2/27/09

One of the Best Options


This is one of the best options ever invented. I have encouraged many dealers to stock this option on some of their van bodies for three very good reasons. One, it generally sells very quickly. Two, the van body average gross profit is somewhat higher, and three, customers love it because it makes their job easier.

Getting inside a van body is always an issue. The unit shown has a Tommy Aluminum Railgate and is mounted on an aluminum van body from Marathon Industries. With the railgate, you can easily get in without much effort, but a faster, easier way is the side door. Notice the entry height is low and the steps are easy. This makes an outstanding combination for around town deliveries large and small.

My experience in van bodies is that it always seems to be a price driven market. Low grosses is just part of the reality; however, when you add options like this, the value to the customer shoots through the roof and the grosses rise dramatically. Flatbeds are in that same market. A plain flatbed is typically a low gross piece, but turn it into a contractor and it changes dramatically. Accessories and options generally help sell the product more quickly and to increase the gross profit. That's not a bad combination and I have found this to be true on all bodies.

I recommend that you stock this kind of body as 25% of your van body inventory at least. Think of some other great solutions to help customers and build those as well. Call your supplier and say, "hey, what can we do with van bodies to make them more interesting?" I'm sure you will get some good answers.

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