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Selling success
Page 130
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Angelo Salmasi heads the TIP sales operation, welcoming customers from all over Europe who can bid for virtually any trailer in the TIP fleet.
Even with its expansion plans TIP has to sell trailers. If the average age of the fleet is to be kept down older trailers have to go in order to make way for the new.
In the past the disposal of trailers was done on an ad hoc basis but about two years ago TIP put it on a more businesslike footing by creating a dedicated trailers sales operation for the whole of Europe. This is headed by Angelo Salmasi, well-known figure in the rental world.
In its first year (August 1983-July 1984) the new sales operation sold just over 1,000 trailers. In the following year the total was up to over 1,300. and for 1985/86 the target is 1,500.
Explains Angelo Salmasi: "We started by just selling the older ones to make room for the new trailers. But now we will sell virtually any trailer if we are approached by a customer."
The purpose of the sales for TIP is obvious but what does the customer get? Angelo Salmasi: "As soon as a new trailer touches the road it depreciates by about 25 per cent. It the operator buys a used trailer he avoids that instant drop in value. What they get is good equipment that does the same job as a new trailer but at a lower price."
The trailers are sold in three ways. First, any customer is welcome to bid for a particular trailer he sees or maybe rents in the TIP fleet. Second, TIP occasionally organises sales events where likely trailers are gathered together and customers invited to inspect them. Around 40 trailers were sold at a Grays branch sale last month. And last, an operator can give his requirements (type, capacity, age etc) to TIP, which will then search the fleet for a trailer that most closely matches this specification. This "locate and purchase" service is done with the help of the company's computerised fleet records.
Angelo Salmasi travels all over the TIP European network arranging and organising these sales. Of the 1,300-plus trailers sold last year, 500 were from the UK. This year he expects 700 UK trailers to find new owners.
The ex-rental trailers are now to be found all over the world. Of course, they are in the European countries where TIP has branches but they have also been sold to countries such as Malta, Greece, Zaire, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and even the Falkland Islands.
Angelo Salmasi is pleased with the progress so far; "What is particularly satisfying is the amount of repeat business we are getting." Skeletals, platforms and dry freight boxvans are the main trailers in demand. Angelo Salmasi says that he belives a lot of the platforms are wanted for conversion into curtainsiders. "Ours are popular because operators know that they are good quality trailers in the first place," The trailers do not carry a warranty but TIP offers a "try before you buy" scheme. The customer takes the trailer for a four week trial; if he decides not 10 buy it he just pays the standard four week rental charge. If he does buy it then the rental charge of four weeks maximum is deducted from the agreed sale price. Outright purchase or hire purchase arrangements are available.
There is only one small drawback to the success of the used trailer sales operation. When a likely trailer becomes available for sale there are two people bidding for it; Angelo Salmasi wants to sell it, while technical director Pat Berridge wants it for his "remac" trailer rebuilding programme.