Margins on sales of machinery and equipment are under severe pressure. This means that equipment dealers have to rely primarily on after-sales sales. That goes beyond repairs and inspections. Here are 6 opportunities for after-sales revenue for equipment dealers:
1. Preventive maintenance
With preventive maintenance, you prevent damage, defects and costly downtime of machines at later times. Convince your customers of the importance and necessity of regular preventive maintenance. And perform maintenance checks and inspections flawlessly for optimal customer satisfaction.
2. Service contracts
With a service contract, customers pay a fixed amount, which entitles them to a certain level of service. But what service do you offer your customers and at what price? Insight into data is crucial here. Which parts often need replacement? What do certain repairs cost? Good insight into the expected costs enables you to charge a price that is interesting for the customer and at the same time profitable for you.
3. Sell additional components
After a machine is sold, is it still possible to offer additional components? For example, think of attachments for forklifts or buckets for excavators. Possibly your customer does not know all the possibilities and applications of his machine.
"Price, quality, supply and delivery time are the determining factors for customers in choosing where to order parts."
4. Parts sales
Margins on parts are higher than margins on machines in many industries. So it is important that customers buy their parts from you. But just because one purchased the machine from your company does not mean they will come back to you for parts. Price, quality, supply and delivery time are the determining factors for customers in choosing where to order parts.
5. Training
Training in machine use can be very lucrative. This can be immediately after the sale of a machine, but also, for example, for new employees who start working with the machine or when the application of the machines is expanded or changed. There is an increasing focus on health and safety in companies and this requires awareness among employees of the risks of machines. As an equipment dealer, you can respond to this by offering training courses complete with diplomas and certifications.
6. Remote monitoring
Modern technology makes it increasingly possible to monitor machines remotely. Tracing the location, reading meter readings, receiving error messages and fault codes, etc. There are opportunities here for equipment dealers to provide faster and better service in case of breakdowns. But above all to provide good preventive service. Especially in industries where machine breakdowns are very costly, equipment dealers can gain a competitive advantage in this area.
