Get Set For A New Season

Although UAN members that promote quality products to their customers have enjoyed growing business with the VARTA and Lucas brands, there is no getting away from the fact that the market’s obsession with price means that profit margins on traditional lead acid batteries are limited. Combine this with the seasonable nature of traditional battery sales, which are particularly affected by mild weather and members are faced with a classic double-whammy.

However, it’s not all bad news for members, as Manbat has a specific strategy to help them overcome this effect and turn their battery business from a seasonal distress purchase model, to an all-year-round aspirational purchase alternative that provides them with a reliable and regular revenue stream.

The starting point is not complicated, it just requires members to change their mind set and be willing to ask Manbat to help them look at batteries in a different light and consider the opportunities they provide for additional sales, often with very attractive profit margins.

A different approach allows members to benefit from the better weather in the Spring and Summer seasons because although the traditional automotive battery market drops, the motorcycle, golf, leisure and marine battery market’s begin.

In addition, those purchasing these batteries are looking for batteries that improve their lifestyle, so out goes the ‘anything will do as long as it’s cheap’ attitude of the motorist and in comes the ‘I want the best’ attitude of an enthusiast looking to make the most of their leisure experience.

Manbat has been at the centre of the battery business for more than sixty years, which means that with its wealth of market knowledge, it is more than able to help members develop their battery business in these complementary markets.

Those members already working with Manbat will know that they pride themselves on the service they provide and their professional attitude towards their customers. This allows them to guide and advise members in the kind of products that are most appropriate and how best to begin to integrate these new products into their businesses.

Motorcycles are an obvious sector for members to begin to branch out and Spring is the perfect time as many a ‘fair-weather’ biker will be dusting off their machines, only to be frustrated by a flat battery. These motorcyclists are potential customers for both a quality battery and an intelligent charger, for which Manbat can supply either a VARTA®, Lucas or Numax battery combined with a Numax ‘connect+forget’® battery charger.

The leisure and marine sectors are also profitable avenues for members to follow as the typical caravanner, motorcarvanner or boater is not averse to spending money on a product that will give them a good return on their investment.

In Numax, Manbat has built a brand that has an enviable reputation and is without doubt the leading brand in these markets. It commands a premium price and provides generous margins and although products like the XV range utilise specialist technology to provide a dual function (high cyclic capacity/prestigious starting power), their similarity with automotive batteries makes them a manageable addition for members used to dealing solely in the automotive sector.

To pursue a diversification agenda while remaining a specialist is sometimes a difficult combination to fuse together, but with Manbat, UAN members have an experienced player with which to partner. Manbat has worked with numerous businesses during this sort of transition and has a proven track record of successfully transforming their battery sales from a seasonal contributor to a constant and reliable source of monthly revenue.

For this reason Manbat cannot merely be looked at as a battery ‘box shifter’, but rather as a total battery service provider that supplies the products, the advice, the support and the waste management to solve every battery problem and open every battery opportunity.

For further details, please call Manbat Customer Services on: 01743 218500 or visit: www.manbat.co.uk

Â