Don’t worry about spending $12.00 to see Fast & Furious 6 in theaters for auto product inspiration. We checked with a few auto products suppliers and apparently the movie offers no practical advice for selling automotive products. However, it is good for wasting an afternoon wondering what would happen if The Rock and Vin Diesel morphed into a muscled-up super-villain and tried to take out Tony Stark. (Not that we write fan fiction about that or anything.) Back to the automotive market: Sell to it using the advice below. Now, excuse us while we get back to the highway, high-speed fight scene between Rock-Diesel and Iron Man.
GO OUT OF YOUR WAY
The automotive market includes more than car dealerships and auto part manufacturers. Auto insurance providers, schools and anyone with customers or employees who drive (i.e., everyone) make the list as well. In fact, you may find more business outside of typical automotive clients. “If I were to look over our sales history for the past five years, I am confident that we would have sold more auto kits to non-automotive companies than companies in the auto sales or auto insurance industries,” said Paul Dubois, president of Ready 4 Kits, Keene, N.H.
Ryan Halvorsen, general manager of Quinn Flags, Hanover, Pa., offered specific examples. “We have done a lot of campaigns for NFL games, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, MLS and even America’s Cup Sailing,” he said. He added that schools, booster clubs and retailers have use for car flags as well to advertise events and fundraisers.
MAKE A PIT STOP
Still, standard auto dealerships and trucking companies are a large part of automotive and safety product sales. Dubois listed trucking companies, insurance companies and auto manufacturers as repeat customers for auto products. “Another large segment of the market is dealerships which give away large quantities of promotional items for events as well as customer appreciation,” he added. Halvorsen agreed about car dealerships. “Car dealerships and rental car dealerships are a large portion of this market,” he said.
SAFETY FEATURES INCLUDED
Often, end-buyers are not looking for car fresheners or standard auto wares for automotive promotions. Instead, they want something to keep their employees or customers safe. “It is important to remember that a lot of times companies in the auto industry are not necessarily looking for auto-related products, but instead are seeking general safety or unique employee or customer appreciation items,” Dubois said. A great selling point of safety kits is that most people do not think to buy them until they are in a crisis, so your clients can approach end-users knowing they need the items. “As a distributor, you can confidently show safety products knowing that this is something that everyone needs, but most people do not have,” Dubois said. He listed the essentials every driver needs (and therefore every auto company should provide). “Every driver should be equipped with basic first aid, emergency preparedness items, and basic auto items such as jumper cables and tire pressure gauges,” he said. “An emergency blanket is a compact and inexpensive item that should be in every glove box in case of a winter breakdown.”
REV UP RECOGNITION
The fourth-quarter holiday season is full of sales, and for the auto industry, this means promotions for car dealership sales. “Many car dealerships like to use car window flags to promote holiday sales, special promotions and gain attention from a distance to draw in new customers,” said Halvorsen. He added that light pole banners, retractable banner stands, table covers and outdoor flags are other good sells for car dealerships because they draw crowds.
If your client has already landed the sale or wants to impress current customers, they may want to try giveaways. Dubois noted that safety kits are practical giveaways for the holidays because they include everyday necessities for drivers. “I see a great deal of interest in automotive related items as we head into the fourth quarter gift season,” he said.
SPEAK THE LANGUAGE (OR DON’T)
According to Dubois, you don’t need to be a car buff to sell auto products. “Customers are not buying technical car accessories, so distributors don’t need to be pros to be able to knowledgeably sell to the auto market,” he explained. “People appreciate receiving practical, safety-related items that everyone can use.”
Halvorsen concurred, adding that simple products make the auto market easier to dominate. “One of the best attributes of custom car flags and other promotional products we sell to this industry is that unlike [other products], you do not have to have special knowledge or inside lingo to sell these properly,” he said. “Most of the customers purchasing these products have enough complications in what they do—like being a mechanic—and they will thank you for making such a great product simple and easy to use.”
