Want to sell into a $100 billion industry? Consider the automotive market. Americans have always had a love affair with automobiles. That love has grown into a massive industry with many supporting vertical markets, all of which need both forms.
While many vertical markets have gone to electronic forms, the specific needs of the automotive market mean that many of these businesses continue to order forms in print.
- Many of automotive forms accounts are small businesses and sole proprietorships, both of which tend to use more paper forms than larger businesses.
- These businesses use forms in a checklist format that needs to be portable and handled by employees with dirt, oil, and other contaminants on their hands. This is an environment in which paper is often more practical than electronic forms.
- These businesses tend to be owned and staffed by older, more traditional workers who are more comfortable with traditional forms.
This is great news for distributors!
Also great news is that automotive forms are high-profit orders. Like many types of printed forms, automotive forms repeat month after month, year after year. They also repeat with little change. Once you have sold into these accounts, automotive forms provide recurring revenue with little additional effort. These are premium profit opportunities that should not be overlooked.
Orders Looking for Salespeople
Another reason to sell forms into the automotive market is that too many distributors have fallen prey to the mistaken notion that “business forms are dead,” so they have abandoned these high-profit orders. This creates opportunities to step into this void and tap the opportunities that others are missing.
While it’s true that the printed business forms market is declining, it’s far from dead, especially in the automotive industry. This is still a highly profitable niche market. Automotive companies still need printed business forms in bulk, and in many cases, they don’t know where to turn. Without another source, they purchase generic, often less-than-optimal alternatives online.
This creates opportunities for print distributors to offer greater value than these customers can get from an anonymous online source. Where does some of this value lie?
- For these customers, there is the personal relationship they already have with the print distributor (or can develop for the first time). Older, more traditional business owners, in particular, tend to place a higher value on personal relationships. The business model “a handshake and smile” has strong value here.
- Many of these shops are run by sole proprietors who wear many hats. They want to minimize their time doing administrative processes like ordering so they can run other areas of their businesses. There is the value in purchasing multiple products with the same source, saving these business owners time, money, and hassle.
- There may be opportunities to provide custom forms that solve problems or provide greater value than generic products these shops can get online. You can read about a problem we solved for one of our distributor’s automotive clients with a custom-design united set form here.
Who to Sell To
When selling automotive forms, dealerships automatically come to mind. However, this market is far broader. Opportunities are ripe in selling to shops that offer repair, maintenance, inspection, and upgrades, as well. The aftermarket industry is estimated to be anywhere from $325 to $427 billion and includes over 270,000 repair shops and over 265,000 retail parts outlets. That’s a lot of opportunity!
Target audiences include:
- Manufacturers (including OEMs)
- Dealerships
- Repair shops
- Autobody shops
- Tire service centers
- Inspection stations
- Automotive parts stores
- Glass and windshield repair shops
- Towing service locations
Once you are in these accounts, look for owners, general managers, and office and service department managers. In larger companies, also look for purchasing managers, marketing managers, and even IT director/managers.
What to Sell
What types of forms applications can you sell into these markets? The list is vast. Just a few of the types of forms ordered include:
- Deposit tickets
- Invoices
- Work orders
- Oil change orders
- Buyer’s guides
- Time cards
- Job tickets
- Weekly service maintenance forms
- Appointment pads
- Estimate and repair forms
- Many more
For a more complete list, download our sell sheet here.
Just Ask the Question
In many cases, you may already be in these accounts selling other types of products and services. Cross-selling business forms might be as easy as just asking for the right person.
Want help selling into this high-profit market? Contact your regional Wise sales representative and get the conversation started!
