Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/652971
22 Sales & Marketing These connections also can enhance a customer's trust in their distributor, be- cause they link the independent business to vendors who are true product experts, says Bruce Sommerville, vice president and chief operations offi cer at Drive Train Industries. And customers crave distributors who can help answer their questions, he says. VanCamp says Hendrickson is very supportive of training events or promo- tional materials that offer product guid- ance for this very reason. "It allows us to use our expertise," he says. Another benefi t to cooperative mar- keting that suppliers in particular enjoy is the ability to shape unique messages to specifi c sets of customers. Nationwide advertising campaigns are broad by design, but speaking in generalities is not always the best way to promote a brand or product in a specifi c market. With cooperative marketing, suppliers can craft the perfect message for any end user group. This can be done through promo- tional materials such as branded sales fl iers or custom signage, as well as events where distributors work with suppliers to prominently feature a brand or product line. "Our distributors know their trad- ing areas far better than we do," says Schroeter. "They respond quickly to opportunities and usually have an excel- lent sense of what types of programs and incentives will work." Synchronizing a distributor coopera- tive marketing effort with a vendor's national marketing campaign can be profi table as well. Sommerville says Drive Train Industries likes to schedule sales and marketing efforts to mesh with vendor marketing campaigns so when customers come in contact with either message they are immediately drawn to the benefi ts. "[Marketing] is about increasing your sales, your brand awareness and equity. The more touches and feels you can place that product in front of the customer the greater benefi t that you have," he says. Bond follows the same formula when building his promotional schedule. He says he requests marketing calendars from his vendors at HDAW and takes them home and builds A-1's plan around them. The strategy pays off wonderfully. "It's our biggest bang for our buck," he says. Cooperative marketing also might be the industry's best method of promoting new products. It allows manufacturers a direct link to educate end users on its newest developments while clearly highlighting where a customer can go to get its newest part. Co-op marketing is pull through mar- keting at its best, Frohock says. "We want to keep the promotion of our products out there in the market at all times to support the long-term sustainability of our brand, and our [distributor] customers," he says. Bond has added television displays behind the counter at A-1 Truck Parts to show highlight products. Suppliers provide the videos, and Bond says he requests they use the opportunity to promote their newest innovations. "Simple awareness can pay huge divi- dends," he says. Sharing resources is another benefi t of cooperative marketing. Many suppli- ers have access to high-quality printing and marketing material that distribu- tors could not or would choose not to purchase on their own. Suppliers often grant distributors access these services when producing content for a coopera- tive marketing effort. "We have a lot of capabilities to produce art, graphics and promotional materials and get those out quickly," says VanCamp. Bendix does the same thing, Conroy says, allowing distributors access to its "AdBuilder tool or other options to create support fl yers or brochures that promote Bendix products in the market." T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | M a r c h 2 0 1 6 Point of purchase displays are another popular cooperative marketing option, and offer signifi cant merchandising benefi ts. The more touches and feels you can place in front of the customer the greater benefi t that you have. – Bruce Sommerville, vice president and chief operations offi cer at Drive Train Industries