Large groups dominated the dealer system and were once considered to be the hidden concerns of Mercedes-Benz's channel expansion in China. However, in the context of the recent frequent "anti-water" incidents of car dealers, Mercedes-Benz's dealer system has unexpectedly been stable. Screw And Barrel,Extruder Screws And Barrels,Barrel Screw,Twin Screw Barrel Zhejiang Zhongyang Screw Manufacturing Co., Ltd. , https://www.zhongyangscrew.com
This is partly due to the fact that Mercedes-Benz's sales in China in 2014 still maintained a high growth rate of nearly 30%. This figure is higher than the average growth rate of the high-end car market, and is also significantly higher than the two major competitors of BMW and Audi.
However, the more important reason is the set of dealer communication mechanisms that Beijing Benz has explored in recent years. These mechanisms have made the dealer groups that are most powerful and sturdy, and become a stable force when Beijing Benz is facing market adjustment.
According to Li Hongpeng, senior executive vice president of Beijing Benz Sales & Service Co., Ltd., Beijing Benz currently has 15 strategic dealer groups, which have network coverage and sales of over 70% in the entire Mercedes channel system. .
In this case, it is especially important to maintain strategic cooperation with core distributors for their understanding and support.
“We hope to build a network of sustainable development and highly profitable dealers. Therefore, it is very important for distributors to maintain transparent and smooth communication.†Li Hongpeng said that Beijing Benz will hold at least two national distributors a year. At the conference, each regional market also holds at least 3-4 regional distributor conferences.
In addition, it is regarded as the earliest established Mercedes-Benz dealer association in China. It also directly competes with the manufacturers from the early “husbands†and becomes a channel for effective communication of dealers and manufacturers. The representatives of the association will participate in the development of Beijing Benz. Discussion of policies and measures.
"Our sales targets and policy measures are implemented after full communication and consensus with distributors." Li Hongpeng said.
Beijing Benz has successfully lowered the price of after-sales service and accessories several times in the past six months.
Since the establishment of Beijing Benz Sales Service Co., Ltd. in December 2012, Mercedes-Benz's market sales, after-sales service and dealer network development in China have been integrated into the same organizational system from the status of “two skinsâ€, which not only greatly avoids The internal friction, and more management to make up the energy, began to "prescribe the right medicine."
On January 1, 2015, Beijing Benz announced that it has lowered the retail price of all accessories by 5%-25%, and implemented it at all authorized dealer outlets nationwide. This is also the third time Beijing Benz has lowered the after-sales maintenance price in less than 7 months.
On July 1 last year, Mercedes-Benz, which began to face up to the abnormally high after-sales price, drastically lowered the maintenance price of all models for the first time. This was not only to standardize the after-sales service sector, but also to improve the cost performance and customer satisfaction of Mercedes-Benz in the after-sales segment. Finally, the purpose of driving sales is achieved.
“This is an adjustment made under the Mercedes-Benz after-sales service strategy, and the goal is to provide customers with the best value for money.†Zhou Ning, director of sales and marketing for Beijing Benz After-sales Service Department, said.
However, for dealers, these price adjustments will inevitably reduce their profit margins in the short term, especially the proportion of after-sales profits in the total profit of dealers, so that these passive cheese dealers understand and accept these Adjustments are not an easy task.
"There was a very big controversy at the time. This is a multiple-choice long-term interest and short-term interest." Li Hongpeng said that if price adjustments are not made, it seems to ensure the interests of dealers in the short run, but in the long run, they have lost more users. .
An important background is that before the adjustment, Mercedes-Benz's after-sales maintenance costs are much higher than Audi and BMW, which has become an important reason for many people to give up buying Mercedes-Benz products.
For Mercedes-Benz, who plays the role of chaser in the domestic luxury car market, changing the after-sales service system and improving the service cost performance are also an important part of improving brand competitiveness.
Li Hongpeng revealed that Mercedes-Benz had at least two rounds of in-depth communication with dealers before the officially lowered the after-sales service price. The first round was the pre-communication between the management and after-sales service team and representatives of the Mercedes-Benz dealer association. The second round was In-depth communication with 15 strategic partners.
"We don't want to push the push of the administrative pressure, but put our future strategy clearly in front of the dealers. Most of the Mercedes-Benz dealers pay more attention to the long-term development, so they can understand such a strategy." Li Hongpeng said.
Continue to catch up According to the official data released by Daimler, the Mercedes-Benz brand's total sales in China in 2014 totaled 281,600 units, an increase of 29.1% year-on-year, and the proportion of global sales increased from 14.9% to 17.1. %. If included in the Smart brand, Mercedes-Benz's cumulative sales in China in 2014 exceeded 299,000 units, an increase of 27.1% year-on-year.
Ni Kuang, President and CEO of Beijing Benz Sales & Service Co., Ltd., said that in 2015, Beijing Benz's sales target in China will be significantly more than 300,000 units.
"China is the second largest economy in the world. We have confidence in this market. At present, we still lag behind two competitors in China, so we need to ensure sustained growth to catch up and continuously improve customer experience and satisfaction. Nie said.
In Ni Kuang's view, customers are not only end users, but also dealer partners. "Our biggest improvement and gain in 2014 was to establish a mutual trust base with dealer partners."
Up to now, Mercedes-Benz has 447 dealer outlets nationwide, of which only 106 new outlets have been added in 2014, covering more than 53 new cities.
"These new outlets are concentrated in the third and fourth tier cities, and will continue to build additional outlets in the blank market in the future," Li Hongpeng said.
In addition, Mercedes-Benz will continue to work on products in 2015. Duan Jianjun, executive vice president of Beijing Benz, who is in charge of marketing and sales, revealed that Beijing Benz will have more than 15 new models launched in the Chinese market this year. In addition to the domestic GLA that will be launched in the first quarter of this year, in the C-class, there will be At least 7, 8 new cars will be launched.
"In terms of marketing, we will pay more attention to the customer experience. The focus is not only on the high, but also on the ground." Duan Jianjun said.