AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Selling on the front line

8th July 2004, Page 70
8th July 2004
Page 70
Page 71
Page 70, 8th July 2004 — Selling on the front line
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The classifieds at the back of CM offer phone

numbers, e-mail addresses — and websites.

But can you really sell used trucks on-line?

Cyberspace, the final frontier. Just about everything and anyone has a website, but as a selling tool only the likes of supermarkets, eBay and Amazon have successfully turned the interne into profit.

But can something as complex as a truck be marketed in this way? Chris Snook runs Zentopia Designs,a company that builds websites. He says the financial success of 'e-cash' websites is down to the customer knowing what they are going to get.

"With Amazon you know that it's going to be a book. It's pretty straightforward.With something like a truck there's always an element of doubt," he says.

"It's ensuring the quality of goods for the price you are paying... there are too many variables with a truck.You can do your research online, but with a truck you still need to go and kick the tyres."

A possible exception would be Mascus, a dedicated pan-European e-marketplace for second-hand machinery and transport which includes used trucks.This site attracts dealers as well as private sellers. At the last browse (4.10pm on Friday 25 June) it offered 632 tractors,1,612 rigids,305 light CVs and 695 trailers.

Rather closer to home, David Morgan, general sales manager for Scania dealership Keltruck in Birmingham sees the company website as a valuable link with his customers, especially those overseas. Every vehicle on his forecourt,normally around 100, will be advertised on the site.

Trust

"We have sold a few off it," he reports." It's better for our export customers — they can see a picture of it. Once you've dealt with them it builds up the trust in buying over the net."

Most business still comes from word of mouth, repeat trade and the tried and tested classifieds everyThursday,but the internet can offer an instant service."Operators can go onto the website anytime and see what is available," Morgan explains."Then you talk to them, try and get them to come and look at the vehicle."

Prices are left off Keltruck's website as they become a benchmark for the browser to try and find something similar but cheaper. Price is invariably the first topic of conversation when they phone, if only to ask:-Why is there no price on the website?"

Dave Watts, online boss of independent Renault Truck dealership Staffordshire CV, is also cautious about putting prices on the net. He publishes leasing values, offering the vehicle at a fixed amount per month to make potential operators aware of its fixed running cost rather than the overall price.

Watts sees websites more as a locator than a direct selling tool. It's useful if an operator is looking for a particular type of truck, he says, but not for completing a sale. "It is different with a truck,he adds."It's about who has got what."

Staffordshire CV doesn't have its own website yet."It's making the time to build one up and then keep it updated." says Watts."We haven't got around to it."

His attitude to the net reflects a common feeling among independent dealers. CM canvassed independents across the UK and in Ireland and found that most of them haven't got around to setting up a site or simply feel it's not worth the effort.

Typical reasons for this are that their customers don't use the internet and that they couldn't compete directly against the bigger operations with satellite locations covering wider areas with essentially the same products and prices.

Old works

There's also a commonly held view that customers can be contacted effectively through traditional means like classified advertising.

Manufacturers, however, have no choice they all have large, easily accessible websites.

VolvoTtucks revamped its internet used truck service at the start of the year and reports that site traffic doubled through the first quarter -but the site is not a direct selling tool. Peter Groome, head of asset management, explains that site hits and e-mail enquires increased after the search engine was made faster, more user-friendly and more accessible: "In the UK we use the website to help generate interest, as a supplement to marketing and advertising.

"Buyers use the Volvo Truck Finder to see what is available but still like to go and touch the metal before buying."

It seems that, for now at least, touching the metal is part of most CV deals, though a growing number of buyers do place enough trust in sellers to buy on-line. +But as the technology evolves and the internet becomes more a part of everyday life that could all change. •


comments powered by Disqus