Commercial Industry Insights

Allison Smith; Customer Success Manager II

The term "commercial industry" encompasses a vast range of jobs and responsibilities. There's no instruction manual for navigating the commercial world, especially during market downturns. Understanding the daily realities of job sites, work trucks, and tradespeople's schedules is crucial, and it's clear that the commercial vehicle market is complex. Questions like "Why aren't people buying?", "What should we stock?" and "How do tax breaks influence when businesses buy trucks?" lack easy answers. There is no exact answer you can rely on because each business is unique. 

That's why Work Truck Solutions is going straight to the source – the commercial professionals themselves. Each week, we'll share insights into the commercial industry and the commercial shopper.

This week's question: "Why buy from one dealership over another when the trucks, prices, and everything else are exactly the same?"

We spoke with construction companies and an underwater engineering firm, and their answer was consistent: "Warranty." This seemingly simple word carries significant weight. Commercial trucks go straight from the dealership to demanding daily use. They skip the “Don’t eat in my truck” phase straight to the “My truck is my office, breakroom, and mobile filing cabinet” phase. These businesses rely on their vehicles and can't afford downtime. A breakdown means lost time which potentially impacts meticulously planned schedules and material deliveries. The financial implications of a truck being out of commission are substantial. The consensus is that dealerships are expected to stand behind their products. As Zachary Starr from Better Builders Construction said, "Not forever, but I expect to be able to go back to the dealership for anything in two years." Being able to depend on the dealers to keep their business on the road is at the forefront of the minds of commercial shoppers. 

The relationships you build long term with your customers MATTER. The conversations you have with them about the additional "add-ons" like service and warranty, MATTER. 

Use the important banner spaces on your Work Truck Solutions' site to advertise unique warranties, service offerings; fleet management tools, etc. These items are often overlooked in the conversation, and are sometimes never advertised front and center. These specifics could mean the difference between your customer choosing you, or your competition down the street.