In the recent past for the automotive world (both commercial and retail), the world of selling was very different. With scarce inventory, customers were clamoring for darn near any vehicle they could get their hands on. And this meant prices that were higher (often significantly so) than usual, along with multiple customers competing for the same vehicle. As a result, many new to the vehicle business thought the process was simply taking an order, frequently from the person willing to pay the highest amount. 

Oh, how times have changed. Today, vehicle inventory has returned to most dealer lots, meaning it’s back to a very competitive landscape. And, with interest rates where they currently are, it’s added a new challenge to the mix. But, for those of us who have been in the commercial vehicle ecosystem for more than a few years, we know that challenges come with the territory. And for those who are new to the game, it’s likely time to change your approach because just being an order taker won’t lead to success going forward. 

If you were at Work Truck Week in Indianapolis earlier this month along with almost 16,000 of us, you likely heard some conversations around these topics. And maybe you even talked to some who were longing for “the way we were” just a year or two ago. The reality is, the automotive business is cyclical – even though the outside influences might change, such as Covid (who the heck expected that??) – there are ups and downs in our business. Those who are successful, year after year after year, are the ones who know how to adapt; how to use the tools and processes that got them to the pinnacle of their profession. They don’t get complacent when times are good; rather, they are always on the lookout for ways to improve how they do things, searching for new tools/solutions to keep their business (no matter if they are the dealer principal, the commercial sales manager, a truck pro, an upfitter, etc.) operating at peak performance, their customer pipeline full and their income levels higher than the competitor down the street or across the country.  

Hopefully, you were at Work Truck Week and had the opportunity to drop into the Green Truck Summit, check out the offerings from the large variety of different exhibitors on the show floor, connect with the thousands of other commercial vehicle professionals in attendance and share ideas, and even attend some of the workshops/sessions. If you missed the show, you really missed out.

One of the workshops that was particularly interesting due to the mix of panelists was titled “Your Digital Toolkit for Success in the CV Ecosystem” on Wednesday. Not only was it moderated by Jim Press, former COO Toyota N.A and President/Vice Chair Chrysler, it also featured Kathryn Schifferle from Work Truck Solutions, Alicia Von Bokel from Maritz Automotive, Rene St. Hilaire from Hendrick Automotive Group and AJ Hewitson from Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac. A true mix of perspectives and many years of experience and insight. 

During their session, they touched on many topics, but there was also a theme carried throughout that focused on what they learned over the last few years, along with recommendations for how to go forward with continued success. For example, AJ Hewitson mentioned how his pathway to success – and it’s one he said he’s shared with others across the country – is to “Be different; go the extra step. Have fewer clients, but more attention [on them].”

Alicia Von Bokel expounded on the thought from Hewitson, asking the audience to look at “what habits are we going to leave behind [from Covid]? Our sales teams can’t be order takers any more.” She also stated that many commercial vehicle departments aren’t using technology and wondered why, noting that to be successful, it’s essential to be proactive, have a process and hold people accountable.     

Additionally, a consultative approach helps commercial dealerships stand out from the crowd and truly become partners with their customers. Rene St. Hilaire said they’re “looking real closely at the fleet management side. There’s constant account management activities. The thing we learned during Covid is we had a reliance on ‘fleet out of stock’. It taught us one thing; we want to get into the fleet ordering business.” Building on St. Hilaire’s comments, Kathryn Schifferle noted, “Over the last few years, there was an opportunity to make people start thinking differently. Because there wasn’t inventory, there weren’t any listings, so it was time to start explaining to customers that they needed to start thinking ahead and help them understand how they need to think differently.”

If you missed this workshop, the good news is that it was recorded and you can listen to it here. If you did attend it, you still may want to listen again – perhaps there’s a nugget or two in there you missed the first time. 

The end goal for each of us in the commercial vehicle market should be to become better partners with our customers, and there’s a plethora of tools and processes available to help with this, but you have to know about, and use them, to be effective. The bottom line is this: Work Truck week featured companies with solutions and people to help every one of us, no matter our role. If you missed the 2024 event, you should most definitely add Work Truck Week 2025 to your calendar NOW, so you don’t miss out next year. 

If you didn’t attend Work Truck Week, you really missed out – on new connections, on seeing the latest innovations and discussions about ways to improve your business, as well as missing out on some fun events put on by different businesses serving our industry. So be sure to put WTW 2024 on your calendar now so you don’t miss out next year! See you in Indianapolis March 5-8, 2024.