Meet the Expert – Alan Cardy
Alan Cardy is a Senior Sales Manager and industry specialist within our National Accounts & ESG team. Here he shares his journey to Close Brothers and his favourite part of the role.
Tell us about your role and your current responsibilities…
My role consists of working with our dealer partners, providing them with a recognised and trusted secondary finance provider. This means we only assist as and when their primary finance provider, namely the manufacturers finance house, is unable to support.
What was your journey to Close Brothers?
I spent 17 years working for a Mercedes-Benz commercial dealer in East Anglia, I enjoyed selling finance with nearly all my sales, working with the customer to make the deal fit their budget. I joined Close Brothers as a Dealer Manager in 2019. In January 2020 my role was expanded to include the National Accounts team, working with Andrew New.
What is it about working for Close Brothers that is different?
I’ve found that Close Brothers really value their people, it’s nice to work for an organisation that is primarily concerned about your welfare, it makes you feel valued within the company and your team. I like that we are also given the opportunity to grow and develop products that could add value to your role. One such example is an RV based product for HGVs which we are now able to provide, which has enhanced our dealer relationships.
What’s your favourite part of your role?
I enjoy working in partnership with the salesperson at each of our Commercial dealer groups. My role is to enhance this working relationship by offering the most suitable finance product. It is extremely rewarding when the dealer and customer offer repeat business because you know they were satisfied with the outcome the first time.
Give us an example of how you’ve helped a customer…
I had a customer who was an owner driver of a haulage company, they had a dream of owning their own business and being their own boss. At this point they had a contract in place but needed to purchase a truck to get their business going. A lot of lenders wouldn’t touch such a new business, they would want to see their trading history before committing to a loan. At Close Brothers we understand the risk of a new business through our years of experience, giving us the ability to help. We often find that a start-up business will grow year on year with our tailored support.
Tell us one thing people may not know about you…
I once participated in a tandem skydive in Northern Australia jumping out of a plane at 14,000 feet. Fantastic experience!
