Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app. Or follow Greater Moriches on Instagram.
You couldn’t blame David Nieves for being a little nervous — make that very nervous.
A sales specialist at the Verizon store inside Smith Haven Mall, Nieves was recently told he needed to join a meeting with management about a customer issue.
It was all a ruse.
“They tricked me,” Nieves said. “They said I had a poor experience with a customer and they would like to talk about it.”
On the FaceTime call was district manager Brett Picker while store manager Ernesto Mejia stood behind Nieves, secretly recording.
Something was up.
“He said you had a T-Mobile customer who came in last week and had a terrible experience with you,” Nieves said. “And we want you to have an ultimate experience at the Super Bowl.”
It was a “holy bleep” moment.
Nieves had just learned he was one of 18 Verizon representatives nationwide to win the company’s “Ultimate Experience” competition, earning a trip for two to Super Bowl LX this weekend in California.
To say he was excited would be an understatement.
“My manager said he thought I was going to pass out,” Nieves said.
HOW HE WON
There are six Verizon sales regions across the country, with each region sending three sales specialists to the Super Bowl. Nieves finished among the top three in a region stretching from Virginia to Maine.
Winners were determined using five criteria, including sales performance and customer service ratings.
Once the fourth-quarter contest was announced, Nieves locked in.
“I was very in front of what I what I was looking for and where I was at,” Nieves said, noting he tracked competitors’ numbers throughout the process. “I set my sights on it and I made sure I achieved it. I’m going to enjoy the fruits of my labor this weekend.”
He barely took time off — just three or four days during the entire competition — determined to stay in the hunt.
“I was working with some monsters,” Nieves said. “I’m looking at people from New Jersey and Virginia. I was looking at their numbers on a daily basis. It was insane how good they were doing and how much I had to keep my sales up in order to stay competitive.”
More than competitive, he won.
HEY DAD … WANT TO GO TO THE SUPER BOWL?
Choosing a guest turned out to be simple.
His mother and sister aren’t sports fans. While cousins and uncles would have jumped at the chance, Nieves knew immediately who was coming along:
His father, Felix.
“We’re both huge Giants fans,” Nieves said. “We’re not going to see our Giants but we’re both going for the Seahawks because we’re sick of seeing New England. It was definitely going to be my dad. When I said we’re going to the Super Bowl, he started crying and so did my mom.”
Despite growing up in California and attending college football games, Nieves has never been to an NFL game.
Sunday will be his first.
“I go to opening day every single year at Yankee Stadium,” Nieves said. “I go to see the Knicks games all the time. I’ve been to a Nets game. I’ve been to an Islanders game.”
But on Sunday, he and his father will watch the Patriots and Seahawks battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER
Nieves and his father fly to San Francisco on Friday. Verizon has scheduled an NFL alumni reception that night.
On Saturday, Nieves chose a boat tour that will take them to the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. Sunday includes a VIP tailgate before heading into Levi’s Stadium for the game.
“This is an experience that I never really imagined that I could afford or be a part of,” Nieves said. “When I first found out about it, I was just overwhelmed. It was a huge sigh of relieve because I really put my heart and soul into it. I’m not going to be able to top this. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”
Like players chasing a championship, Nieves poured everything into reaching his goal — and it paid off in a big way.
And he’s not done yet.
“It’s going to be inspiring,” Nieves said. “It’s going to inspire me to be a better person, to do better at my job and to stay good at my job and to make sure I’m delivering exactly what I need to deliver. I want to do this again. This is not a one and done thing. I want to be able to do this every single year. I want to win every single contest.”
David Nieves is taking his father Felix to the Super Bowl. (Courtesy photo)
