How Some Car Dealers Are Taking On The New Normal

Under the current situation, many are facing challenges, both the employer and employee alike. And while there is some relief provided by the government, there is still an issue with uncertainty. But as we will soon see, not all hope is lost. There are those who continue to be optimistic, even if cautiously being so, and are doing all that they can to help themselves, their employees, and their customers.

Appended below is an interview with Gary Quek, Managing Director of Supernau Motors Trading Sdn Bhd. Supernau Motors is one of the PROTON dealers in Sarawak. We would like to thank all those who took the time to arrange for this.

1. Firstly, can you tell us how many PROTON outlets are there under Supernau Motors? We understand there’s an existing 3S centre in Bintulu, and another one is coming up. Can you elaborate a little on the outlet expansion plan?

Currently, Supernau has 4 outlets. The first outlet under our own management started back in year 2010 in Bintulu. In 2018, this 3S outlet was enhanced to meet the new standard guidelines laid out by PROTON. In addition to that, we also have an outlet for body and paint services. That is situated 8km away from here.

We have another 2 smaller sales outlets that are in Sarikei and Mukah to serve customers in these areas.
At present, we are also in the midst of upgrading our Kuching outlet to become a 4S centre.

2. What is the rationale for expanding the Kuching outlet to a 4S, especially now with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? I mean, to build another outlet at this time is a big decision. What is your take on this?

The decision to upgrade has always been there. And we need to do this so that we can serve our customers better. The intention is to offer sales and service all under one roof. As for me, it is a fruit of labour as I’ve been with PROTON since 2000, working as employee, and now, a business owner.

It is true that this is a huge investment, especially in challenging times like this, but we have built a strong foundation over the years to see that this project comes to fruition. We have calculated what we need to incur, the kinds of costs that we can absorb, and what we can forgo. While pursuing all these,
what keeps us going is the faith that the future belongs to those who dare to believe in their dreams.

What matters is, I believe in the PROTON establishment, I want to see its success soaring, so that one day I can look back and proudly say, “I am a part of the success”.

3. How is business so far, with the ongoing pandemic?

Business is slowly building up. There is no business out there which has not been affected by the pandemic. However, looking at the booking trend, Proton cars are still high in demand. Our team is trying our very best to fulfill customers’ needs in terms of sales and service.

We have been carefully planning our service appointment to maximize the service intake and at the same time practicing the “new normal”. This means there is no overcrowding in the outlet, and customers as well as staff adhere strictly to the standard operating procedures.

4. Ok, let’s back track a bit… Initially during the early days of the pandemic when it hit us hard, what were your thoughts at that time?

Wow….. It was scary. Our shareholders and I were in constant discussion. Our most important topic was how to maintain our staff, as we know that we cannot survive without them. Secondly, how can we survive this period as we can’t predict how long this pandemic will last. So we started calling all our landlords, vendors and service providers for discounts and assistance, any way we can.

We were planning for the worst. But we try to maintain a realistic and practical outlook by taking one day at a time, and staying positive.

On the bright side, we applaud the government’s efforts in establishing recovery plans which supports the growth of the country’s economy. Now car prices are expected to be lower, due to the zero sales tax. So this gives buyers the option to consider purchasing cars now, especially locally assembled cars, instead of waiting later in order to enjoy the tax exemption.

5. And how is Supernau Motors managing the new way of doing business? What are the activities in place to ensure business continuity? Also, what are you doing to comply with the new hygiene practices in the outlet?

The new way of managing the business is not hitting us that hard as we have been practicing online reporting and tele-conferencing throughout these years to manage all our four outlets in Sarawak. Sarawak is a large state and it is not easy to go from one outlet to another. But of course, at the same time we have to adjust a little to accommodate a larger crowd than usual, as we have like more than 80 staff at present.

We are active in social media, and we plan many activities. There are games, lucky draw contests etc. For example, if your readers check out our Proton Supernau Motors 4S – Bintulu Facebook page, they stand a chance to win an iPhone from our current lucky draw contest. Besides this, we also post and share up-to-date local and global news.

Plus, part of our challenge was for the team to secure 50,000 likes on social media. And we actually managed to secure more than that. Total likes are fast approaching 64,000. I guess that’s the highest number of likes we have achieved in the history of Supernau. We want to take this opportunity to thank  those in the PROTON training department who constantly provides us with useful tips on customer engagement. We will continue to learn and adopt the latest and best approach to ensure our business continuity.

As for compliance to the new standards, all our staff and customers go through temperature checks before they are allowed into the outlet. Hand sanitisers are provided at the reception area, and seats are marked to show where customers are allowed to seat, to ensure social distancing are adhered to at all times. We also encourage our customers to use contactless payment to minimise touch-zones.

6. In your opinion, do you think consumers are willing to spend money to buy a car at this moment?

I believe almost everyone’s mindset has changed since the pandemic broke out. People tend to be more careful with their expenses now. Every expense is most probably met with “Do I need to purchase this?”.

I think now, generally, people are more concern of the car’s value and also about regular maintenance. Having said that, a car is still a necessity especially in areas like Sarawak where distance between one place and another is quite far. In this aspect, I believe, Proton cars have an edge now as our prices are highly competitive, and we have cars that are well equipped with some of the latest technology.

7. So which Proton model is the most sell-able in Sarawak, or in Bintulu/Kuching, to be more specific?

Definitely the Saga. It is the most affordable sedan, it is reliable, and comes with sufficient storage. And most importantly, it is value for money. Moreover, the price of the Saga fits the average household income of Sarawakians. Sarawakians can’t rely heavily on public transport because of its scattered population and geography.

8. Can you share with us what is ahead for Supernau, the strategy for the year, and possibly the next 2 years?

Our plan for years to come is to continue to offer excellent sales and service experience to customers. Their happiness is our number one priority. We always listen to our customers, both new and existing, and do our level best to fulfill their needs.

For the coming 2 years, we will be making more use of the social media platform. We have been training our team to be a better marketers in the digital world.

Besides this, we are planning to do a lot more mobile servicing in all the districts within our reach throughout Sarawak. It will save customers time and eventually, will enable us to form a greater bond with them.

We have embedded the golden rule of “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you” in all our team members in their everyday work. For this reason, I believe that this keeps staff mindful of their actions and helps to treat customers respectfully.

As a side note, if I may share some morale-boosting news, our outlet has always been the top ranking for Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) and Customers Satisfaction Index (CSI) over the years, among all PROTON outlets nationwide. This is a result of maintaining good relationships with our customers.

9. So, tell us… is Gary Quek the same person in office as he is at home?

Ha ha…. I value every single person’s time no matter who they are. I appreciate feedback from everyone and I always try my very best to reward the staff based on merit.

In everything I do, I emphasize teamwork and takes all ideas seriously. For me, there are no ‘stupid’ ideas in this world. I can be strict and serious but I am always approachable. I don’t usually take arguments personally, if there are. To me, people make mistakes. We solve it together, and get on with it and be sure not to repeat the same mistake again. I will always do my very best to satisfy our team members, our customers and our company.

At home, I always adhere to the saying “happy wife, happy life”. Of course, some days, this is easier
said than done (laughter).