Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/256915
2 " This is a people business." If you spend more than a week in the aftermarket you'll hear someone say this about the industry. "This is a people business" … "People buy from people they trust" … "Custom- ers want someone they can rely on." All three are common phrases in the aftermarket, and all three are true. But the success of the independent aftermarket to this point is not solely the result of these philosophies. People have always bought from other people, yes. And they've always bought from people they could trust. But until fairly recently, they've also never really had another option. Now, they do. Speaking at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue on Jan. 27 in Las Vegas, David Seewack, CEO at FinditParts.com and eBay's Andy Schuurs highlighted an engaging panel discussion on how online sales are revolutionizing the heavy-duty parts distribution business. It was a fascinating discussion. Seewack founded FinditParts.com in 2009. An aftermarket veteran, he saw an opportunity for an online marketplace to help quickly match distributors with the parts they so desperately needed. The site quickly took off, and now offers more than two million SKUs, with parts ranging from high-moving fi lters, belts and hoses to larger driveshaft assemblies, transmissions and engine parts. eBay entered the heavy-duty market after thriving in the automotive industry. The website initially showcased obsolete parts and slow-moving items but has grown to offer a variety of heavy-duty products. By matching distributors directly with other distributors, Schuurs says eBay, and online sellers in general, have created another avenue for quickly hunting down an out of stock part. Distributors who once contacted a fellow buying group member or local dealer when they absolutely had to fi nd a part can now fi nd it online in seconds, he says. While that's undoubtedly a great thing for a fl eet or owner-operator, distributors at Aftermarket Dialogue met the state- ment with concern. In the active panel discussion that followed the presenters, a central theme became clear: If a distributor fi nds the part he needs for his customer online, how long will it take for the customer to cut out the middle man? I think that's a fair question to ask, and I think distributors have a reason to be concerned. This might be a people business but if I call you for a part and you can't get me one for two weeks I'm going to look elsewhere — and it doesn't matter how much I like you. It doesn't matter if I'm a fl eet custom- er, a service facility or another distribu- tor. I can't wait. The aftermarket has been a people business for decades because people were customers' only options. If you didn't have my part I wouldn't be happy, but I'd trust you to do what you could to get me one as quickly as possible. The Internet has changed that. Now when you're calling every dis- tributor in a four-state radius I'm typing my SKU into an online marketplace and fi nding exactly what I need. The part might be 1,200 miles away, but the dis- tributor can ship it this afternoon. So, what do you do? My advice is simple. Log in and log on. Build a presence online. Sell some obsolete parts on eBay. Make it a point to use FinditParts when looking for those parts your customers need and you just can't fi nd. Take advantage of the opportunity the Internet provides. If a customer is going to look for a product online, make sure he fi rst looks at your online inventory. Show your customers you are willing to do anything to service them. You are going to lose some sales to the Internet. But you don't have to lose them all. Be someone customers can trust and rely on across all sales platforms. If this really is a people business, they'll remember you next time they walk in a store. T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 A change on the horizon By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com Editorial | Lucas Deal Take advantage of the opportunity the Internet provides.