Spotlight on our Southport Showground
24 May 2022In the latest of our Team Talk features, we’re mixing it up a little to focus on the team at our Southport Showground.
Led by Shane Smith, our business development manager for the North West, the team also includes showground sales assistants Marianne Blackham-Perry and Glenn Davies.
The team recently coordinated a successful three-day open weekend to showcase our latest models and talk all things Willerby with showground visitors.
Q. Tell us about the Southport Showground and what you all do.
Shane: “I oversee operations and we help our distributors and parks secure their sales by showing customers our Willerby products.
“Marianne and Glenn accompany visitors one-to-one while they look around the showground, show them different models and answer questions.”
Q. How has it been going since it opened a year ago?
Marianne: “It’s been brilliant and the footfall has been very positive. We’ve got 108 Google reviews and every one of them is 5*, so we’ve been very well received.
“Given our location and the number of parks in this locality, it was important we got it right. Everyone who visits us knows they’re not going to get a hard sell and it’s lovely working here.”
Q. Talk us through the different personalities in the team.
Glenn: “Shane is a stickler for detail and that’s a very good quality in a manager. I like that he takes a lot of care and attention over everything and is very considerate.”
Shane: “Glenn and Marianne are very conscientious, professional and friendly and we all have a wicked sense of humour.”
Q. Tell us a claim to fame or little-known fact about each of you.
Glenn: “I played five-a-side football with Pelé at Highbury in 1982. I asked him to sign everything I was given as a memento of the day.”
Marianne: “I’ve recently inherited a 1964 ½ convertible Ford Mustang classic car. It’s a little bit of my dad for me to keep and it’s been in my family since 1976.”
Shane: “I’m a Football Association (FA) goalkeeper coach. I was trained by Tony Elliott, the England futsal, England Blind Squad and England Deaf Squad goalkeeper coach.”
Q. What do you enjoy most about being part of the team at Southport?
Shane: “The team. We get on extremely well, we have a laugh and we enjoy what we do in a relaxed atmosphere.”
Marianne: “The flexibility of the role. Glenn and I work three days per week and Shane is full time and we help each other when we need to cover days, which works well.”
Glenn: “The environment we work in. It doesn’t feel like work or boss and employee. When I first started, someone asked me what my new job was like. I said it’s like home from home because it’s like having an extended family.”
