Truck Sales Up, How Will Your Dealership Adjust Your Marketing Strategy

Analyzing the Numbers | Truck Sales Up in September, How Will Your Dealership Adjust Your Marketing Strategy

Just-released figures show truck sales continue to grow. The latest statistics from ACT Research shows overall commercial vehicle sales for September were 21% higher than September 2013. Americas Commercial Transportation (ACT) Research is a recognized leader in gathering and reporting data and market analysis for the North American commercial vehicle industry.

Details from the latest report offer more good news:

• Orders for Class 8 trucks continue to exceed seasonal expectations.
• According to ACT Research, September is usually the weakest month for Class 8 orders, so analysts expected that month’s numbers to dip compared to August. And in fact the 29,400 Class 8 orders placed in September were 500 units below the August total. Nonetheless, they were up 32% over last September.
• The most recent 12-month period has racked up the most sales since the year ending November 2005.
• Medium-duty truck sales are looking even better, with September orders actually showing an increase over August.

Considering that the “worst” month of the year showed near a one-third improvement over the same period last year, it seems we can look forward to good things in the months to come.

Is your dealership ready?

You can respond to this very promising sales news in one of two ways:

1. Great! With sales increasing that much on their own, I can cut back on my dealership’s marketing and save some money.
2. Great! With that much increased buyer interest and willingness to commit to purchasing, I need to be sure I’m giving prospects every opportunity to find and choose my dealership.

Pick the first option, and you can sit back and relax. No need to do much except wait for those self-motivated sales to pour in. Unfortunately they probably won’t, because your competitors are choosing option #2. Your dealership will undoubtedly develop a flat tire on the road to future truck sales.

It’s time to rev up your dealership’s marketing strategy.

Review your current strategy and priority tactics.

Are you using all the key online channels necessary to reach your target audience segments?

• Website
• Special offers with unique landing pages
• Blog
• Social media
• Email

Are you incorporating offline opportunities to expand and enhance your marketing?

• Networking
• Trade shows
• Speaking
• Sponsorships – either within your industry or in your community
• On-site events such as seminars, demo days and open houses

Ensure your sales and marketing teams are on the same page.

Successful sales development requires a consistent, seamless approach that starts with attracting initial prospect interest and winds up with closed sales. You can’t achieve that unless your marketing and sales people work together closely to craft a strategy, implementation techniques and follow-up plan that flow smoothly and focus on acquiring the highest-qualified leads.

Do your people have the technology tools they need to automate the mundane, strengthen marketing delivery and collect valuable data about leads and existing customers? The less administrative work they have to do, the more time they have to devote to those tasks that require a human touch – interacting with people to build strong, lasting relationships.

Do you have an effective customer loyalty program in place?

These days, lasting relationships require even more than the personal touch. Everyone is watching their bottom line, and offering a loyalty program that helps customers save money will endear them to you far more than less meaningful “rewards.”

Check out ADI’s Loyalty Bound program. It’s specifically designed for truck dealerships, with features that make it easy to offer customized rewards and easy for you and your customers to track individual accounts.

You need a marketing strategy that takes a holistic approach to truck sales — educating earliest-stage shoppers, providing a broad range of engagement possibilities designed to nurture mid-funnel prospects, closing sales with one-on-one live conversations. Adjusting your strategy now will help your dealership capture maximum new leads and sales.