“The dealers we speak to aren’t looking for another product. They’re looking for a better margin.” — Alex Payne, Sales Director, MiMA Forklifts UK
Not every dealer is the right fit for MiMA. Alex Payne will tell you that straight.
As Sales Director at MiMA Forklifts UK, Alex spends his time talking to dealers who want to grow but keep hitting the same wall. We caught up with him to find out what that conversation usually looks like.
What do you look for in a dealer before approaching them?
“Honestly? I look for the ones who are frustrated. Dealers who are working hard, quoting well, but constantly getting squeezed on price. They’re matching the OEMs pound for pound and by the time they’ve won the deal there’s nothing left in it. I know that feeling is widespread out there. That’s usually where our conversation starts.”
What can MiMA give a dealer that they don’t already have?
“A way out of that cycle. Because MiMA sits at a better price point than the main OEMs, dealers can go to their customers with a genuinely competitive price and still make proper money on the back of it. That’s not something they’re used to. Most of them have spent years having to choose between winning the deal and making money on it. With MiMA they don’t have to choose.”
What concerns do dealers raise before coming on board?
“Every single time, without fail, it’s the same thing. Chinese brand, question mark over quality. And look, I get it. That’s a fair concern to raise.
But we don’t try to talk anyone out of it. We just say, come and Dare to Compare. Bring your current spec, put it next to MiMA, and tell us what you see. Every dealer who has done that has come away with a different view. Then we get them up to HQ, they see the stock, the parts setup, the support behind it, and that’s usually the moment it clicks.”
What does MiMA do differently that helps dealers win business rather than just quote?
“It changes the position they’re standing in when they walk into a customer meeting. They’ve got a product that stands up on spec, a price that works for the customer, and a margin that works for them. That’s a confident place to sell from.
And the Dare to Compare takes the pressure off completely. When a customer actually looks at the specification side by side, the conversation moves away from price. The product does the talking.”
What support do you put in place for a new dealer?
“Everything they need to get going quickly. Pricing, stock access, parts, technical backup, marketing support. We want them to be able to have a conversation with a customer this week and close it this week if the fit is right. The last thing we want is a dealer sitting on a product they’re not sure how to sell.”
What do you see change once a dealer starts working with MiMA?
“Margins come back. That’s the big one. They’re winning deals and actually making money on them, which sounds like it should be the norm but for a lot of dealers it hasn’t been for a while.
The other thing that catches people off guard is the leads. The promotional activity we do around MiMA generates enquiries directly to us at HQ and we pass those on to the nearest or most suitable dealer. On top of that, the dealers who use the marketing pack we send them see more enquiries coming into their own business too. So they’re not just protecting their margins, they’re getting business coming to them from two directions they weren’t working before.”
He thinks for a second then adds:
“At the end of the day it comes down to trust. The product has to do what you say it will. The support has to be there when it’s needed. Get those two things right and everything else follows. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Thinking about adding MiMA to your range? Call Alex or Shane on 0121 368 9288.
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