Meet the team: Luca Nicotra
In this feature, we speak with Luca Nicotra, the newly appointed retail rep for the southern region.
The first question we put to Luca is perhaps the most obvious one: what’s his Italian connection?
He laughs before responding with his Essex accent: “I’m half Italian. Mum’s British and my dad is from Sicily. I can understand the language, but I wouldn’t say I’m fluent in it.“
Keeping our conversation to English, we discuss with Luca how he has been getting on since joining team F. Ball earlier this year. He continues: “It’s been great; I’ve spent a lot of time in the Centre of Excellence, getting my hands dirty and learning from Tim [the centre’s head of training], as well as our Technical Service Department. There is much to learn, but between all of us there’s always an answer for whatever query a customer has.”
Luca can usually be found travelling around the south of England, anywhere from Cornwall, all the way up to Norfolk, including London and all the southern counties. “I enjoy travelling,” he says. “Meeting new people, and of course, finding out how they are getting on with our products. I like to catch up with customers and I’ll always do a bit of research to see who else is in the area that I might be able to introduce myself and F. Ball to.”
Being on the road affords Luca the chance to meet with retailers, talk to them about F. Ball products and their specialist qualities, and answer any queries. As products are purchased via stockists, there’s no ‘hard sell’, allowing for a more personable relationship that meets the needs of the retailer.
Luca tells us there are two common topics cropping up at present. “I get asked about Ball Rewards often – how to get the cashback, what offers are on, competitions. It’s a great scheme and something that all retailers should be signed up to.
“There’s also a lot of interest in Stopgap 1400, probably because it’s a fairly new product, so people want to hear more about it.”
It would also appear the Stopgap 1400 chatter has had an impact on Luca, as he rates it as his favourite F. Ball product. “I like talking about it,” he says. “It goes down easily and it’s efficient in that it allows installation of floorcoverings quickly.”
In addition to his F. Ball expertise, Luca brings over a decade’s worth of experience in retail and account management to the role. This means he’s well versed in supporting retailers to increase their sales goals, for example, by advising how to educate customers about the importance of investing in specialist subfloor preparation products and adhesives to go with floorcoverings.
He continues: “Everyone knows F. Ball and the yellow bucket. So, when retailers see me coming in, they know they’re getting a good product.
“I think what’s surprised me the most working here is how many colleagues have spent 20, 30, or even 40, years with the company, so that must be a testament the culture and values of the company, as well as the products.”
We can confirm that F. Ball is the best. Finally, we ask Luca if he has any Italian interests. “AS Roma is my football team,” he proudly tells us. “I’m looking forward to the new season starting August – perhaps this one will be our year.”
Our fingers are crossed.