Friday 27 March 2009

Weekly Rant!

Well this week lots more happenings - Alliance Leicester A.K.A Abbey National A.K.A Santander have withdrawn their funding of several smaller Contract Hire companies.

What does this mean to us, you and your customers? It means lots of leasing firms not in the Fleet News Top 10 are having to restrict the amount of business they write. Meaning there is market share that needs filling, often to customers who have moved away from dealing direct with the main players.

The benefits of using a trusted leasing broker are really coming to fruition. Hundreds of deals, plenty of funders and the tightening of credit are all adding up to desperate sellers, misinformation and untold delays in paperwork and delivery. Fear not - we see it daily, and our customers know what is happening every step of the way.

Payment and credit wrangles between dealers and funders could mean that the 'cheapest' deal may not be achievable - clients need the options and updates to make informed decisions.

So what next......? Well it seems doing a good job is back to being as important as price, the slight detail of service had slipped from the minds of many for 9 months or so and the horror stories have come out. What's great now is that customers are asking questions - such as "where is the finance to be placed" and "which dealer are you using", consciousness is back in the market and we look forward to taking on the bedroom brokers and doorstep financiers. Same deals, proper company part of the BVRLA

The used car market has recovered for 4 straight months, meaning that residual value calculations could help stabilise or even reduce rentals. On top of that the 'should we buy used' conversations have dried up! Look at the MPG's, the Co2's and the Whole Life Costs and new cars still stack up!

Coming up.........

Vehicle Tracking - your customers can save £'000's on fuel, productivity and duty of care. It's a big deal and not just for courier companies. Our partnership with the UK's leading tracking provider, Navman is in it's fruition - watch this space!

Special Deals to follow and plenty to be done - of course only with our best suppliers and upfront, honest service ;)

All The Very Best for a Great Weekend,

keep an eye on www.anthonyk.co.uk for more great deals and news

Thursday 12 March 2009

Fleet Consultant

I was delighted to meet John Lawrence from Prestige Fleet Consultants.

They help to keep businesses safe and legally compliant. Prestige will also identify and achieve cost savings and assist to improve vital service levels. Amongst other services that Prestige offer are Managing Occupational Road Risk (Duty of Care), Driver Training, Employee Benefits and Affinity Schemes, Interim Fleet Management and Operator Licensing Assistance.

It might just be worth giving John a call on 07950 614268 for a chat

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Below is an article I wrote for a group of accountants and advisors about the likely impact of the continuing diffuculties facing motor manufacturers, dealers and finance houses..............

Having conversations about cars with your customers, friends and colleagues about cars and vans?

.... "wait until later in the year for a deal".... it's the worst thing they could do........why?

Here's a very basic recap in economics - (it's been a long time since I did my degree in the subject so please bear with me!)


Firstly the finance companies are tightened their belts, they are no longer a limitless cash supply for buying new cars and vans. Lex have already pulled their PCP product to divert cash to business leases. Therefore the deals seen advertised can not always be done, it pays to speak to the experts.


Secondly the production lines have slowed meaning all those excess stocks being given away are dwindling away. In response to this the manufacturers are amazingly increasing their prices on new cars by as much as 5%, so far in 2009 this includes Ford, Vauxhall, VW and Audi.


On the flipside it's not all doom and gloom; residual values seem to be recovering allowing some rentals to decrease in relation to resale forecasts. The discounts available to funders and fleets are also increasing - making a mockery of the list price in some cases but to the benefit of the customers in terms of rentals.

So despite the world turmoil prices of buying and funding vehicles may even out towards over the summer back to 2008 levels - meaning DON'T WAIT - DO THE DEAL!
With more dealers expected to close this year, it seems that dealing with a professional, courteous and independent vehicle broker will appeal to more small businesses and individuals alike.


Whether they are buying or leasing customers will need to speak to experts at sourcing and funding their vehicles.