Introducing Metalfab’s Newest Member of the Sales Team—Maria Pozsgai!
At Metalfab, the heart of our business comprises a passionate team of management, purchasers, engineers, production staff, and salespeople. Each of us plays an important role in delivering our high-quality line of custom fire trucks to the end users. Recently, we added a new salesperson to our sales team—Maria Pozsgai.
Maria started with us in November of last year as a purchaser. In her previous role, Maria kept track of our working inventory, ordered parts for our trucks, and did market research to ensure we were getting the best of the best for our North American firefighters. This helped prepare her for her new role in sales. “There’s a million-and-one parts to a fire truck,” she says, “so I acquired a lot of knowledge through the purchasing position.”
Although she came on as a purchaser, her passion has always been sales. When a sales position became available at Metalfab, Maria came forward and let us know that she was interested in taking it. “I love to travel, and I love to meet people,” she says, “and fire trucks are so interesting. There’s so much that goes into a fire truck, and no two are alike.”
Although Metalfab has been her first experience with fire trucks, Maria has an extensive background in the automotive industry. When she was younger, she was in school to be a mechanic—until she dropped an engine block on her leg and realized how painful the profession could be. She then went over to body work to give that a try instead. After working on the floor for quite a few years, painting and prepping vehicles, Maria felt she was aging out of the laborious position and moved into various other positions in the industry. These included parts and service management and selling for automotive paint companies before she came to Metalfab as a purchaser and now a salesperson.
Currently, Maria is in a transitional phase as she learns the ropes of being a Metalfab sales representative. In addition to learning from various existing staff, she has been looking at a lot of drawings and specifications to get her head around all the elements of fire trucks and the different types of trucks that we offer. “Every department’s requirements are so different,” she says, “so I’m learning a lot with the drawings and taking advantage of the years of experience at our plant to answer any questions I may have.”
When she is finished with her training, Maria will be dealing with fire departments in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. She will spend her time in a combination of office and road work. During her initial road trips, she will be coming out to introduce herself to the fire chiefs in these provinces in addition to attending various sales and preconstruction meetings in these areas. She will also be attending various conventions and trade shows representing Metalfab.
“If I’m driving by a fire department, we have a little package,” she says. “If they’re not there, I’ll just hang it on the door. If they are there, I’ll stop in and introduce myself.”
Maria attended her first trade show—in Prince Edward Island—on September 16th and 17th. She assembled and operated our booth all on her own and provided valuable information on what we offer to the local fire service community.
A very busy, hands-on type of person, Maria looks forward to always having something on the go. “I like to keep busy,” she says. She can’t wait to finish training and get started working as a salesperson full-time, not just for herself but for her replacement as well (Maria’s position in purchasing has been assumed by Gerald Smith, who has nearly finished training and is doing an excellent job). “I’m really excited,” she says.
Maria recognizes, “Every single truck is going to be so different, and it’s not a quick decision due to the complexity and cost of today’s trucks. It’s going to take time to get the sale.” However, she continues, “It’s nice because it’s going to be a lot of building relationships,” which is what she enjoys most about selling. She is very much looking forward to assisting the departments in specifying a truck that will serve their community well for many years.
If you are a fire chief located in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island and you haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet Maria, be on the lookout for an email or call from her. If you would like to speak with her sooner or to arrange a meeting, please feel free to contact her at any time. You can reach Maria by phone at 1-800-561-0012 X34 or by email at mpozsgai@metalfabfiretrucks.com.
