Watching a fleet customer expand can be a nerve- wracking experience.
On its face, a growing customer base is great for business. But when a customer grows through consolidation, growth comes rapidly.
Expanding fleets can grow not just in unit size but also in geographic area. For an aftermarket distributor rooted to a specific location, watching a customer grow out and away from your business can cast doubts on your ability to con- tinue servicing that customer.
In these situations it is important to remember you don’t have to do it alone.
You have options. You have resources.
An expanding customer can make business tougher; it doesn’t have to make it impossible.
“Fleet consolidation tends to change the dynamic of a customer-distributor relationship,” says Tina Alread, director of sales and marketing at HDA Truck Pride, “but there are programs out there to help keep the relationship going.”
