Who you should co-Brand with and why

We have noticed a trend which is getting more popular amongst the larger city, Auto Dealership fleet departments. We are seeing a more inclusive bundling of services. We believe this is due to the need to retain their customers in a tight and highly competitive market. We see that much of this is also due to the huge competition in Fleet Leasing by Ryder and Penske (Rollins, UPS). As well as the smaller regional and strong fleet leasing companies across the nation and well into most all parts of Canada. Fleet Leasing typically has offered things such as Centralized billing, discount buying, truck washing, routine maintenance, extended warranty services, spare vehicles for down time, assigned manager (one call theory), commercial financing, same day in and out services.

We are now seeing that the Fleet Sales Offices of larger dealerships, which service in the neighborhood of 500 accounts are offering rebates and incentives on new vehicles with fleet pricing. They are doing low-cost on-site oil changes or oil change services at their shops with pick-up and delivery. Some may even choose to partner with a fair priced on-site oil change service company; http://www.OilChangeGuys.com or a local large bay Quick Lube for those oil change services.

Many Auto Dealerships with large fleet sales offices are offering washing services on-site or with referrals to a strong local fleet washing type company. Most offer fleet pricing on parts through their economies of scale at the dealership. Many Fleet Sales offices will even sell you through dealer trading other brands and still make sure you get a fleet price on parts, washing and oil changes through their many connections.

If you are in the Oil Change Business or Fleet Washing business hooking up with a fleet sales company can bring you lots of business and in turn you may have to do them some favors, such as going out of your way to pick up vehicles which are beyond your normal trade range once in a while or doing some special favors for the Auto Dealership. Once you create these strong bonds and develop a good working relationship by showing up on time, doing the job right, doing what you say you are going to do and pleasing their customers, then you will find an excellent customer in that Fleet Sales office which is extremely influential with the top 500 companies in the area with small, medium and large fleets of vans, pick-ups, sales cars, SUVs and medium range trucks.

Also they can get you into government cross over work and bids in the future. Play your cards right. That dealership that you thought was your competitor, maybe able to bring you more business than you ever thought. You may wish to throw away your von Clauswitz approach to your once considered Auto-Dealership competitor and think about the words of Machiavelli and build a strong alliance. It may well be better to cooperate than compete during the expansion of this nearly decade in the making trend we are seeing out there with Fleet Sales Offices of large auto-dealerships. There are others who have written about this in several places, one is John Gerhard of Castrol in a monthly column, you can find his information and thoughts on

http://www.Castrol.com

and also another very good article about LOF-Lube, Oil and Filter "Fleet Business" on

http://www.Ami.org

The article in their archives is called "How to Get Your Share of the Highly Profitable Fleet Business." There was also some talk of this issue although not as in depth on the Aftermarket e-Forum. The way we see it, we are going to keep after this market, but there is way too much for one company to do. Have at it. We are.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs