As many of you know, I am frequently asked to participate in many events. Sometimes I moderate panels, sometimes I give a presentation, and sometimes I simply attend to see what can be learned. Some are open to the public, and others are more private.
Recently, Great Dane invited me to participate in a training event for its salespeople. I was surprised when Chris Hammond, Great Dane’s EVP of sales, asked me to talk about future efficiency technologies and the various powertrain options that are emerging in the messy middle. After all, Great Dane makes trailers, and to some extent, you would think trailer people wouldn’t care if it was a diesel, natural gas, or battery electric truck pulling that trailer.
While Chris admitted I had a good point, he added that he wanted his sales team to understand what the fleets are dealing with because this would allow them to better help their fleet customers even in areas that might not directly affect the trailer.
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I thought that made a lot of sense, so I agreed to be part of the program. And what an interesting program it was. Salespeople from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America attended, including many suppliers and key speakers.
The event focused on technology in trucking but also featured sessions on sales skills, reinforcing things like how to deal with rejection and how to ask for the order. I found that last one particularly beneficial since part of my job as NACFE’s executive director is to raise funds for the organization. Basically, I am selling NACFE, and sometimes, it can be uncomfortable and even difficult to ask for the “order.”
The setup of the event reminded me of a college campus with a bookstore and a quad. The going-back-to-school theme was really interesting, and meeting attendees had to go around to different areas to get their “report cards” filled out to demonstrate that they had stopped at that station, had a conversation, and actually learned something.
On the last night of the event, one of the attendees struck up a conversation with me about weight reduction in trailers and the effect that would have on fuel economy. We chatted about how weight reductions on either the tractor or the trailer slightly improve mpg but, more importantly, would allow the fleets to haul more payload with battery electric vehicles because they are inherently heavier.
That conversation made it clear to me why Chris asked me to speak. While very few intentional pairings of tractor and trailer occur nowadays in trucking, they present an opportunity for increased efficiency, especially with emerging technologies. Something to think about!
