Tagged: Steve Henning

Used Car News: Opportunities for Independents

This article was originally featured in Used Car News • Issued July 15, 2024 • By Jeffrey Bellant Work Truck Solutions offered independent dealers an option for a new market as the company joined a host of exhibitors at the NIADA Convention & Expo here in June.  Steve Henning, director of marketing and Geoff Shepard, heavy duty sales manager, chatted with dealers who are either already in the commercial truck business or want to learn more.  “We’ve been in business for 11 years and we help commercial...

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Being in the Know Will Set You Apart

By Steve Henning, Editor Being in the know (and it’s so much better than being in the “no”) is essential for all of us in the commercial vehicle business, regardless of what role we play – truck pro, upfitter, OEM representative, vendor partner, reporter, consultant, and so forth. The reality is, our customers – again no matter who they are – rely on us to know what’s happening in our ecosystem and subsequently being able to answer their questions, guide them with recommendations for their...

Letter From the Editor: Successful Connections

Building Your Book For those in sales, the phrase “building your book of business” is likely a familiar phrase. But even if you’re not in sales, you have a “book” too. Essentially, your book is that list of people you know and interact with; they might be prospects, customers, colleagues, acquaintances, industry experts you’ve met, mentors, and the list goes on and on.  The important point here is that we all have a book, no matter what business we’re in, and regardless of our role...

The Way We Were – Thoughts from Work Truck Week 2024

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,...

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: HOW FAR WE’VE COME

Let me take you back to a time before cell phones. If you remember phones that were attached to a wall and had a cord, you probably know what I’m talking about. Or how about the era before the Internet was a “thing”? Some of you may be thinking, “What? Hasn’t the Internet always been part of our lives?” While it may be shocking, the answer is no. You may even remember when some dealers scoffed at having a website, thinking it just wasn’t a...

Note from the Editor: Opportunities Abound

As we all know, opportunities come in many shapes and sizes. Looking back over the last couple of years, there were many opportunities to talk to your customers, although many of those conversations weren’t quite what you – or your customers – likely wanted. Much of the time, the discussion centered around work trucks and vans you simply didn’t have / couldn’t get (at least not quickly) for them. Rather, you had to talk about the options for ordering, and the time that would take,...