Ruling the Road

America is a nation of drivers. There are more than 254 million cars in the country, more than 196 million people with driver's licenses, and nearly four million miles of road. What do all those numbers add up to?

That you should be selling to the automotive market.

Americans obviously spend a lot of time on the road, and where there's a lot of people and time, there should also be promotional products. From bumper stickers and safety kits to car decals and other products for the dealerships themselves, there's a lot available out there for you to meet the marketing needs of the automotive industry.

To help you along with selling into this massive market, Promo Marketing spoke with four suppliers who specialize in the automotive industry, getting their opinions on the best of their product lines, on what sales mistakes are common in the market, and creative ways they've seen their products used.

Stouse Inc.

A Strength of the Company's Automotive Product Line(s)

"Variety," said Michael Stoeck, director of sales and marketing for Stouse Inc., New Century, Kan. "Our products are effective because they touch virtually every department and car-buying experience within a dealer." Stoeck mentioned business card magnets for the service, parts and sales departments; hitch covers for trucks and SUVs; and point-of-purchase items like window, wall and floor decals, and ceiling signage as some examples of how the company's product line can stretch across an entire dealership.

A Misunderstanding About the Auto Market

"I think the attention and focus on price is too high," said Stoeck. "Customers focus on the price when print managers aren't selling solutions, only products," he explained. "Establishing yourself as a solutions provider is the key." As an example of how to sell solutions instead of product, Stoeck took the company's cup holder coaster and suggested presenting it to car dealerships as a way to drive business to their service departments, rather than just another product with the dealership's name on it. "The 'coaster board' material can be printed with a dealer's name on one side and a coupon for an oil change on the other," he said. "If a dealer services 50 cars per day, times two cup holders per car, times 25 work days a month, that's 2,500 repeat customer referrals back to the service department. In short, sell the benefits—not necessarily the product."