Publish Date
November 20, 2023
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FIND A QUALITY UPFITTER TO BOOST BUSINESS
Choosing the right upfitter is essential for keeping your sales department thriving and successful. After all, their work is what you're selling to your customers. Thereby, it's imperative that you find an upfitter who can deliver in terms of quality, cost and support.
When vetting new potential partners, keep in mind these few important factors.
CERTIFICATIONS
When searching for an upfitter, look to see that they're certified by a credible organization. Being a member of the National Truck Equipment Association is one surefire way to identify a quality upfitter.
NTEA's Member Verification Program "recognizes eligible companies in the work truck industry for outstanding business practices and successful implementation of quality standards." To qualify, NTEA members must meet criteria set for capabilities, regulation adherence, insurability, safety, training, finances, quality, and more.
And if they're not MVP certified, keep digging. Ask potential upfit partners for any credentials that show they are a reliable, quality upfitter.
QUALITY
Finding an upfit partner that can get the job done is important. But what's more important is getting the job done well. You're busy making sales calls and manning the dealership lot; you don't have time to deal with upfit issues, mishaps or unhappy customers.
Make sure your upfit partner has a long track record of producing quality upfits that can stand the test of time for your customers. After all, a poor experience on a product from your lot reflects on you.
SUPPORT
Speaking of poor experiences, how your upfit partner handles those is paramount. As we said, when a customer has a poor experience with a product you sold, they're not coming back to you.
It's important that you have a fair, responsive and capable partner when situations like this arise. A good upfit partner should have no issues working out agreements for customer warranty and support issues, as well as vehicle maintenance and service.
CAPACITY
Depending upon your volume needs, it's important that you find an upfitter that can meet them in a timely and efficient manner. Whether it's a sprawling installation center or a smaller bay-build operation, the first question you need to ask yourself is, "Can they get the job done?".
The next thing you need to consider is if your upfit partner can get the job done efficiently, whether that be in terms of cost, time or logistics.
Find Your Nearest Knapheide Upfit Partner
Click the button below to locate Knapheide's upfit partners.