ANDY Riley is a Fleet Alliance Appointed Representative in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
He joined Fleet Alliance just over five years ago so he has seen the whole range of issues that has affected the sector, but is now very much involved in the massive transition to electric vehicles, where salary sacrifice is playing a significant role.
“I have a Linkedin campaign going which is doing well. My latest success is with a good sized client of some 40 employees. Currently we’re going through policy implementation so I’m preparing a comms pack for them so it’s ready once it goes live. Fleet Alliance has a comprehensive salary sacrifice offering and it’s gaining real traction.”
Although Andy describes the salary sacrifice product as a real positive, he says there are two hurdles to implementation with customers.
The first, he says, is persuading the decision maker, directors or HR that it’s a worthwhile benefit for staff; the second is communicating regularly with eligible employees – what it is, and how it benefits them.
“Once people get their head around how salary sacrifice works, and they want an EV, they really go for it because it represents such good value. This is especially true if they are lower mileage drivers – the leasing costs become even more competitive.”
The flexibility of being an AR
Andy decided to become a Fleet Alliance AR after a career on the corporate funding side of the industry but wanted an improved work/life balance for family caring.
“I did my due diligence because I had never worked in the broker sector and there are some significant differences to how funders and brokers operate,” explains Andy. “The biggest difference is in fleet sizes – so it’s about getting used to the SME mindset.”
Andy says that his “sweet spot” is the sub-100 fleet.
“I wanted the ability to deal with a small business that has one to five vehicles and all they want is a competitive price, as well as the bigger fleets where you are a trusted partner and I can embed Fleet Alliance’s e-Fleet software, the vehicle rental offering and all the ancillary services that Fleet Alliance provides. It is all backed by a strong marketing team and brand so I have a great conversation to offer across a range of business sizes.”
Andy points to the company’s e-Fleet software as a key selling point. He says you can tell the business they can dispense with the spreadsheets and have a system that manages all their vehicles for free – including the legacy vehicles.
“It allows me to compete against bigger funders,” he adds. “A 50 vehicle fleet is a big customer to me, but from a funder perspective, it won’t be the largest client in their portfolio, especially in the market that we operate in.”
Three reasons to be a Fleet Alliance AR by Andy Riley
- The full suite of Fleet Alliance products that I have to offer clients, from the small to mid-range markets
- The support I receive from compliance in a highly regulated environment – it’s much easier to let Fleet Alliance do it than set up your own brokerage and do-it-yourself
- The last one I’d say is the strong brand presence of the company within the industry and its offering of sole supply with the benefit of competitive tendering. Fleet Alliance has a strong marketing presence, which makes it easier to open doors.
Further information about joining Fleet Alliance as an AR
- Download the Fleet Alliance AR brochure here.
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Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
