P
art of life as an independent
aftermarket distributor is the
understanding that you can't
have every part for every customer every
day. Good distributors stock as much as
possible, but without access to every-
thing, the possibility a customer one
day requests a part you don't have is an
eventuality.
In these instances, where the op-
tions are send the customer away or fi nd
another route to serving their needs,
independent aftermarket distributors
avoiding the former must accept the
reality of the latter: that sometimes, the
independent aftermarket is reliant on
truck dealers.
In a market as competitive as today's
parts industry, that reliance can create
uneasiness on both sides. But with a
focus on the end user and the impor-
tance of fulfi lling his needs, independent
distributors can forge sturdy relation-
ships with dealers that eventually benefi t
both sides.
"There is intense competition between
us and the dealers, but there's no ques-
tion we have to rely on them sometimes,"
says Midwest Truck Parts President
Howard Siegel.
"It's not something that we have to
do daily, but we have to do it. Every
company in this industry has to go to
competitors because our customers (the
fl eets) are always in a hurry."
Taking care of customer needs and
building strong working relationships
among dealers and distributors set the
most successful companies apart from
22
Sales & Marketing
T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | A u g u s t 2 0 1 7
By Jonathan Willis, Associate online editor
jonathanwillis@randallreilly.com
Going the
extra
mile
Dealer, distributor relationships
key in keeping trucks on the road
