Here is some good advice for any mobile oil change business operator. Get your pen and paper out because the information I am about to give you is golden. It can aid you in making the $100/hr mark I was talking about and you can really get a lot of these if you follow my sales advice I wrote in another post.
Target Diesel Isuzu Cabovers. This is a common commercial vehicles for many businesses and over the last five years at least 30-40% of them have switched to diesels. I think they are called the Isuzu NPR Turbo Intercooled Box Vans as well. These vehicles pay.
The great thing about these trucks for a mobile oil change company is they are easy to service. You can perform an oil change on these diesel vehicles in twenty minutes. They usually take about 14-15 quarts of 15W-40 motor oil. When I first started doing these I would get the oil filter from NAPA but then I found out that they get all their filters from WIX and just spray paint their name on them and take off the "5" or "4" for air filters. Anyway if you have a WIX supplier, which I highly recommend, then the number is WIX 57521. If you do not have one and have to go through NAPA then the number is NAPA 7521. The air filter is easy to change on these as well but they last for minimum of two years unless you live in a very dusty place. Any cabover before 2005 will take a WIX 56506, just to let you know.
Here is what I will say about these vehicles. They cannot be taken to your nearby Wal Mart Express Lube or Midas to get an oil change because they will not have an oil filter. All the companies that have these will most likely be taking them into an Isuzu or International Dealer. You can easily charge $120. If they complain about the price explain to them that the oil filter is expensive. It does cost $20 by the way but they can easily retail for $35. Case in point you should be able to make minimum of $60 from each cabover. Thats without any add ons. If you service two in a hour then you make $120/Hr. You might be able to push wiper blades (they take 22"), a coolant flush if the truck has more than 50,000, or a rear end fluid change. I love these vehicles. They are a pleasure to work on.
I just got a call from a company that I did a sales call on three months ago. They have two of these diesel cabovers. This is where effort pays off even if you do not see the results right away. Anyway I was picking up some parts when I noticed the truck, an Isuzu, of a famous brewing company in town that I absolutely love. I followed the truck and spoke with the delivery guy driving it. He told me who to talk to. Then I went to the location and showed the fleet manager the van. He really liked the van which is why I said earlier that its always highly important to have a professional good looking oil change van and equipment. I told him the truth "I was in the area, spoke with one of your guys, and thought maybe you could use a service like this." He liked it. But he didn't need an oil change now so I gave him my card and a magnet and left. It wasn't a big fleet so I did not write it down like I should have. He called me today while I was at my computer sipping a hot cup of cofee working on my waste oil boiler blog asking if we could get his trucks this week. See how a little effort pays off.
The great thing about the mobile oil change business is while I will say time and time again how its not as easy as people think it is....its an easy sell once you get going, are established, and know what to look for. If you are able to make it you will train your eye to see vehicles that pay well for your time and vehicles that will not. Speaking of vehicles that do not Isuzu Cabovers that are gas are not nearly as profitabe unless you were to do at least five of them. They are just as easy by the way, if not more than their diesel counterparts, and take a PZ-45 oil filter and six quarts of 5W-30 or 10W-30. Just don't try and undercut the competion on these because they still are commercial vehilces and you can charge a little bit more than passenger cars. A lot of times companies who own the gas ones still take them to the dealers as well.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Mobile Oil Change Sales Advice
So we have already established where your efforts should be if you are the owner of a mobile oil change business. If you are still trying to pick up individual customers by your sixth month than you are missing the boat. You can make money off them and if you are in business to make $20 an hour than by all means go that route. Quit reading this blog and go do your thing. For the people who want to make some real money keep reading.
You need fleets. I used to be a hound and make cold calls from the yellow pages all the time. It worked some times but it was not efficient at all. I did pick up a couple which proves that any sales you do accompanied by effort will produce some fruit. Just not much. Anyway when you a driving around you need to notice fleet vehicles. Write them down. If you see a nice diesel truck that belongs to a company write down the name, phone number, and if possible the address. Write down what type of vehicle you see. Write down the license plate and the color of the truck. Write down where you saw it. If the truck is parked and you are able to talk with the driver or employee ask him who manages the fleet. What is his name. What is the name of the employee who you are talking to. What time of day is it? Find out as much information as you can. Write it all down. Save it.
Then when you get back to the office you know who to call. You are not blindly calling a company and asking "who is in charge of the fleet maintenance"?. If the guy who you need to talk to is not there do not leave a message. They will not call you back 8/10. Call him at another time like after lunch. I make sales calls between 1-3 PM. That is when I find managers are the most pleasant. After lunch! That's when I am at my best and laid back after woofing down a nice sub, chips, and drink.
If you want to be more effective go and scout the business. If you live in a big city this may be a little more time consuming. Write down what trucks they have. Do they have a maintinance department. Talk with some more employees. They will know if they send their vehicles out to get their oil changed at Jiffy Lube. That is an important question: what are they doing now for their fleet maintenance. Ask the employees if they think their company could use a mobile oil change company to service their trucks.
Ask questions. Most people love to talk. Find out as much information as possible. My business partner is the question king. I have never seen a person who loves to ask questions and drill a person as much as he does. I have listened to him for a whole hour talk to a person and maybe he made one actual statement; the rest were questions. Master the art of asking questions. You want to find out as much about the company as possible. That way when you talk to the fleet manager you know more about his operations that he does. Tell him you will drop off some information about your mobile oil change business, with your insurance information (they really really are impressed when YOU bring this up) on Wednesday when you are in the area doing another nearby fleet. Money in the bank. Information is key. I pay for information. I love information. That's the difference between calling Steve and getting a fleet and him saying "he's fine with what they're doing."
Lets have a short recap.
Target fleets. Target all fleets but especially fleets with diesels if you have the set up to do them. Do research on the company. Find out what trucks they have. Talk to some employees who work there. Find out what they are currently doing. Find out as much information as you can. Call the fleet manager. Tell him that you were talking to "one of his guys" and they mentioned "you might could use a service like this." "One of your guys" told me that you might want to have a mobile oil change service come by after hours instead of having to take all the vehicles to the quick lube or shop. $$$$$
I take donations :) I may need them for all the income taxes I have to pay this year for what our mobile oil change business did. Ouch! Uncle Sam will rape you at every corner. Thats why I try to maximize what I make because paying 22% really really sucks.
You need fleets. I used to be a hound and make cold calls from the yellow pages all the time. It worked some times but it was not efficient at all. I did pick up a couple which proves that any sales you do accompanied by effort will produce some fruit. Just not much. Anyway when you a driving around you need to notice fleet vehicles. Write them down. If you see a nice diesel truck that belongs to a company write down the name, phone number, and if possible the address. Write down what type of vehicle you see. Write down the license plate and the color of the truck. Write down where you saw it. If the truck is parked and you are able to talk with the driver or employee ask him who manages the fleet. What is his name. What is the name of the employee who you are talking to. What time of day is it? Find out as much information as you can. Write it all down. Save it.
Then when you get back to the office you know who to call. You are not blindly calling a company and asking "who is in charge of the fleet maintenance"?. If the guy who you need to talk to is not there do not leave a message. They will not call you back 8/10. Call him at another time like after lunch. I make sales calls between 1-3 PM. That is when I find managers are the most pleasant. After lunch! That's when I am at my best and laid back after woofing down a nice sub, chips, and drink.
If you want to be more effective go and scout the business. If you live in a big city this may be a little more time consuming. Write down what trucks they have. Do they have a maintinance department. Talk with some more employees. They will know if they send their vehicles out to get their oil changed at Jiffy Lube. That is an important question: what are they doing now for their fleet maintenance. Ask the employees if they think their company could use a mobile oil change company to service their trucks.
Ask questions. Most people love to talk. Find out as much information as possible. My business partner is the question king. I have never seen a person who loves to ask questions and drill a person as much as he does. I have listened to him for a whole hour talk to a person and maybe he made one actual statement; the rest were questions. Master the art of asking questions. You want to find out as much about the company as possible. That way when you talk to the fleet manager you know more about his operations that he does. Tell him you will drop off some information about your mobile oil change business, with your insurance information (they really really are impressed when YOU bring this up) on Wednesday when you are in the area doing another nearby fleet. Money in the bank. Information is key. I pay for information. I love information. That's the difference between calling Steve and getting a fleet and him saying "he's fine with what they're doing."
Lets have a short recap.
Target fleets. Target all fleets but especially fleets with diesels if you have the set up to do them. Do research on the company. Find out what trucks they have. Talk to some employees who work there. Find out what they are currently doing. Find out as much information as you can. Call the fleet manager. Tell him that you were talking to "one of his guys" and they mentioned "you might could use a service like this." "One of your guys" told me that you might want to have a mobile oil change service come by after hours instead of having to take all the vehicles to the quick lube or shop. $$$$$
I take donations :) I may need them for all the income taxes I have to pay this year for what our mobile oil change business did. Ouch! Uncle Sam will rape you at every corner. Thats why I try to maximize what I make because paying 22% really really sucks.
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