ORLANDO, Fla. (April 29, 2010) – Six International® brand truck dealer sales representatives went head-to-head last week to highlight their expertise and working knowledge of International® brand commercial trucks, as well as OnCommand™ by Navistar, the company’s newly branded suite of customer service offerings.

The winner of the first International Truck Customer Solutions Rodeo was Phil Johnston, sales representative, Selking International, Fort Wayne, Ind.

“Just participating in this contest was a huge learning experience and winning the competition was icing on the cake,” Phil said. “I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned to help deliver to our customers a comprehensive level of after-sales support.”

As the 2010 Customer Solutions Rodeo winner, Phil will receive $5,000.

“While Phil was the winner of our first Customer Solutions competition, our customers are the real winners when they take advantage of the products and services that International can offer,” said Tom Abbott, manager, Dealer Education, Navistar.

Developed by Navistar’s dealer education group, the Customer Solutions Rodeo enjoyed outstanding participation from the dealer channel.

“More than 700 sales folks from across the United States and Canada completed the required Navistar Education training courses to qualify,” Abbott added. “That kind of commitment sends a clear message that International dealers are recognizing the benefits of offering customers a level of service that goes beyond the truck.”

In addition to completing several online courses, contest applicants were also required to prepare a sales presentation.

During the competition’s early rounds, Navistar’s management sales team judged competitors in walk-around presentations, scoring competitors not only on their explanation of product features, but also on their ability to relate the features to specific customer issues such as appearance, serviceability, driver acceptance and safety.

In the second portion of the competition, the sales representatives demonstrated their knowledge of On Command by Navistar, which includes programs such as Fleet Charge (centralized parts pricing and billing), Customer Parts Recovery (cash payment for a customer’s excess parts inventory), Service Partner (guaranteed labor times) and Fleet Education (customized web-based or in-person technician training).

Phil Rulli, vice president, Northeast Region, Navistar; Phil Tindell, vice president, Midwest Region, Navistar; and Brian Mulshine, manager, Service Development & Marketing, Navistar, judged the final round of competition.

The competition finalists included:
• Phil Johnston, Selking International - Champion
• Lyndell Pannell, Southwest International Inc
• John White, Western Toronto International Trucks, Inc.
• Jim Ramsay, Liberty International Trucks
• Jeff Roberts, Rush International Truck Center
• Ken Barton, Lake City Trucks, LLC

A brief video of the Navistar Customer Solutions Rodeo is available at the following link: www.navistar.com/customersolutionscontest.