The Commercial Benefits of Choosing Products from One Brand

PMF talks to ZF Aftermarket’s Kevin Price about getting your (ware)house in order, choosing a brand which offers added value, ease of sale and instils confidence and preparing well in order to make the most of the opportunities that come your way.

Instant access to global brand offers via the internet and smart technology means we all know how much everything costs – and where to get the cheapest deal. But when you’re dealing with safety critical automotive parts, you want the best deal possible without compromising on quality – right?

Take a set of brake pads for example. A car lands in a garage needing new pads. Your customer, the garage now has a number of options open to him – he doesn’t necessarily need to come directly to you, the factor, anymore. He can compare your prices with those on his laptop or smart phone and search for the best deal price wise.

The most effective way to combat this is by offering the very highest level of service, including logistics and delivery. And then you need to offer the right kind of service – by ensuring your suppliers can provide you with the right parts at the right time and always offer you fast access to the latest references for new vehicles.

If the global events of 2016 – and those much closer to home within the UK aftermarket – taught us anything, it’s that we have to expect the unexpected and look outside the box to achieve success. Success which is within the grasp of those filled with common sense and who are prepared to go the extra mile.

One of the easiest ways of increasing your share of the pot is to get the most out of your key suppliers. For instance, ZF Aftermarket says if you can get all your OE quality braking, steering & suspension parts from one supplier – limiting business, logistic and commercial costs into the bargain – why wouldn’t you do this? And if you and your customers can benefit from your suppliers technical experience and loyalty programme offers – this again, the company claims, should be a no brainer as the more support your suppliers give you, the more attractive a business proposition you are to your customers.

Sales tips

All successful businesses today must take the opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell. This means that when your customer buys one product from you, you should take the opportunity to offer them others – either a better quality version of the original product usually at a higher price (up-selling) or a complementary product (cross-selling).

The key to effective cross-selling and up-selling is putting your customers’ needs first by adding value to the customer experience with your related-item suggestions. Cross-selling also helps to educate your customers on the depth and variety of what your business has to offer.

ZF says that getting to know your suppliers, what they offer both in terms of product quality, technical and marketing support and the more hidden added value extras is key for successful up-selling. And get into the habit of regularly revisiting some basic questions, such as how does a customer decide on which parts to buy, is it purely on price? What else is important to them? With safety critical parts, the confidence value down the line is often a real driver. The answers to some of these basic questions might well surprise you.

When your customer phones and orders a set of brake pads, do they want the ones that come complete with all the accessories needed to complete the job, like fitting the kit and wear indicators? Do you automatically ask if they want discs in the same brand – if not, why not?

Let’s take a look at four key rules when cross-selling or up-selling:

1. Stay Relevant: Attempting to cross-sell unrelated items should be considered one of the cardinal sins of cross-selling. For starters, unrelated product suggestions are simply not helpful for your customers and only serve to distract them. Unrelated suggestions can also damage the credibility of more relevant recommendations you might make.

2. Exercise Restraint: Resist the temptation to cross-sell a large number of products all at the same time. Too many product suggestions will only serve to confuse and dilute your customers’ attention. Keep your related item suggestions tight and focused. Exercising restraint and limiting the number of items that you recommend will keep the customer’s attention focused and will help to improve your conversion ratio.

3. Try Bundling Discounts: Bundling is a common tactic to encourage shoppers to buy not just a single item, but a whole set of complementary items that can go together. Offering a price break on bundled items will certainly make this tactic more effective.

4. Customer Service Sells: Providing excellent customer service is one of the best ways to encourage repeat sales. Cross-selling and up-selling will be much easier with your customers after providing a consistently positive customer experience.

The Bottom Line
The key to successful cross-selling and up-selling is to focus your efforts on meeting the customer’s needs, rather than simply pushing more products and services. This is one area of sales where you may need to do a little experimentation in order to find just the right balance, but you need to make cross-selling a key component in your list of sales techniques.

So next time your customer phones through an order for pads, ask about discs and brake cleaner, or when he orders a brake hose, offer him brake fluid. Remember if you don’t ask, you won’t get!