan has been manufacturing commercial products for over 75 years, but the sales experience in the country with them can be counted on one hand. So, like with anything there is a learning curve. I do believe it to be a FANTASTIC product that is taking off. The aggressive dealers that step up have territories, like mine, just ready to be taken. In my situation, my dealership was using the salespeople to sell the vans, there was no "commercial sales dept". I have a blank slate and will be building from the ground up. I'm going to put all the products, protocals, and policies in place to provide my Charlotte market with a second to none Sales, Parts, and Service set up. In fact one of the very first things I'm trying to do is have my office relocated to the service drive. Many commercial customers do not like to enter the showroom, and even moreso I literally want to shake the hand and get on a first name basis with every NV owner that comes into the service drive. (From my personal background I'm quite honestly more comftorable back there too ) That's enough blathering, I need to go study up!! Please, anyone else, tell me what's driven you to purchase or consider (if you haven't bought) an NV. Have a good day all, Cheers!

Wow, I find what you did very impressive. Have you done something like this before or was it your first shot? I'm guessing you have, it looks to clean to be your first time lol. Job well done!!

Hello everybody! I've been doing a lot of reading here, seems like a nice board, hopefully I can add to the community. A little about me: I'm a brand new (less than a week on the job) Nissan Commercial Manager, Scott Clark Nissan in Charlotte NC. I'm actually a Sprinter convert, having worked as a commercial Benz guy for some time. I've been in and or around the car business since the age of 15 (34 now). I have an addiction to anything that has an engine, I guess I could be referred to as the proverbial "gear head". I love working with commercial products and their customers. The van market has now become a super competitive marketplace that benefits all of us for sure! I will create what we hope will be a nissan commercial dept that will be a one stop shop with tons of products and demos to look at. Creating a shopping experience where you can look and touch the products your looking to upfit, as opposed to flipping through a catalog. An initial question of you guys: I know no vehicle can be everything to everyone, and I know there's owners of not just NV's here. If you looked at the NV, or currently own one, what went into your decision that you liked or didn't like about the truck? Cheers, Chris!