STEAL THE DEAL

Winning the Account Back From the Competition

By Matt Golimowski

Bobby Hanley and I recently met with a Regional Manager of Enterprise to win back the account lost to a competitor. As many of you have encountered, the account was lost due to price. In addition, most of the locations in this market acknowledged that NuVinAir worked better than what they are currently using; however, what they are using is “good enough.” To add insult to injury, the competitor recently lowered its price to $8 in direct response to NuVinAir’s release of ReTurn. So how do you overcome this scenario? Let’s take a look at how Bobby and I approached it.

Share the History

NuVinAir was the first to market with a super-fast, easy, and effective way to eliminate odors from vehicles. Knowing the only solution was to either use 3^rd party or harmful ozone machines, we set the price in a non-competitive market. Competition came in and undercut our price with an inferior product. In addition, we had a quality issue with the Cyclone where the cord plug-in had a manufacturer flaw. These two things made it easy for the competition to come in a win the account. However, after receiving feedback from Enterprise locations nationwide, we responded quickly by adding a new generation Cyclone and creating ReTurn to provide a cost-effective yet high-quality solution that still beats anything on the market for medium to mid-range odors while relying on ReStore for the toughest odors.

Share Experiences

Be sure to share facts and not emotions. Discuss other Enterprise locations’ experiences across the country.

1. Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix switched back when they noticed ESQI scores rose after the switch. They changed back to ReStore before ReTurn was created because the competition’s products simply did not work.
2. A Branch Manager in Tallahassee said he has to use 2 or 3 treatments of the competition to get an odor out. Instead of saving $3, he is spending $5 or $10 more, and then he still isn’t confident the odor will stay gone.
3. Locations all over the country say all Chlorine Dioxide treatments smell the same right after the treatment is done. But the difference is the odor doesn’t come back with NuVinAir, and often it comes back while the car is being rented, resulting in poor SQI. The problem is that it usually takes about 90 days to notice it in their scores.
4. Some locations use NuVinAir and a competitor because they know NVA will work the best on the toughest odors when others don’t.
5. Enterprise put out an internal communication stating NuVinAir works 100% of the time while the competition works only 70% of the time. When this was mentioned in Tallahassee, he said it was less than 50% of the time that the competition worked.

Sell the Support

As a Franchisee, give them confidence that you will be there for whatever they need, such as equipment issues, training needs, and process guidance. Most locations don’t know anyone from the competition. They order the product, and that’s it. I’ve asked them if they know the name of their account rep, and they always say they don’t know. I then tell them that our Franchise Account Rep is always a cell phone call away and will check in regularly.

Be Persuasive

Speak with confidence and use high-impact statements.

1. At NuVinAir, all we do is odor elimination and car cleanliness.
2. Our support is unparalleled. I’m only a phone call away and will check in regularly.
3. Nothing works better than NuVinAir Treatments.
4. NuVinAir is the industry leader in odor removal in vehicles.
5. 1. 1. 1.  

So how did the visit with the Regional Manager turn out with Bobby and me???

Here’s a brief summary:

While speaking with the regional manager and other associates, they relayed that the cheaper treatments weren’t working. They left a powerful smell that lingered in the vehicle.

They also said that the odor often returns, and there is the need to do two or three treatments to clear the odor. Their so-called cost savings had evaporated with an ineffective product needing multiple treatments. They were losing $8 to save $3.

While speaking to the Regional Director, his latest SQI scores came in on his phone. Of the nine negative surveys he reviewed, seven had vehicle odors as their top complaint. That’s 78% of replies with an odor issue in their vehicle! I asked him, “Remind me what you are using today?”

Our products work. NuVinAir conducted a demo, got feedback from associates at the location who were familiar with both products, and won the account back. They are adding us to over 150 locations in the Southeast!!!

NuVinAir is the industry leader in odor removal in vehicles. Don’t sacrifice quality over price!