“Walking into a new place can be tough, but not knowing anyone on top of that adds to the challenge!”
Our resident work experience student Lily Maltby from Boston College tells us all about her time here with us…
"I am currently taking part in work experience here at Duckworth Motor Group as part of my college course. I started a few weeks back and do one day a week in the marketing department, and I love it! I have a keen interest in business and marketing, and I hope to pursue this type of career in the future.
"Starting anywhere new can be daunting and can make you feel apprehensive. However, everyone is so incredibly friendly here, from the receptionists who welcome you in, to the sales team who make sure customers are happy and of course the marketing department which is my favourite department. Everyone has been warm and welcoming towards me, they have helped out when I needed it and gave me the opportunity to get a proper experience of what it would be like to work here.
"As someone who has little experience within the ‘behind the scenes’ of the car sales industry, I was unsure of what to expect but I can say that I am enjoying every minute of being here. The staff here are all friendly, it feels like being part of a massive family. The relationships that the staff build with the customers are amazing to watch, the care, time and patience they have and understanding what is important to the customer are vital when working in this industry.
"Furthermore, throughout my days here I have had the chance to have a couple of hours with each department. This gave me the chance to learn about what they do, their importance and what their relationship is like with customers. This gave me an insight into just how good the communication needs to be in order for everything to run like clockwork and all targets to be met on time.
"I spent a few hours in service which was eye-opening to see just how much communication goes into speaking to the customer and then passing this on to the workshop to figure out what they want to happen with their vehicle.
"I then spent a couple of hours in the sales department, this was interesting to see the different tools they use to keep customers interested in the cars. I was shown how to know how to describe a car to the customer depending on what they would like. If the customer desires space in a car then it is better to show them all the different storage compartments for example, rather than the sound system which may not be as important to them.
"However, my favourite department has to be the marketing department this is where I have spent most of my time, which has been the most interesting. I have been given opportunities that consist of going to a farm machinery show for social media content in an E-pace Jaguar, going out in a Defender to get photos of it to gain some interest, taking part in a research project to find out what people are most interested in and what gains their attention. These are some of the opportunities that I have been given in such a short amount of time. This has affirmed my decision that I would love to go into marketing and pursue it.
"There have also been opportunities to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes and the day-to-day running of a business as big as this. I have had the chance to produce spreadsheets and draw conclusions to help the marketing department come to resolutions to fix any problems or find out what else could be done. I found this hugely interesting and beneficial when it came to affirming my decision.
"I want to thank everyone for their support and specifically Chrissy for taking me and allowing me to be so involved within the team."