Market leading truck manufacturing company had many technological solutions and cutting edge features built into its product which made it expensive initially. Up and coming competitors were taking a larger portion of the market and since the company could not go down in price, they needed a way to appeal to customers and prove that their product and extras were worth the price. They requested the help of one of our consultants who took the role of leading a cross-functional team ahead of its time through the pilot project and set them up for product rollout.

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The process

Following a two-week-long customer research phase, the paint points of potential customers were identified, and the question of what to emphasize during a sale was posed. It turned out that many small and medium trucking businesses have recently been inherited by the next generation. These people were more techy than their parents had been, and were often more interested in the business side of things than being a driver themselves.

 

The key now, was to figure out how to appeal to this younger generation. The salesmen who had been connecting with truckers for years could not find common ground.

 

The company decided to build on the longevity of their product and explain its higher price compared to the competition by showing the benefits of features that made the product superior. They decided to convince the buyers that in the long run the technological improvements would save them money. To do this, they had to show that their trucks were optimized for the work they would need to do.

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Taking into account the average weight pulled, distance traveled and type of terrain driven on, a wireframe for a tool was developed. Following basic Design Thinking training, a digital prototype eventually resulted: an app where the critical points of consideration were adjustable sliders. As the features are adjusted, the app spits out the truck most closely aligned to the needs of the user, and shows the money saved over time in comparison with a cheaper alternative that does not take specific usage into consideration.The app’s intuitive use allowed for customers to try it independently, as well as helped them connect with salesmen more easily as the app had the added benefit of transparency.

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The impact

More and more truckers are striving to run economic business models, and want to optimize tasks. The advanced technological capability of the company allowed them to capitalize on this need and show that technology has its place in the transportation business. Thanks to our help, the consultative sales process was improved by the visual aids of the adjustable slider app and connections were established more easily between the salesmen and buyers. Technology allowed for optimization so that the needs of the next generation of businessmen could be met and the truck manufacturing company could continue to sell high end products and stay ahead of the competition.

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