Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/256915
7 HDAW News W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E SOLD panel addresses service opportunities In the fast-paced world of commercial trucking downtime is death. Fleets don't tolerate it and owner-operators can't afford it. The independent aftermarket was created to address this issue. Independent distributors and service providers are located throughout North America to service any customer at any time. Speaking during the second-annual Service Learning and Opportunities Day (SOLD) Jan. 27 in Las Vegas before Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW), a panel of aftermarket service experts highlighted all of the areas where independent dis- tributors can use that industry need to grow their businesses. "When it comes to service, price isn't important. Time is," says John Bzeta, president at Fleet Brake. A customer that has a truck down on the side of the high- way doesn't need the cheapest part, nor does he want it. He wants the part that is closest to him and can get him back on the road, Bzeta says. That always has been, and continues to be, the aftermarket's sole goal, adds Tina Alread, director of sales and marketing for HDA Truck Pride. The independent aftermarket exists to get the customer that part quickly, she says. But providing parts quickly and effec- tively isn't the independent aftermarket's only opportunity. As parts distribution strategies continue to change, the busi- ness opportunities provided by well- staffed, well-trained and available service technicians is becoming invaluable. Aftermarket distributors need to be capitalizing on that market, the panel says. When done well, VIPAR's Jim Pen- nig says that is an area where growth can be substantial. The panel says one way to do this is through expertise. Gordon Botts, presi- dent at Botts Welding and of the Ameri- can Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists (ACOFAS), says aftermarket businesses need to actively use their expertise to grow their customer base and reputation. Botts says his business services cus- tomers' frame, alignment, chassis and suspension needs throughout greater Chicagoland. Botts says his price isn't the cheapest, but the quality of work his em- ployees do draws customers in and keeps them coming back. That allows Botts Welding to build its brand, which is something the panel unanimously supports. Customers don't rely on brand loyalty like they did 10 or 20 years ago. They rely on distributors and service providers who can differenti- ate what brands are worth stocking and using, says Bzeta. "Our job is to cut through the BS and provide information our customers can use," he says. Before closing, the panel also ad- dressed the issue of fi nding sales- people and technicians to perform this work. The group acknowledged the aftermarket needs to join forces to create a strategy for bringing in new employees. "We need to collaborate and make this happen," says Botts. If the market, can do that, sales will follow, the group says. The aftermarket is fi lled with brands. Truck models are brands. So are engines, transmissions, brake components and lights. Everything. Even your facility. In the fi nal panel discussion of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue Jan. 27 in Las Vegas, Mark McKay of Kenworth Sales Company, Edward Neeley of Truck Supply Co. of South Carolina and Geoff Garafola of Inland Truck Parts discussed how their business work to grow their brands — and their businesses — in their respective markets. In the case of each business, customer service is the far and away top driver for positively building their brands. "We all have a brand no matter what [brands] we sell," says Garafola. Your brand is your business; it's how you service your customers and the "total experience [you offer] for your customers" that grows your brand, he says. Neeley says he's spent the last decade working tirelessly to build the Truck Supply Co. of South Carolina brand. The method is simple — "give the customers what they want when they want it" — and its help the company grow dramatically. McKay says Kenworth Sales Company also grows its brand through its customer interaction, relying on a well-educated and conscientious sales team to respond to all customer requests. Growing your brand in the aftermarket From left: Bill Wade, Wade & Partners; Gordon Botts, Botts Welding; Tina Alread, HDA Truck Pride; Jim Pennig, VIPAR Heavy Duty; and John Bzeta, Fleet Brake, debate service opportunities for aftermarket distributors during SOLD on Jan. 27 in Las Vegas.