How To Control Expenses For Your Business Sales Team
You may run a business sales team who drive a fleet of company cars, but it is actually a consumer- driven society we live in! Company profits and losses are affected by the cut and thrust of a competitive market place where customer is king but it goes without saying that any successful business is going to benefit from looking at controlling the expenses that DO fall under their direct control.
Here are five tips to help you control expenses for your business sales team, from commercial fleet insurance cover to how your sales team drive:
Review your fleet model
Perhaps the most obvious cost reduction can be made by taking an inventory of the needs of the business sales team regarding fleet vehicles and are those needs currently being met in the most practical and economical manner? Whether you operate a company car ownership scheme or run a fleet of pool vehicles etc; you will benefit from looking at your fleet “model” to make changes that may consist of minor tweaks to perhaps a complete overhaul. Considerations such as whether all employees require a fleet vehicle on a permanent basis, average mileage per year per employee and length of business trips etc are all relevant factors in controlling expense costs for your business sales team.
Educate your business team to control their individual driving costs
Your business sales team may be good at driving business through your company door but does their literal driving stand up to scrutiny?! Employing proficient drivers can be an extremely effective way of controlling expenses and often takes just a few simple pointers that many people have not even considered are under their direct control; even by those who have been driving for years. By reducing their speed by just 10 miles an hour from 70 to 60mph for instance; an employee can use 9% less fuel according to the AA and with fuel prices at a premium, this can build up to big monthly reductions in fleet fuel usage alone.
Efficient driving that reduces not only fuel consumption but the wear and tear on a vehicle (and associated cost) can also be achieved by using other techniques such as asking employees to not leave their vehicle engine idling when the car is stationery for any length of time (i.e. during business phone calls!). Proficient drivers can also “coast” instead of keeping their feet pressed constantly on the accelerator pedal and also remember to remove any excess and unnecessary weight from their vehicle. These may sound like little tips but add them together and they can make BIG savings!
Save on fuel costs
Fuel cards can be used by your business sales team to purchase diesel or petrol all over the country with discounts and offers rewarding company loyalty. Many fuel cards also come with access to online analytics tools which allow you to keep track of expenditure so that you can keep a careful eye on expenses and reduce costs where indicated.
Plan business trips
Sharing a vehicle when two of your sale team has appointments in the same area for instance or simply reducing business miles by setting up an online meeting instead of a face to face one are also just plain old-fashioned common sense ways of saving on fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear too!
Look for the most competitive motor fleet insurance
Perhaps the most important tip on how to control expenses for your business sales team is to ensure you have the best-priced motor fleet insurance that provides you with the best insurance cover, but these other tips will certainly go some way towards lowering your expenses.