When it comes to buying heavy equipment, like long-haul trucks and trailers, it’s not a decision that a lot of companies make on a whim. But that means, for truck and trailer dealers, it can be difficult to pin-point exactly when they should approach a prospective customer about their products. If you’re not sure when a business is in its buying cycle, or even if it needs a new addition to its equipment line-up, you could miss out on huge selling opportunities.
What To Know About the Trucking Buying Cycle
According to a survey conducted by Randall Reilly, over 50% of fleets and owner operators start to think about their equipment purchases 12 or more months in advance. That means, you might be missing out on potential sales if you’re approaching prospects at the wrong time. It’s helpful to take a look at the equipment in your prospects fleet, to determine what they might want to purchase next, and when they’ll want to have that truck or piece of equipment in their line-up.
Essentially, if you know that prospects are considering upgrades or new equipment well in advance, you might want to consider reaching out to them sooner rather than later. This can help you establish a relationship with them so when it’s time for them to buy, you’re at the top of their list for potential sellers.
Knowing When Your Prospects are Going To Buy Using RigDig BI
Using RigDig BI’s Equipment Search and Prospect Profile features, you can gain a thorough understanding of your potential customers. That includes seeing what type of equipment they tend to purchase, industries they operate in, and the average age of their trucks and trailers. With this information, you can have a better understanding of when those prospects might want to make a purchase and position your sales call to target their needs more effectively.
For example, let’s say your company sells a specific brand of trailers that are great for hauling construction materials. First, using RigDig BI’s Equipment Search, you can narrow down your list of prospects by filtering them based on the brands of trailers they prefer and where their business is located. Next, you can go into each Prospect Profile to see how many trailers are in the fleet, what they use them for, and their average age. You can even see the model year of every verified trailer.
This information can help you gauge when the company might be looking to replace their trailers. From there, you can contact the prospect at the right time with the right approach to build a relationship with them at the start of their buying cycle and keeping your business top-of-mind throughout their buyer’s journey.