Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/599520
2 T here are very few aspects of cus- tomer service more universally beloved than training. In the aftermarket, suppliers love offering training as added value to their customers. Distributors love receiv- ing it, and turning around and sharing that knowledge with their end user customers. You can't talk to a business leader on either side of the aftermarket without them mentioning how much they love training, how much they get from it, and how much it strengthens their relation- ships and partnerships with the custom- ers they serve. Yet if you were to do a straw poll, I'd bet the number of aftermarket operations in the industry that are totally pleased with the training they receive (and/or provide) would be less than 50 percent. Everyone wants more. Credit to GenNext for coming up with a new way to help out. As you can read about on page 6, Gen- Next has teamed up with the Commer- cial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN) to introduce a new comprehensive sales training expo that it hopes will revolu- tionize how sales training is offered in the independent aftermarket. The new event, which will be held next spring in Atlanta, is unique in that instead of having suppliers train business owners or managers, it will instead allow suppliers to speak directly to the parts managers and outside sales people who are promoting their products in the fi eld every day. It will match suppliers with the people who represent their products on the front line. In one weekend, GenNext says suppli- ers will build a 150-person nationwide sales force. I really like this idea, and think it could be valuable to aftermarket suppli- ers for a few reasons. It's wickedly effi cient. No more spending a week crisscrossing three states to train your best fi ve-loca- tion distributor, or holding a regional class that only half of your distributors can afford to send employees to attend. The distributor cost to attend the training course is minimal (the $295 per-person fee includes all lodging and transportation expenses), and while the supplier costs are more substantial, the time savings more than make up for the upfront expense. For $10,000, you can train the best sales people in the country, and then watch triumphantly as they return to their businesses to spread your message across the aftermarket. Nationwide training tours will never go away — nor should they — but by attending the GenNext and CVSN train- ing expo, suppliers can give their training messages a head start in reaching their target audience. Built in customer support Put 150 like-minded individuals in the same room and they're going to talk. Best practices will be shared. Product knowl- edge will fl ow freely and openly. And most importantly, through net- working, valuable contacts and friend- ships will be formed. Your customer service team will grow by you just being in the building. Just think about the possibilities. Your trainer has three sales people from three different distributor businesses at your booth. One asks a question and before your trainer can even respond, an- other salesperson is answering. Correctly, I might add. Your trainer follows up with literature and additional guidance about the original question and suddenly you have three distributors who are full-blown experts on that particular topic. And when they return home and a similar question is posed by a colleague or customer, they'll handle it. They'll be your fi rst line of defense. I realize this is the time of year where 2016 budgets are being settled and confi rmed, and fi nding cash for another event isn't easy. But in an industry where training is so universally adored and appreciated, I can't help but think this expo would be money well spent. T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 5 A new way to train parts sales people By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com Editorial | Lucas Deal In one weekend, GenNext says suppliers will build a 150-person nationwide sales force.