fordpros
The Official Magazine of the National FOrd Truck Club
When Technology Matters
Issue 35
Fall 2015
TECHNOLOGY
DELIVERS SOLUTIONS
IMPROVING FLEET EFFICENCY
Letter from the President
CRUISE CONTROL
the advantages of SYNC, which
keeps his drivers out of dangerous
One of the great things about being phone contacts while driving.
a FordPro since 1992 is that I can
CONCLUSION
pretty much “do it in my sleep.” I can
even take the tests to stay current So, my customer of so long will be
without having to really learn any- long gone. Because someone has
thing required for the test: just take shown him there is a better soluthe test 2-3 times and finally pass it. tion to problems that “my” customMove on. Keep going. Ho-hum, I’m ers might not even be aware that
making enough money, got enough they had. Dan will give them the
repeat/referral business. Ho-hum. impression that he’s paying attention
to them…MY Customer! What hapHummin’ along.
When I am in this state of “Cruise pened to ‘til death do us part???
Control” it is a challenge to truly enOTHER COMPETITORS,
joy my work and to remain a student
OTHER BRANDS
of the business, a student of future
developments… I need to keep the If Dan (Ford) doesn’t come along,
then maybe George (GMC) or Alice
Cruise Control turned off.
(RAM) will come along and show
“my” customer of 15-plus years,
ASSUMPTIONS
One of my assumptions is that my how a different OEM product can be
customers will always be looking for acquired sooner (they can get the
the same truck/van that they’ve been same software that I didn’t think we
getting all these years. That they needed), or with more appropriate
don’t care it will take them, through options.
me, about 20 weeks to get the F450 Then who’s going to need the Old
that is on chronic back-order (Nearly Guy (Me), who’s stuck on Cruise
two years of rear-axle shortage? Re- Control? One less previously valually??), then another 4-5 weeks to able asset (customer) for The Old
get it outfitted to their specific body Guy. Guess I’ll have to enroll in a
needs. If they need it sooner, they’ll refresher course in Cold-Calling or
E-mail Marketing, or something else
wait. Ho-hum.
Another Cruise Control assumption I should have been participating in all
is that my customers will never get along. H-m-m-m-m.
too excited about adding upgrades
such as power windows or truck Good Selling, No Cruising!
monitoring thanks to Ford Telematics/Telogis.
CHALLENGES
The reality is that someday, Dan (my
friendly Ford competitor), will drop by
(or, worse yet, email them) and show
them that they don’t have to wait: he
can get “my” customer the truck they
need in two weeks if need be. I didn’t
know that Dan is using software technology I’ve assumed we don’t need/
can’t afford. Dan will tell them about
2 Fall 2015 FORDPROS
Joe Hughes
joehughes@fordpros.com
Special thanks for this issue to:
Telogis, Inc.
Adrian Steel
The Reading Group
The Knapheide Company
Omaha Standard PALFINGER
National Fleet Products
CASECO
Transfer Flow
Vanair
Work Truck Solutions
Commercial Truck Success
PERC
In addition we would like to
acknowledge contributions from:
Joe Wiegand
Ford Protect Commercial Program
Manager
Tucker Perkins
Chief Business Development Officer
PERC
Greg Dziewit
VP, Commercial OEM, Telogis
Taylor Steinberg,
Corporate Sales Trainer
Knapheide
Ken Taylor
Ken Taylor & Associates
Terry Minion,
Commercial Truck Success
Dale Tesson, Capital Ford,
Charlotte, NC
President,
Carolina’s Ford Truck Club
Editor/Publisher:
Kathryn Schifferle
Managing Editor:
Ken Keller
Art Director:
Carla Aoyagi
For inquiries or articles or to be
added to the mailing list:
info@nationalfordtruckclub.com
1-800-413-9030
NFTC/FordPros
2485 Notre Dame Blvd., #370-130
Chico, CA 95928
TECHNOLOGY:
14 Fleet Servicing Network
Improving Fleet Efficency 15
16 European Innovation
Raising the BARR 17
19 When Technology Matters
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter From the President
Work Truck Show
In The HighBeams
ALT Fuel:
ALT Fuel:
Coach Ken
Tech: The Best
BPN
New and Exciting Changes
The Ultimate
In the Trades
Terry’s Blog
FordPro-File
Club Snapshot
Ford Truck Club
Jerry Deblon
Cruise Control New Social Media Accounts
Press Releases & New Products
Propane End Users Fueled CNG Path of Least Resistence
2017 Ford Super Duty
Expands Field Team
Ford Extended Service Coverage
Commercial Boot Camp
Dispatch from Budapest
Finding Your Joy....
Dave Gonya Carolina’s Ford Truck Club
NEWS
Retires 2
5
6
10
11
12
18
20
21
22
23
25
27
28
29
30
FORDPROS Fall 2015 3
NEW
SOCIAL
MEDIA
ACCOUNTS
FOR
A SUCCESSFUL WORK TRUCK SHOW
T
he Work Truck Show is North
America’s largest work truck event.
Produced annually by NTEA, the 2016
Show will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Educational programming, including
the Green Truck Summit, begins March
1. Registration for the Show opened in
October.
The Association for the Work Truck Industry, host of the Show, has launched
two new social media destinations to
help industry professionals better connect with The Work Truck Show. Users can “like” a dedicated Work Truck
Show Facebook page to see the latest
Show news, photos and videos, while
exhibitors can follow @WTS_exhibitors on Twitter to receive important updates as the event approaches.
“By following our new social media
accounts, attendees and exhibitors
The Work Truck Show 2016 conversation has begun on all of these
channels. Join in with the event’s official hashtag, #worktrucks16, and the
official Green Truck Summit hashtag,
#greentrucks16.
For additional information,
visitworktruckshow.com.
The Work Truck Show is North
America’s largest work truck event,
covering 500,000 square feet of vocational trucks and equipment, from
more than 500 exhibitors.
will be better positioned to connect
with each other and have a successful
experience at The Work Truck Show
2016,” says Steve Carey, NTEA executive director. “Using these tools, it
will be easier than ever for work truck
industry professionals to leverage the
event to build their businesses and improve their operations.”
Jay Leno will serve as keynote
speaker at The Work Truck Show
2016. His address will take place
Thursday, March 3, during the
President’s Breakfast & NTEA
Annual Meeting.
PALFINGER PERSONNEL BASKET
SAFETY AND COMFORT
AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
LIFETIME EXCELLENCE
+
+
+
+
+
QUICK CONNECT
STORAGE BOXES
This patent-pending,
triple lock mechanism
mounted to the crane
boom allows quick
lock and unlocking of
the personnel basket
to the service crane.
The personnel basket
is designed to collapse
into a patent-pending,
compact storage box
which can be mounted anywhere on the
work truck body.
WWW.PALFINGER.COM
FORDPROS FALL 2015 5
HIGHBEAMS
In The
READING TRUCK BODY
ACQUIRED BY
HOUSTON-BASED COMPANY
R
eading Truck Body has been acquired by J.B. Poindexter & Co.
Inc. (JBPCO). The Houston-based
company announced the deal on November 3.
Reading Truck Body includes Reading Truck Body LLC, which has a manufacturing plant in Reading, as well as
five company-owned installation facilities operating as Reading Equipment
& Distribution LLC. It will operate as
an independent business unit within
JBPCO, led by current CEO Brian
Nadel and his management team.
“We are excited to join the JBPCO
family and share the benefits of being part of a larger organization with
our valued customers, employees
and partners,” Nadel said in a press
release.
Reading Truck Body employs over
700 people, with 625 in the Reading
area. It is one of the top 10 manufacturing employers in the county,
according to the Greater Reading
Economic Partnership. No staff reductions are anticipated.
“The Reading brand is well established in the market as a leader in
product quality and innovation,” said
John Poindexter, CEO and founder
of JBPCO. “It is a natural fit with our
portfolio of outstanding commercial vehicles. Reading’s work is the
benchmark by which truck bodies and
equipment services are measured today. We look forward to supporting the
company’s continued strong growth
and its commitment to improving the
safety and productivity of customers’
field personnel.”
JBPCO also owns truck body manufacturer Morgan Corp., the country’s
largest manufacturer of Class 3 to 7 dry
freight and refrigerated truck bodies.
6 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
VANAIR EXPANDS WITH
NEW OFFICE AND
MANUFACTURING SPACE
V
anair Manufacturing, the leading
provider of vehicle-mounted air
compressors, generators, welders
and multi-drive systems in the world,
announced in October the acquisition
of an 80,000 square foot manufacturing facility from a private owner. This
brings Vanair’s total production and
office space to over 160,000 square
feet. The acquisition will accommodate increased growth and future
expansion. The new office space, located on Highway 12, Michigan City,
IN, will provide capacity for increased
manufacturing, training, support, service and leadership functions across
the company.
“Our team is excited about the
growth we are experiencing, and this
move represents our commitment to
continue to build on the success our
team has accomplished. The existing building is in great shape and has
many additional areas for us to grow
in…it was a great opportunity – versus having to build a new building of
this type,” stated Ralph Kokot, Chief
Executive Officer at Vanair.
For more information, contact Greg
Kokot, Vanair Manufacturing, Inc., at
800-526-8817.
PALFINGER at 2015 ICUEE
As one of the few manufacturers
to offer a wide range of products,
including knuckleboom cranes, service cranes, truck bodies, large aerial
platforms, aerial lifts / bucket trucks
and service trucks, PALFINGER
made a strong statement at ICUEE.
It was apparent that the US economy is recovering, as the utilities and
municipalities sectors are experiencing strong growth and customers are now looking to buy. Despite
rainy weather, good energy was felt
during show hours and PALFINGER
representatives were able to meet
with many key customers and industry professionals. Overall, from the
assortment of equipment presented,
PALFINGER is providing the right solutions to the utilities market.
In The
YOUR CO-OP IS
AUTOMATIC WITH
WORK TRUCK SOLUTIONS
W
ork Truck Solutions is now authorized by Ford BPN as an
auto co-op vendor. This means that
any BPN dealer using Work Truck
Solutions’ on line inventory service
can ‘opt in’ on their dealer portal (a
simple, one-time button click) and
from that day forward that dealer will
never have to file a co-op claim for
Work Truck Solutions again! Instead
Work Truck Solutions will file monthly
on behalf of the dealer and the dealer will automatically be reimbursed.
“There was some work on our part
to qualify and get set up for this program, but it was worth it. We can now
do the processing and submission
for our BPN dealers. We are very
happy to be saving our dealers time
and money by making sure that they
get their co-op reimbursement automatically and in a timely fashion. We
know they have enough paperwork
they have to take care of on their
end,” said Gretchen Krugler, Work
Truck Solutions’ Director of Finance.
Work Truck Solutions also recently
announced the integration of work
truck body product information from
manufacturers such as Knapheide
and Reading. “Through our relationship with the body manufacturer we
are able to add their spec sheets,
YouTube video walk-throughs, additional photos and information. Adding
this information to our dealers’ sites
not only provides significant value
to the customer when they are looking at the dealer’s inventory online,
it also helps Ford Pros serve their
customers better by keeping up with
the products that their manufacturers
and distributed are launching,” reported Kraig Durgan, Work Truck Solutions’ Director of Marketing. “Work
Truck Solutions is committed to integrating all manufacturer product
information, along with their bailment
HIGHBEAMS
FORD VANS ARE TOP
pool inventories, to offer Ford Pros
SELLERS IN 47 STATES
ease of access to meet their truck
buyer’s needs.”
rowing businesses are increasFor information about how Work
ingly turning to Ford commerTruck Solutions is helping dealers
and Ford Pros sell more trucks, and cial vans, making Ford the largest
save time, go to www.worktrucksolu- and fastest-growing manufacturer
of commercial vans in the United
tions.com
States in the first half of 2015, according to Ford analysis of IHS new
vehicle registrations through June.
More than half of commercial van
customers in the United States in
the first six months of 2015 bought a
FORD PRODUCTION OF
Ford van – Transit, Transit Connect
F-650/F-750 IN OHIO
or E-Series.
The all-new Ford F-650/F-750 me- Ford is the fastest-growing brand in
dium-duty trucks started rolling off the commercial van market, driving
the line for the first time in the Unit- 80 percent of the segment’s growth
ed States. Production of the trucks in the first half of 2015, according to
at Ohio Assembly Plant, previously Ford analysis of new vehicle regisbuilt in Mexico, is helping to secure trations from IHS Automotive. Tranmore than 1,000 hourly UAW jobs sit sales success has led Ford to
and a $168 million plant investment capture 56 percent of the U.S. comin the United States. The production mercial van market as of June 2015
shift from Mexico is part of the col- – up from 48 percent in June 2014,
lective bargaining agreement Ford according to IHS new commercial
and the United Auto Workers ne- vehicle registration data.
gotiated in 2011. In addition to now Ford commercial van sales inproducing all Ford F-650 and F-750 creased 28 percent January through
models and configurations, the plant June, while the segment overall
also produces Ford E-Series cut- grew 11 percent. Ford Transit became the best-selling full-size van in
away vans and stripped chassis.
“Our investment in Ohio Assembly America just six months after it went
Plant reinforces our commitment to on sale.
building vehicles in America and to For the 2015 model year, Ford prodelivering best-in-class commer- duced more than 100,000 Transit
cial trucks,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford vans, wagons, cutaways and chaspresident, The Americas. “Working sis cabs at Kansas City Assembly
with our partners in the UAW, we Plant. Transit Connect leads the
found a way to make the costs com- small commercial van segment with
petitive enough to bring production 69 percent share and is on pace to
of a whole new generation of work have another record year, with commercial sales up 43 percent in the
trucks to Ohio.”
first half of 2015.
G
FORDPROS Fall 2015 7
In The
HIGHBEAMS
OPEN HOUSE AT
TRANSFER FLOW
I
n recognition of National Manufacturing Day, Transfer Flow hosted an
open house at its Chico, CA manufacturing facility on October 2.
“Our plant tours are an opportunity
to show people in our community our
facility, learn about the engineering
and manufacturing process of our
fuel tank systems, discover the many
jobs involved in manufacturing, and
to see how Transfer Flow contributes to our town’s economy,” stated
CEO Lisa Johnson. Transfer Flow
has over 100 employees, and has
been in Chico, California for almost
33 years.
Johnson said that approximately
200 people visited Transfer Flow’s
manufacturing facilities during their
open house, with some visitors bringing their children and grandchildren
to the event to show the many career
possibilities in manufacturing.
Transfer Flow manufactures aftermarket and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) fuel tank systems
for the automotive, commercial and
RV industries.
Founded in 1983,
Transfer Flow invests heavily in its
manufacturing facilities, as well as its
talented and highly experienced engineering team.
Manufacturing Day is a celebration
of modern manufacturing meant to
inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Transfer Flow is a member
of the National Association of Manufacturers, which co-produced the
event.
For more information, go to Transfer
Flow’s website at www.transferflow.
com
9 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
TELOGIS. AT&T EXPAND
EFFORTS TO
CONNECT FLEETS
A
T&T* and Telogis have announced a collaboration to offer
solutions for companies with mobile
workforces. Connecting vehicles of all
sizes from small trucks to 18-wheelers and heavy equipment, the combination of AT&T’s global network and
Telogis’ telematics, compliance, and
mobile and navigation software creates full-fleet solutions for businesses around the world.
Telogis is the exclusive connected commercial vehicle technology
provider for Ford Motor Company,
powering its factory-installed Ford
Telematics solution. Working with
AT&T, Telogis is implementing a network solution to deliver a reliable,
highly secure stream of data nearly
anywhere in the world. The AT&T
service management platform allows
Telogis to easily manage the data,
devices and services that support its
customers.
“We’re offering Telogis a complete
wireless network that enables twoway, real-time data communication
between the vehicle and office,” said
Chris Penrose, senior vice president,
AT&T Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions. “
“As we continue to capitalize on a
rapidly growing, multi-billion dollar
global market for connected vehicle
and equipment technologies, AT&T
provides the scalable infrastructure
and backbone Telogis requires,” said
David Cozzens, CEO, Telogis.
*AT&T products and services are
provided or offered by subsidiaries
and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the
AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
New Products
ENTREPRENEURS RELY ON
TECH-SAVVY VEHICLES TO
GROW SMALL BUSINESSES
S
mall business owners often
need vehicles that can do double duty, finds a new survey by Ford
and Manta, an online resource dedicated to small business.
Only 42 percent of survey respondents use their business vehicles for
business reasons all the time. One
quarter drive their business vehicle
for nonbusiness-related travel 25
percent of the time, while another 17
percent drive their business vehicle
for personal use half the time.
Flexibility is key for these entrepreneurs. Nearly half report they use
their business vehicle primarily for
driving themselves to appointments,
36 percent use it to carry equipment
to job sites, 30 percent make deliveries and 8 percent transport customers.
“One day we¹re using our Transit to
move merchandise between stores,
the next day we¹re using it for event
support for charity functions,” says
Stuart Hunter, founder of Columbusbased roll, which sells bicycles,
clothing and gear. “The next day it¹s
supporting our race team where it
becomes a mobile changing room.
The versatility was really key to us.”
Hunter is one of three small business owners who won $5,000 to upfit Ford Transit and Transit Connect
vans in the Driving the American
Dream contest conducted by Ford
and Manta. The other winners are
Steve Ozment, owner and operator of Flowerama in Columbus, and
Manuel Mendoza, owner of La Patisserie, a bakery and catering company in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ALT FUEL
H
istorically, one of the criticisms
of alternative fuels has been
that vehicle options are limited. That
is no longer the case for propane
autogas. For more than a decade,
the Propane Education & Research
Council has supported the research,
development, and commercialization of propane autogas technology.
Today, dealers and fleet professionals are poised to reap the rewards of
those investments.
There are currently more than
173,100 propane autogas vehicles
on the road in the U.S. today, and
PERC projects sales will reach more
than 250,000 by 2020. EPA- and
CARB-certified propane autogas vehicle options are available across all
classes and for nearly every type of
fleet. Ford products are at the forefront as QVMs and certified suppliers unveil many new and in-demand
propane autogas products.
Ford QVMs Westport and IMPCO
announced a dedicated propane
system for 2016 Ford F-150 trucks
in addition to their CNG package
this summer. Additionally, ICOM
North America offers dedicated or
bi-fuel propane systems for 2015
Ford Transit vans, and Alliance Autogas has an EPA-certified bi-fuel
‘plug and play” Ford Transit option
as well.
For medium- and heavy-duty fleets,
the Ford F-650 and F-750 with
Roush CleanTech dedicated fuel
systems are allowing propane autogas to reach new markets. Asplundh
Tree Expert Co. is currently testing a
F-650 bucket truck in North Carolina
and propane retailers are buying up
F-650 propane autogas bobtails for
fuel delivery.
As technology advances, sales are
increasing and expanding into new
markets. Fleets in landscaping, food
and beverage, linen, government,
public transit, utilities and school
10 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
GROWTH IN PROPANE AUTOGAS
TECHNOLOGY SPURS GROWTH IN DEMAND
transportation are flocking to the
fuel as a replacement to costly diesel. Well-known customers in these
markets – including UPS, Nestle
Waters, DirecTV, Frito Lay, and Dish
– are adding credibility to the sales
pitch, too.
School transportation has done a
lot in the last year to bolster propane
autogas’ reputation. This year more
than half of a million students will
ride a propane-autogas-powered
school bus, and there are more than
7,000 propane autogas buses on the
road nationwide. No where else is
propane autogas’ value proposition
more visible than in the stories of
school districts nationwide that are
saving money on fuel and maintenance, reducing harmful emissions,
and improving the health and safety
of their passengers.
Infrastructure advancements are
also contributing to propane autogas’ popularity and growth. New
nozzles and fuel management systems offer a refueling experience at
parity with gasoline, and private and
public refueling options are widely
accessible and affordable.
With today’s technology, propane
autogas is ready and available to
meet even your most demanding
customers’ needs. To access new
sales tools such as cost calculators
and testimonial videos, or to browse
a complete list of vehicle options,
visit propane.com.
Todd Mouw, vice
president of sales
and marketing for
ROUSH CleanTech,
an industry leader
of alternative fuel
vehicle technology.
Mouw has served
as president of the NTEA Green
Truck Association.
Reach him at
todd.mouw@roush.com or
800.59.ROUSH.
To learn more,
visit ROUSHcleantech.com
Alt FUEL
64 GALLON PROPANE FUEL
TANK FOR E-450
R
OUSH CleanTech has developed
an extended range fuel tank for
the Ford E-450 chassis, which allows
transit agencies to make fewer trips to
the pump. With 64 usable gallons of
propane autogas, the new tank holds
56 percent more fuel than the standard
41-usable gallon tank option.
“We listened to our paratransit customers who wanted the Ford E-450
chassis, yet also needed more autogas
fuel capacity,” said Todd Mouw, vice
president of sales and marketing. “With
this extended range fuel tank, we offer
the longest driving range for this model
— plus an extended warranty for those
customers.”
Built on Ford’s 6.8-liter V10 engine,
the Ford E-450 with extended range
fuel system comes with an extended
5-year, 100,000-mile warranty exclusively for the transit industry.
“With a strong backlog of more than
200 orders, we will begin shipping the
Ford E-450 with the extended range
fuel tank option in October 2015,” said
Mouw.
For more information visit www.roushcleantech.com.
WESTPORT ANNOUNCES
PROPANE AUTOGAS PACKAGE
FOR FORD F-150
estport Innovations Inc. has announced it will offer a dedicated
propane autogas (LPG) system for the
model-year 2016 Ford 5.0-liter F-150
pickup truck.
In May, Ford Motor Co. announced
that the aforementioned truck model
would be available with a gaseous-fuel
prep package to enable the vehicle to
run on LPG or compressed natural gas
(CNG).
Westport, a Ford Qualified Vehicle
Modifier, says its new LPG system will
be offered in addition to the company’s
previously revealed CNG package for
the MY 2016 F-150 truck. The company says both fuel options are part of the
Westport WiNG Power System and are
expected to be certified to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board standards.
Furthermore, Westport notes that its
LPG tank packages will be located un-
W
derbody, rather than in the truck bed.
‘We understand that many fleets
use different types of alternative fuels based on availability and business
needs,’ comments Paul Shaffer, vice
president and managing director of
Westport’s Dallas operations. ‘By offering dedicated liquid propane in addition
to bi-fuel and dedicated CNG vehicles,
we are evolving to a full-service alternative fuel provider for fleets operating
the popular Ford F-150 pickup truck.’
WESTPORT AND FUEL
SYSTEMS CLEAR MILESTONE
FOR PROPOSED MERGER
W
estport Innovations Inc., engineering the world’s most advanced
natural gas engines and vehicles, announced that the proposed merger with
Fuel Systems Solutions, Inc. (“Fuel
Systems”) has satisfied the requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. There
is no further antitrust clearance required
to close the transaction.
As announced on September 1, 2015,
Westport and Fuel Systems have entered into an Agreement and Plan of
Merger to combine their businesses
through merger. Pursuant to the Merger
Agreement, Whitehorse Merger Sub
Inc., a newly formed, wholly owned
subsidiary of Westport, will merge with
and into Fuel Systems, with Fuel Systems surviving the merger as a wholly
owned subsidiary of Westport. As consideration for the merger, stockholders
of Fuel Systems will receive a fixed ratio
of common shares of Westport.
For more information visit
www.westport.com
FORDPROS Fall 2015 11
COACH KEN
THE PATH OF LEAST
RESISTANCE
M
odern sales has changed so
dramatically, yet in commercial
outside sales, many sales consultants
are working from “old school” sales
techniques and activities. This article
is what my team has learned in the last
15 years of making actual sales calls
with our clients. I am not into “theory”
or “tricks” when building a commercial
business base but rather “facts” and
“psychology” of how business owners
and decision makers think. That’s why
I believe in the “Path of least resistance” school of sales. Let’s start with
some basic psychology of how people
think and act.
Humans are built to work in groups
or societies. We are “group” oriented,
that’s why there are organizations like
home builders associations, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Lions Club,
fitness centers, events and even families. This is psychological in nature in
that there is comfort, connection and
strength in groups. Since early man
existed it was all about tribes and the
creation of villages and even countries. My sales process is based on
this simple fact. That’s why my first
visit to one of our dealerships is spent
meeting with trade associations and
the Chamber of Commerce. One of
my first questions to the dealership
management team is “Are you a
member of any trade associations?”
The two most frequent answers I get
are “yes but….we are not active.”
What a waste of resources and money! I also ask to meet with three of
the dealerships best commercial customers. We do this because we get
to call on some of the dealerships already established “customer groups.”
Without a doubt the groups that get
the highest return are the trade associations. 95% of the members in
trade associations either drive work
12 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
vehicles or sell to companies that
drive work vehicles. What we are attempting to do by participating with
groups is to create the “Path of lease
resistance.”
Here are a few questions that if you
answer honestly you will begin to better understand why I am so big on
participation in trade groups:
• Is someone more likely to make an
appointment with you if you cold
called or if you met that person at a
trade association meeting?
• Are you more likely to get referrals
from someone who doesn’t know
you or one of your best customers?
• Would it be more likely to get an appointment with a business owner
who is using your service department but bought somewhere else
or through a list that was sent to
you?
• Would you be more likely to get an
appointment with a business owner
if you were given his or her name
through a referral source or if you
cold called them on the telephone
or in person?
The answer to all of these questions
is pretty straight forward. Cold calling
is a very time consuming way to grow
your business. Our statistics, tracked
for over 12 years, shows that 20
cold calls will yield you a face to face
meeting with one decision maker. A
solid referral gets you over an 80%
chance of getting an appointment.
Which percentage would you take to
Las Vegas? With your 80% appointment rate from referral selling will get
well over a 50% conversion rate into
actual sales.
The next question you have should
ask is, “So Ken, how to I build my referral base with these groups? Here
is a simple process to follow guaranteed to work (that’s right, guaranteed!).
1. Actually attend the meetings
and talk to people when you attend!
Sounds simple but I can’t tell you how
many dealerships I work with that are
members of a trade association and
when I ask the simple question “Do
you attend the meetings?” I get blank
stares and hear the reply, “When I’m
not too busy.”
2. Be active on a committee, especially the membership committee
or the hospitality committee. Don’t
tell me you don’t have time! At a one
hour a month membership committee meeting you will interact with no
less than five to ten prospects who
are on the same committee It would
take you two to three days to make
that many face to face appointment
sales calls!
3. Leverage the executive director
of the trade group. When I meet with
the executive director (remember
earlier I said this is the first appointment we make when I come to town).
I asked several simple but effective
questions. The first question I ask
is, “What is the best way the dealership can support the association?”
The executive director always says
“Sponsorships and committees.”
The second question I ask is, “If we
asked you to introduce us to other
members at meetings would that
be possible.” The answer is 100%
“yes!” Think about it, the executive
director walks you up to members
and makes the introduction! That’s
like an infomercial!
4. Never leave a meeting without
an appointment. When you have
been introduced to the prospect
by the executive director you ask a
simple question, “Would you mind if I
join you for breakfast this morning, I
would love to know more about your
business?” You will once again get a
100% yes answer. At the end of the
breakfast simply say, “I would love
to see your operation some time.”
Bingo, you will get the appointment.
5. Be an ambassador for your association and in time become an officer. You will be amazed at what
happens next; you will get endless
referrals.
I recommend that the sales consultant join at least two trade groups.
Other opportunities could be networking groups like www.BNI.com
or www.letip.com. These are groups
designed for exchanging referrals on
a weekly basis.
By following the “path of least resistance” ideas above you should be
able to uncover dozens if not hundreds of referrals.
COACH KEN
ABOUT KEN TAYLOR
For ov/er 20 years Ken Taylor has been
delivering training, consulting, professional coaching and marketing to some
of America’s largest corporations. He is
known nationally as “America’s Corporate
& Personal Coach”. Ken has published
over 1500 articles, 33 training programs
and two books, appeared on radio, TV
and speaks to thousands of business
professionals every year. For more
information about Ken Taylor & Associates’ Commercial Automotive Consulting
program call 1-866-446-2966, or go to
www.coachkentaylor.com.
Easy Safe
Loading & Unloading
Internal & External
Swivel!
A NEW Solution for Ford Transit
Low, Medium & High
Roof Vans
We Specialize in
Loading Ramps
&
Ladder Racks
www.nationalleetproducts.com
sales@nationalleetproducts.com
FORDPROS FALL 2015 13
TECHNOLOGY: FLEET SERVICING NETWORK
A NATIONWIDE FIELD SERVICE SOLUTION
H
aving the right equipment for the
job can add a competitive edge
for end customers across various
sectors, such as drywall and roofing
delivery companies within the building supplies industry. However, with
large fleets and multiple deliveries
per truck, per day, the right equipment is only advantageous when
on the road and operational. When
equipment is down and work cannot be completed, the result is lost
business and the need for a reliable
service solution. Customers expect
solid product performance, quick responses to issues and a partner to
trust. PALFINGER has listened to
the market and, through their wholly-owned distribution company, PalFleet Truck Equipment (PalFleet), is
providing a nationwide field service
solution.
Rather than bringing a machine into
a shop for repair, field service offers
end-users greater value and faster
response times. To date, PalFleet
has added 18 experienced Field
Service Technicians:
• 5 technicians in Dallas
• 3 technicians in Oklahoma
• 2 technicians in the Gulf Coast
14 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
• 2 technicians in Florida
• 5 technicians in New Jersey
• 1 technician in Michigan
By the end of 2015, the field service
team will comprise of approximately
25 technicians, while expanding to
75 technicians nationwide over the
next 5 years. Currently, each technician brings a skilled background with
truck-mounted cranes and forklifts
and is on the road with their own vehicle. All trucks, which are comprised
primarily of Ford F750 and F550
chassis’, are equipped with PALFINGER equipment: PAL Pro Mechanics Trucks, Service Cranes, Corner
Mount Cranes and Air Compressors.
Professional and well-trained technicians, combined with a clean and
reliable vehicle, premium equipment,
mobile tools and required parts,
make a lasting impression and an
excellent service partner.
Although PalFleet is repairing all
brands of truck-mounted cranes and
forklifts, the service program adds
great value when promoting the sale
of PALFINGER products. Preventive
maintenance, for example, is the core
of PalFleet Service and is a great
sales tool as it offers lower cost of
ownership and reduced down times,
all while building a great partnership.
Value for PALFINGER products is
also added through service opportunities like preventive maintenance
contracts, extended warranties and
full maintenance. With expanded
service, endorsing PALFINGER
equipment has become even more
attractive, while independent dealers
and distributors that offer multiple
brands benefit as well. By building a
respectful relationship with the dealers’ customer, as it relates to service
support, the dealer has an excellent
opportunity to take their service offering to a higher level – thus adding
more value to their business.
With improved support after the
sale and positive feedback from the
market, PalFleet aims to be the nationwide service solution for dealers
and end-users moving forward. The
Field Service Technicians are out in
the market building trusted relationships, performing timely repairs and
shaping the future of PALFINGER.
For more information, please contact Steve Martin, Service Director,
at +1 419 351 1211,
or s.martin2@palfleet.com.
TECHNOLOGY: IMPROVING FLEET EFFICIENCY
GLOBAL ORGANICS STAYS ON TRACK WITH FORD TELEMATICS
T
echnology has caused a shift in
business, and the availability of
data provides companies large and
small with powerful tools to make
smarter business decisions. Technology may not be the first thing that
comes to mind when you think of an
organic food distributor, but Global
Organics has transformed its fleet
operations with the power of Ford
Telematics powered by Telogis.
Ordered from the Ford factory or
installed at a Ford dealership, Ford
Telematics provides real-time and
historical status of vehicles, enabling
businesses to get a 360-degree view
across their entire fleet. Customers
like Global Organics use their online
Ford Telematics accounts to see a
vehicle’s location, health, and driver
status, and to view dashboards, run
reports and customize alerts.
“We have hundreds of assets deployed throughout our operations,
but we maintain a fleet of over 20
vehicles, and we track them through
the Ford Telematics portal online,”
says Jeff Hoelzel, chief operating officer, Global Organics.
One of the biggest challenges
Global Organics faced was not
knowing where their products were
at a specific time – they were unable
to see which driver had what product and where it was. This was an
issue that Ford Telematics helped to
resolve fast.
“If you know where your product is,
if you know what your product is doing, if you know how much product
you have, then you really know your
company,” says Jim Mitchell, fleet director of Rodeo Ford, who sold the
solution to Global Organics.
Ford Telematics can also be used
to help drivers solve unexpected
emergencies on the road. With
Ford Telematics, Global Organics
can quickly locate and dispatch the
nearest mobile worker with the right
vehicle, tools and skills for the job,
which has reduced per-mile cost,
streamlined job management and increased productivity.
Global Organics also wanted to
avoid fuel waste and vehicle wear
and tear. Ford Telematics revealed
that employees were allowing vehicles to idle during lunch breaks.
Those lunch breaks had an impact
across the business, triggering fuel
waste, costly vehicle breakdowns,
and a loss of worker and vehicle productivity.
“If they don’t know that idling vehicles are going to hurt the company
as far as fuel economy, and if they
don’t know it’s going to hurt the company as far as excessive wear and
tear on the vehicle, than the telematics software will alert the company,”
Mitchell says. “Using this software,
the company can alert the driver and
educate him. It’s all about educating
the [drivers], and if they know more,
they can be a better asset to the
company.”
All-in-all, the addition of the technology to the fleet has proven beneficial.
“I wasn’t aware that that device existed,” says Hoelzel. “We started using it online, and I liked it, so every
truck we bought thereafter has had
(Ford Telematics) installed, and then
again, as we moved forward, we decided to retrofit all of our other vehicles with the device. It has proven to
be a worthwhile experience for us.”
Ford Telematics now eligible for
Commercial Connection Rebate
Ford Telematics is now available
at low to no cost under the Ford
Commercial Connection program.
Commercial Connection provides
upfit incentives on new Ford
vehicle purchases, up to $1500 depending on the vehicle purchased.
Under the program, businesses
purchasing a new Ford vehicle
can get low- to no-cost access to
Ford Telematics, which can deliver
substantial savings per vehicle,
per month. Commercial Connection incentives can be claimed on
factory-orderable or upfit units of
Ford Telematics and are valid up
to one year following a vehicle
purchase, though cannot be combined with other incentives. Ask
your Ford dealer if you qualify.
By Greg Dziewit,
VP, Commercial OEM, Telogis
FORDPROS Fall 2015 15
TECHNOLOGY: EUROPEAN INNOVATION
TRANSIT UPFIT TECHNOLOGY EVOLVES
T
he first ever Ford Transit came down the
line at Ford‘s Langley commercial vehicle plant in Berkshire, England on August
9, 1965. In 2014 the Transit went on sale in
North America for the very first time, replacing Ford’s popular E-Series model.1 Considering the rate of technological progress, this
is a long time for products to evolve and for
innovations to be tested in the real world.
Steven Peterson is CEO and owner of National Fleet Products, based in Buffalo, Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis. Steven
describes his business. “National Fleet Products imports specialty goods from Europe that upfit
onto the new Ford Transits. These are products that
have been in the European market for 20-plus years.
There are plenty of good quality products on the market for the Transits in Europe. Rather than recreate the
wheel, we are offering them to the US market. These
are off-the-shelf products ready to go in the US.”
An example is the G2000 Harrier latter rack system.
Unique to the G2000 latter rack is that it offloads to
the rear of the vehicle rather than to the side. It will
bring the latter down to 1 – 2 inches from the ground
no matter how high the van, assisted by a precision
engineered hydraulic system consisting of a counter
balance mechanism and shock absorber. They also
can be installed on a
cutaway chassis utility
body. This is the only rear offloading latter rack now
available in North America.
National Fleet Products offers a unique loading ramp,
the VM System, designed and produced in Italy since
1991. Traditional American loading ramps are bolted to the floor at the back of the van. These loading
ramps can block the doorway when stowed. Steve explains, “All of our ramps have an external swivel, so
you can pull the ramp toward you, out of the van. With
a simple, optional kit, that ramp can swing into the van
and stand up to lock down along the wheel well, moving like a barn door.”
In business for 18 years, they stock everything stateside so there is no lead time delays which can be a
problem for imported products. National
Fleet Products regularly attends the NTEA
Work Truck Show. The company has given presentations for the Chicago and
NorCal Ford Truck Clubs. “We are going to try to go to all of the Ford Truck
Clubs,” Steven said.
For more information:
(763)762-3451
sales@nationalfleetproducts.com
www.NationalFleetProducts.com
1
16 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
(1) Ford Transit: 50 Wonderful Facts, FMC
TECHNOLOGY: RAISING THE BARR
A BODY OF TECHNOLOGY
W
hile it may be true that one machine can do the work of fifty
ordinary men and yet no machine
can do the work of one extraordinary
man, Jim Barr knows the benefits
that a technologically superior product can bring to a small business.
Jim Barr is an independent roofing
and siding contractor based in Hazelton, PA, in business for over 25
years. Two years ago his steel body
work truck was starting to falter. After
14 years of service the daily wearand-tear was taking its toll. After a
year of contemplation, Barr decided
that he was ready for a new one.
“After looking at a lot of trucks that
other contractors had, I picked out
the things I knew I wanted, and other
things I didn’t. I knew exactly what I
was looking for and I was on a mission to find it,” Jim said.
Craig Bonham, Vice President of
Business Development at Reading Truck, received word that Jim
was in the market for a new truck.
Jim was able to describe exactly to
Craig what he needed to Reading:
improved fuel mileage, larger compartments and improved visibility.
“What really impressed me about
Craig was the depth of the conversation we had. He asked the right
questions and understood what I
wanted for my unique needs,” Jim
said. Craig suggested a modification
to the built-in external cabinetry units
that were previously mounted to his
old work truck. The recommendation
made a world of difference – of up to
800 lbs. of added payload capacity.
“I immediately noticed how much it
improved my work efficiency – I no
longer have to run in-and-out of my
truck to grab the tools that I need,”
Jim stressed.
In addition to the new cabinets that
allow Jim to better manage his time,
his work truck features some unique
technology. All of the cabinets are
illuminated when opened and automatically turn off after a period of
inactivity. His truck is hooked up with
Reading’s Latchmatic® SmartShield
remote locking system, allowing him
to safeguard his vehicle and tools at
all times. While Jim’s previous work
truck had back windows, he was
able to eliminate them and deter potential break-ins. The installation of
rear-view back-up cameras assist in
gauging distances with more ease.
“The reconfiguration of my work
truck to accommodate my safety
concerns is outstanding. Because
of its new design, I can enter my garage with 4 inches to spare (in comparison to 1 inch), and I am able to
navigate on-the-road with more confidence because I can see what’s
behind me.”
Now that Jim has had a few months
to get acquainted with his cuttingedge work truck, what does he think?
“Reading Truck Body really designs
a nice body. They are built 100%
better than any other body I’ve ever
encountered. They are constructed
for quality and strength, and you
cannot beat their price, given all the
features and options they put into it”
he asserts.
“Contractors who have been around
my truck are immediately drawn to
its workability and take notice of its
custom features. Some have even
expressed interest in getting one
themselves,” Barr proudly exclaims.
When technology is combined with
quality workmanship, a top-of-theline truck, as Jim has discovered,
makes any job easier.
For more information on
Reading Truck Body, visit
www.ReadingBody.com
FORDPROS Fall 2015 17
TECHNOLOGY: THE BEST
PREPPING FOR THE 2017 FORD SUPER DUTY
I
n late September, Ford introduced
the all-new 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty – the toughest, smartest,
most capable Super Duty truck lineup
ever. Here is a cheat sheet that FordPros can use to generate excitement
in their clients. The all-new Super
Duty will be built at Kentucky Truck
Plant and goes on sale late next year.
ENGINES
The second-generation Ford-designed, Ford-built 6.7-liter Power
Stroke® V8 diesel engine is available
for pickup trucks and chassis cabs
providing the highest combination
of horsepower and torque ever. The
6.2-liter V8 gasoline engine comes
equipped with the new TorqShift-G
transmission for the F-250 pickup –
allowing for improved capability.
The Super Duty chassis cab lineup
offers a choice of 6.7-liter Power
Stroke V8 diesel, 6.8-liter V10 gasoline or 6.2-liter V8 gasoline engines.
TOUGHEST
The backbone is an all-new, fully
boxed frame comprised of more than
95 percent high-strength steel that
offers up to 24 times stiffer than the
previous frame – enabling the most
towing and hauling capability ever
delivered by Super Duty.
18 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
SMARTEST
16 class-exclusive new features.
Adaptive steering technology makes
maneuvering easier. Segment-first,
in-cab trailer tire pressure monitoring system. SYNC® 3 features faster
performance, conversational voice
recognition and an easier-to understand graphical interface, along with
an intuitive smartphone-like 8-inch
touch screen. Blind Spot Information
System with trailer tow is optimized
for Super Duty to include the length of
the trailer; BLIS® uses radar sensors
in the taillamps to monitor areas that
may not be visible to the driver.
Lane departure warning: Adaptive
cruise control and collision warning.
Class-exclusive quad-beam LED
headlamps and taillamps: Remote
tailgate lock and release
MOST CAPABLE
Towing is core to the Super Duty
mission. All-new advanced coaching
and camera technology makes conventional and gooseneck/fifth-wheel
towing easier and more efficient than
ever. Up to seven cameras make Super Duty the ultimate tow vehicle.
The new Super Duty Line Features
Heavier-duty four-wheel-drive components, driveline, axles and towing
hardware.
The Super Duty body uses highstrength, military grade, aluminum alloy, which is dent- and ding-resistant
and not subject to red rust corrosion.
Reduced weight by up to 350 pounds
to give customers more towing and
hauling capability than ever before.
Super Duty chassis cab features an
all-new, high-strength steel frame with
an open-C-channel design behind the
cab to enable easy aftermarket body
upfit and modification.
Adaptive steering provides for increased confidence to help make towing the heaviest of loads easier.
TECHNOLOGY: CONNECTING
WHEN TECHNOLOGY MATTERS
Technology is nothing.
What’s important is that you have a
faith in people, that they’re basically
good and smart, and if you give
them tools, they’ll do
wonderful things with them.
–Steve Jobs
Technology is not something that
matters just because it is new, or
popular, or because someone slaps
a label of ‘technology’ on it, it is what
we can DO with technology that really
counts. Each day at work we have
to figure out how to make the most
of our time; to serve our customers,
to stay on top of our goals, and to be
the professional who excels at what
we do.
Our dealer expects us to navigate a
range of software and online services
to be able to order trucks, keep track
or our customers, and continue to be
educated on new products and sales
techniques. The number of different technologies involved are pretty
much overwhelming.
So it is refreshing when we find
a technology that actually delivers
ways to improve and simplify our
lives. Work Truck Solutions, who is
now serving dealers in 37 states and
growing at an average rate of a dealer a day, has done just that. Here are
just a few ways their technology helps
a FordPro each day be able to:
See Trucks: Just a simple thing all your on-lot commercial inventory
displayed on a ‘Work Truck’ button.
That button shows up for buyers on
your retail site(s) plus a custom commercial site if you want one. After you
log in once, then ‘bookmark’ the link,
you can easily search trucks by VIN
or stock #, filter by body type, chassis type, and other big accessories
like snow plows, cranes, alt fuel, etc.
Each truck has a detail page that
shows both chassis and body information and internal information about
hold back, body cost, days on lot, etc.
Never have to get up and find the
binder again, or call back to office for
information.
Find a Truck: Let’s say that you
don’t currently have the truck in
stock that meets your buyer’s specific needs, and need to find one right
away? Work Truck Solutions’ ‘Global
Search’ allows you to search across
the US for exactly what you need; you
can even ‘send’ the truck’s detail page
to the buyer once you click the button
and see if it is still available for trade.
Get a Lead: When a buyer comes
to the ‘Work Truck’ button and finds
a truck they are interested in, you
are immediately notified via text and
email, and they are also sent an email
confirming that a truck professional
will be in contact with them. You also
know exactly what truck they were
looking and can review details before
calling them or responding back to
them.
Send a Truck: Let’s say you met
someone in the Home Depot parking
lot with a very old F-350 with a service
body, and you promised you would
send him a quote. Or maybe your
dealer’s CRM has a list of prospects
you are supposed to reach out to. Or
maybe you go online and find all the
landscapers in your market. Using
Work Truck Solutions’ 2-Min. Prospecting tool you can easily send a
truck to one or more quickly; You can
even send a truck as a ‘Quick-Quote’
while you still have the buyer
Trade a Truck: If you have trucks
that are aging, and want help moving
them, Work Truck Solutions makes it
easy to pick which ones go into the
optional trade network. You can even
pick which dealers you trade with,
protect your geographic market area,
and decide how many days on lot trigger the trade.
All of Work Truck Solutions’ simple
tools are designed to help you serve
your customers better while achieving the sales goals that have been
set for you by your dealer. As a result,
it simply helps you take control over
your sales pipeline – just one of the
great things that this technology can
do for all us FordPros.
For more information about
Work Truck Solutions, go to
www.worktrucksolutions.com and take
a Test Drive, or request a personal
demo. Also, take the time to read all
of the testimonials from other dealers.
Work Truck Solutions is now authorized by Ford BPN as an auto co-op
vendor. This means that any BPN
dealer using Work Truck Solutions’
on line inventory service can ‘opt in’
on their dealer portal (a simple, onetime button click) and from that day
forward that dealer will never have
to file a co-op claim for Work Truck
Solutions again! Instead Work Truck
Solutions will file monthly on behalf
of the dealer and the dealer will automatically be reimbursed.
FORDPROS Fall 2015 19
BUSINESS PREFERRED NETWORK EXPANDS FIELD TEAM
B
usiness continues to offer opportunity, and the BPN Program
is expanding support to dealers
by increasing the number of Ford
Commercial Business Managers
(CBMs). Three new CBMs are in the
process of being selected for Northern California, based out of San
Francisco, Philadelphia, covering
east Delaware, east Pennsylvania,
south New Jersey and Maryland,
and south Texas out of Houston.
“We analyzed 26 factors, and saw
a clear need for more field support
for our BPN Dealers based on the
past 10-year trend. Adding three
team members in these areas will
add that help and focus where it
can make the most impact,” said
Mike Bedard. “We are also filling the
Atlanta CBM position to backfill our
retiring “Professor” Jerry Deblon.
Jerry has had an incredible career
with over 42 years at Ford, and has
20 Fall 2015 FORDPROS
been a great support to everyone he
has worked with over the last 30+
years.”
In addition to these new positions,
the BPN team is adding two Medium
Truck Specialists who will help dealers and customers with specs and
packages for the new all Ford Medium Duty.
“We are very excited about adding
these new Commercial Business
Managers, and further enhancing our support of the Commercial
Truck Business. Orders for the new
Medium Duty F-650s and 750s, built
in Ohio, in the USA, are topping the
chart, with over 1,000 now getting
out in the hands of customers. This,
coupled with the great successes
and the promise of our fresh commercial product line-up, from the
Transit to the new 2017 Super Duty,
gives Ford dealers expanded opportunity.”
Mike Bedard will be transitioning to
the Major Fleet Sales area of Ford,
and responsible for the East Region
as the Regional Sales Manager.
Mike spent the past three years as
the Commercial Vehicle Sales Manager and supported the launch of
the Transit, new Transit Connect,
new Medium Truck and the upcoming 2017 Super Duty.
Mike will be replaced by Al MacDonald who was formerly the Regional Sales Manager for Major
Fleet Sales in the Central Region.
Al has over 30 years with Ford and
has held a number of Sales positions within Ford. Al brings his
experience and enthusiasm to the
Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager position and looks forward to the
launch of the new 2017 Super Duty.
.
NEW AND EXCITING CHANGES FOR FORD EXTENDED SERVICE COVERAGE
T
RAX 3™ is Transfer Flow’s next
generation computer controlled,
fuel monitoring system. The self-diagnosing system transfers fuel from the
Transfer Flow auxiliary fuel tank to
the main fuel tank. The TRAX 3 computer module constantly monitors fuel
levels in both the main tank and the
auxiliary tank.
Ford has always done more than
just build the best fleet vehicles in
the business. We’ve backed them up
with one of the best extended service
plans in the industry. That’s why we’re
proud to announce that going forward
our extended service plan (Ford ESP)
will be known as Ford Protect. But
there are more exciting changes to
our “Best in Class” Commercial Portfolio than just the name.
1. Introducing best-in-class F650/
F750 Medium Duty Coverage
o PremiumCARE and BaseCARE
for DIESEL Units now offering 3
to7 year terms of coverage up to
250,000 miles
o PremiumCARE, BaseCARE and
PowertrainCARE now available for
up to 200,000 miles on GAS units.
o Deductibles of $0 and $200
2. Premium Maintenance Improvements
o Available on F650/F750 vehicles
from 3 to 7 years and 75,000 to
200,000 miles
o Priced as an incomplete vehicle
(Cab & Chassis/Cut-away)
o Scheduled maintenance and select
wear item coverage.
• Brake Pads & Linings
• Shock Absorbers
• Wiper Blades
• Clutch Disc
• Belts and Hoses
• Spark Plugs
3. A New Commercial Payment
Plan launched April 2015 for financing contract sales after the
time of vehicle purchase
o No down payment required
o Monthly payment options of up to
36 months
o Billing occurs via QFC
o Improves cash flow
o Finance multiple plans on one
contract
o Admin fee is paid by the customer
o Contact BUDCO Financial Services
@ 1-888-368-8462 to get started
4. Additional Ford Protect Improvements:
o Ambulance, Livery/Limo,
Full-Electric vehicles now covered
o Diesel Mechanical Plans now cover
3.2L diesel engine
o Specialty surcharge removed on
F650/F750
o The only Ford Protect mechanical
plans with Engine hours will be
Diesel EngineCARE, Medium Duty
Plans and Incomplete Plans
o The Cost per Mile Tool has been
simplified (visit FMCdealer.com/
FordProtect/Fleet to download a
new copy)
o A New Commercial Business Solutions Customer Presentation
Folder is available via the Dealer
E-Store (16FLP-COMMVEH-FLD)
We are thrilled to bring you these exciting new changes. And as always,
hope it helps make your job a little
easier.
Questions or Training, please contact Joe Wiegand, Ford Protect Commercial Program Manager at:
jwiegan1@ford.com or
313-621-0942 and 313-570-9187
Note: 2015 model year and older F650/F750 vehicles removed from Commercial Plans,
and gas transmissions have been removed from EngineCARE.
FORDPROS Fall 2015 21
THE ULTIMATE COMMERCIAL BOOT CAMP
C
ommercial Truck Training is
excited to announce our new
“Ultimate Commercial Boot Camp”
scheduled for January 11-13, 2016.
Our Commercial Boot Camps have
gotten rave reviews from both new
and experienced commercial and
fleet sales consultants and managers. This program is the only one of
its kind in the industry.
Your trainer is Ken Taylor, who has
done work for Ford, General Motors,
Chrysler, Mercedes Benz USA and
Nissan on the commercial and fleet
side of the business and has directly
consulted with over 100 plus commercial and fleet dealers over the
last fifteen years. He has also written
the online sales and marketing training for both GM and Chrysler.
“By far the best sales training I
have ever attended and it was
specific for fleet and commercial
sales and marketing. I would
recommend this program to even
experienced sales consultants.
As a manager it opened my eyes
regarding how to better assist my
team in growing sales.”
Curt Remsing
Commercial Manager
LaFontaine Auto Group
Detroit, Michigan
Ken’s company actually makes
sales calls with dealerships which
gives tremendous credibility to the
techniques he teaches. Here is just
a sampling of what you can expect
to learn:
• Five sources of new business
right inside the dealership that
90% of sales consultants ignore.
• Leave with a sales and marketing
plan that fits your talents and your
market.
• A referral gathering technique that
guarantees you no less than 10
quality referrals per customer and
up to hundreds just by following
this simple system.
• Leveraging trade associations the
right way that can account for up
to 30% of your total new business.
• Taking a foolproof value add approach to getting appointments
and making sales
• A flash drive worth over $300 with
word tracks, audios and documents that will cover every aspect
of commercial and fleet sales.
• And much more!
This program is the most comprehensive training for commercial and
fleet sales you will ever experience.
Go to www.commercialtrucktraining.com for details about the program and how to enroll. This is the
best investment you will ever make
in growing your business and will
make you many times more than the
investment to get started.
Ken Taylor
• Five marketing ideas that grow
sales fast!
• How to set up a commercial and
fleet website that attracts visitors
• A networking strategy that is guaranteed to dramatically grow sales
• How to get endless appointments
with business owners.
The last two years’ boot camps
have been held at the Homewood
Suites by Hilton in Jacksonville, FL
22 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
Trends in the Trades
DISPATCH FROM BUDAPEST
T
aylor Steinberg, Corporate Sales
Trainer for Knapheide, reports
from Budapest, Hungary. Budapest
is one of the largest cities in the European Union. He gives his impressions of the commercial vehicles he
is seeing there.
There was an abundance of Ford
taxis and personal cars on the streets
of Budapest. It does not take long to
talk about the pickups in Budapest.
The count on F150, F250 and F350
pickups was zero. The count on
F350, F450, F550, F650 and F750
was simple. There were none sighted in five days in a city of just under
2 million. If it makes one feel better,
the sightings on Chevrolet and Ram
trucks were also zero.
The commercial vehicle of choice
from Class I through Class IV was
vans of every size, primarily Ford
Transit and a few Transit Connects.
Mercedes Sprinters, Peugeot, Fiat,
IVECO and a few other unidentifiable brands were spotted. The average fuel price for gasoline and diesel
was around 4.60 per gallon when
converted to US dollars for comparison. Gasoline, diesel and E85 were
available at most stations.
While doing my research for the article, I looked at several Ford dealers
in Budapest and found some interesting tidbits of information:
There is a 27% VAT (Value Added
Tax) on the sale price of the vehicle.
We would call it sales tax.
By Taylor Steinberg
Corporate Sales Trainer, Knapheide
All of the Transit Connects were
diesel engine with four speed manual transmissions.
A very popular application was a
number of crew cab van chassis with
drop side platforms as illustrated in
this photo of a local construction operation.
Very few commercial vehicles
(Transit or Connect) in stock. Typically one or two.
Ford Ranger Pickup used for personal transportation and not for commercial applications.
I found only one Ford Ranger in
stock at one dealership.
Tours. Today we did the Sound of
Music Tour in the Transit pictured.
The driver much prefers the nine
passenger Transit over the nine passenger Volkswagen due to its spaciousness and performance. It was
a very comfortable and quiet ride as
we spent almost eight hours on the
tour.
The Tour Transit is parked in front
of one of the entry gates to the Hellbrunn Palace, the current location
for the gazebo used in the Sound of
Music movie.
The construction crew listed on the
side of the Transit Cab Chassis was
working on the fence around the
Mozart Statue located in the Mozartplatz (Square) in old town Salzburg
this evening. This single wheel Transit had the typical drop side platform
seen throughout Europe and a Hiab
knuckle boom crane mounted behind the cab. The crew was removing the concrete posts located at the
corners of the statue and preparing
for new construction.
Bob’s Tours operate a fleet of passenger vans for their tours around
Salzburg for their Sound of Music
FORDPROS Fall 2015 23
http://commercialtrucksuccess.blogspot.com/
TERRY’S BLOG
Finding Your Joy and Following Your Bliss
I
bought a new book by Jeb Blount
with a catchy title, Fanatical Prospecting. As I looked through the contents page, and read some of the
pages at random, my first thoughts
were that he is teaching a very small
group. To be fair, there is plenty to
learn from this book for the average prospector, let alone the fanatical one living breathing and working
24/7/365.
In the sales game, we have pressure on us from the companies we
sell for to continue to produce more
at less cost with more profits. Sometimes that pressure to be someone’s
version of success is a heavy burden. Been there, lived that, was even
the one putting the pressure on others many times.
Yet what I’ve found is heavier than
this pressure is the expectations
and disappointments we affix to ourselves in the process of trying to be
something other than what and who
we are.
I’m very much into personal development and growing and becoming
better at what I do. It’s all for the good
of everyone involved for us to be our
best selves. In other words, I want to
do well and I want to keep learning.
In 1972 when I began my sales career at age 22, I found it hard to find
books on sales. Now, they are so
plentiful that if you want to improve
your sales skills, get some fresh
ideas, and keep learning more, it is
very easy. I recommend that. I do it
even today. Technology has helped
expand the ways in which we can
keep learning with e-books, audio
programs, audiobooks, video, YouTube, online education and so much
more. Whatever you want help with,
it is out there and much of it is free.
There’s a lot to do and a lot to learn,
and in all my years I have found
something that is even more important, and it takes all the pressure
off at the same time. It is this: learn
to love what you do and to enjoy
yourself doing it. Many of us get so
focused on making money and we
forget to enjoy ourselves throughout
each day. Life is short and finding a
way to enjoy what you do during the
workday allows you to make money
and thrive. It adds immeasurably to
your home life as well.
Joseph Campbell says to “Follow
your bliss and the universe will open
doors for you where there were only
walls.” Do what you can with what
you have and let the rest go. Find
ways to enjoy yourself throughout
your day. Loving what you do serves
you and everyone around you. My
recommendation is that if you were
to become fanatical about something
become a fanatic about following
your bliss will serve you pretty well.
Terry Minion of
Commercial Truck Success
spends his days helping
dealers develop successful
commercial departments
FORDPROS Fall 2015 25
D
ave Gonya is the Fleet & Government Commercial Truck
Consultant with Holman Ford Lincoln in Maple Shade, New Jersey.
The Holman Automotive Group consists of over 25 operating companies
which include automotive dealerships, an auto parts distributorship,
two truck upfitting businesses, and
ARI, the largest privately-owned
fleet leasing and management company in the country.
Dave is the oldest of 9 siblings. In
his early days Dave was in the music business as a production manager, touring all over America and
Europe with several rock and roll
bands. He considers those 10 years
in the music business like a college
education, preparing him to handle
the complex job of a Commercial
Account Manager.
Dave started at Holman in 1987
and moved to the fleet department
in 1999. “I am more of a commercial type of sales person than retail,”
Dave said. “The retail salesperson
on the floor has to wait for someone
to come in. When I come in to work
I can hit the ground running. I enjoy the challenge of putting the right
truck in the right person’s hands.”
“It is like a chess game,” Dave continues. “You plan for it to succeed.
You think ahead about every move
you make; what are the consequences of your moves? If you don’t
start thinking that way, you are going to go down a dead end, heading
down a path that will lead to more
problems.”
Dave is currently the only commercial truck salesperson at the Maple
Shade dealership. At the beginning
of the Great Recession Holman
Ford merged with Lincoln and their
dedicated work truck center ceased
operations. As the economy recovers the dealership has been building up the truck department, planning to add more personnel. “The
Dave Gonya
transition from the E-series vans to
the Transits has occurred. The larger F-series are most popular. My big
problem now is getting inventory,”
Dave said.
To make his heavy work load flow
easier Dave keeps detailed customer business files. “A truck sale
takes time to cultivate the customer
and the product. A comprehensive
customer file makes it easier to reproduce a deal. Those files really do
help to expedite business in a profession manner.”
Dave served as vice president of
the Philadelphia Ford Truck Club for
several years and is a current member of the Club. He reports that the
level of interest in the Club is rising,
recovering from low levels of attendance since the recession hit. “The
Truck Club is a great resource. At
our last meeting we had a police officer speak about the DOT regulations, something a lot of us are in
the dark about. He shed light on
what our responsibilities are to our
customers, and what the customer
is responsible for.”
Dave sees both the positive and
negative qualities of technology and
the wide spread use of computers
and the internet. “The world is just
more complicated now. The advent
of the computer has made some
things easier, but it has also added
other obstacles. This is just part of
business reality now.” The future
is bright for Dave. He is a FordPro
who is ready for anything.
By Ken Keller
FORDPROS Fall 2015 27
CLUB SNAPSHOT
Carolina’s Ford Truck Club
By Ken Keller
C
arolina’s Ford Truck Club (CFTC)
is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and serves the needs of FordPros in both North and South Carolina. Utilizing the commercial truck
training resources available through
Ford Motor Credit and Ford Motor
Company the meetings deliver the
most up-to-date information to their
membership. Every member has the
opportunity to review new products
and commercial upfitted vehicles
brought to each meeting.
Working with the Georgia Ford
Truck Club they use the Annual Body
and Equipment Expo in Lake Lanier,
Georgia, (held every May), as their
focal event for the year. The Georgia
and Carolina’s Ford Truck Club will
be also be participating with Ford to
co-sponsor the 2015 Fall BPN Meeting to be held on November 11 - 13
at Brasstown Valley Resort in Young
Harris, GA.
Dale Tesson, Fleet Director with
Capital Ford of Charlotte, NC, has
served as president of the Carolina’s
Ford Truck Club for two years. Dale
believes the structure of the meetings is the one of the reasons for the
success of the Club.
“Our meetings are strictly business
and are well attended. The meeting
will begin at 8 in the morning and everyone is out of there by noon. We try
to structure our meeting as an information session, as opposed to some
body service rep telling us what he
28 FALL 2015 FORDPROS
has to sell. We all know that. We look “We are well self-funded. Consefor somebody to come in that can tell quently, we can conduct our meetus something we don’t know,” Dale ings at a class act venue like the
said.
Charlotte Motor Speedway and put
on a fine presentation. We have a
very nice lunch and the club funds all
of it,” Dale said.
“At our meetings everyone understands the complexity of the subject
matter. It’s all friendly competition,”
Dale observes. “This is a very harmonious group. It is all about relationships.”
Relationships are at the core of
what
FordPros do. Carolina’s Ford
“Class Act Venue”
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Truck Club has discovered a winning
Left and Above
formula to encourage and maintain
Dale explains how the Club is fund- those vital relationships.
ed. “The way we fund our club is a
little different from other clubs. Our Board Members
vendors are charged an annual, one- President
time membership fee of $500. Mem- Dale Tesson,
bership entitles the vendors to come Capital Ford of Charlotte
to all the meetings. This way the ven- Vice President
dors have more opportunity to have Gary Houston,
Parkway Ford of Lexington
exposure to their customers: that’s
Treasurer
us. The dealership personnel do not David O’Brien,
pay a dime in membership fees. The Ford Motor Credit
dealers like that and the CAMs like Secretary
that, too.”
David Vetter, Vic Bailey Ford
FORD TRUCK CLUB NEWS
GEORGIA & CAROLINA
The Georgia and Carolina’s Ford
Truck Clubs will be participating with
Ford to co-sponsor the 2015 Fall
BPN Meeting November 11 - 13 at
Brasstown Valley Resort in Young
Harris, GA. The Golf Tournament will
be at noon on Nov. 11. The dealer
meeting will start at 9am on Nov. 12,
with a reception and dinner at 6pm.
Dealers and registered vendors are
invited to attend business meeting.
BPN dealers are required to attend
the Business Meeting. Dealer Meeting will start at 9:00 AM in the Salon
1&2 at Brasstown Valley Resort in
Young Harris, Ga.
NEW ENGLAND
The last meeting of the Ford Commercial Truck Association of New
England took place on October 20.
Ride-Away and TransitWorks were
the meeting sponsors. Dan Farley
(Ford ESP Area Sales Manager) presented the 2016 Commercial ESP
program changes and enhancements. Bruce Gray introduced the
2017 Super Duty.
CHICAGO
Bill Molthop, Freeway Ford, was
installed as the new President of
the Ford Truck Club of Chicago at
the club’s September meeting. Dan
Saxen, Rod Baker Ford, moves up to
HOUSTON
The Houston Ford Truck Club will Vice President and Cindee Manaves,
have its Christmas party on Decem- Arlington Heights Ford, is Secretary/
Treasurer.
ber 9 at St Arnolds Brewery.
Having Fun Last Year at the Pub!
various vendors display their latest
and greatest products where each
Ford dealer’s employees went to
gain valuable information. The Vendors each contribute some money
towards the big raffle after dinner for
a trip to Hawaii. We had a great turnout of around 80 people from all over
Northern California. A few weeks later
one of our wonderful vendors Scelzi
Enterprises decided to sponsor a
Nor Cal VS So Cal golf tournament
in Fresno California to decide who
has bragging rights of the best golfers in California Ford Truck Clubs.
The North won 153 to 170. We look
forward to making it an annual event
and want to Thank Scelzi Enterprises
for sponsoring the event.
NORCAL
Paul Brown, president of the Nor
Cal Ford Truck Club reports:
The Nor Cal Ford Truck Club had
its Annual Fall Luau/Vendor Display
on October 8th 2015. We started the
day with a quick 18 holes of golf then
had a California Highway Patrol presentation on the new laws affecting
our customers. After that we had 15
North VS South!
COMMERCIAL TRUCK
Building or Rebuilding an Effective, Successful, and Profitable
Commercial Truck Operation within a Retail Auto Dealership
By Terry R. Minion
“. . whether you want to add $100,000 or $1,000,000 to your
bottom line, you will benefit from this ‘how to’ on commercial trucks.”
-- Greg Martin
Buy the book @ www.ctsdealer.net
Now Available on Amazon.com!
FORDPROS FALL 2015 29
JERRY DEBLON RETIRES!
F
ord North American Fleet, Lease
and Remarketing Operations
(NAFLRO) announced in September that Jerry Deblon, CBM for the
Atlanta Region, has elected to retire
after 42.5 years of dedicated service
to Ford Motor Company.
Jerry started with Ford at the Lorain
Assembly Plant in 1973, and has
held 14 positions within Ford up until the current Commercial Business
Manager assignment in Atlanta,
which he has held since 2006.
Jerry was instrumental in the founding of both the Georgia Ford Truck
Club and Carolina’s Ford Truck Club
and has remained very involved as a
participant, supporter, organizer and
a leader.
Jerry spent a lot of his time showing dealer-owners the profit opportunities in commercial sales, parts
and service. He created sales and
30 Fall 2015 FORDPROS
Jerry will be sorely missed by everyone in his region, as well as across
the entire Ford BPN program. We all
at the National Ford Truck Club and
Ford Pros magazine wish Jerry the
continued best as he enjoys his retirement!
Jerry on the Track
profit forecasts for their market size
and, using the dealer’s financial data
and market share, showed the dollars and cents that commercial truck
adds to their bottom line.
Baseball days
AP
PR
O
FOR VED
CO
-OP