Providing an on-point, creative solution that increases a client’s return on technology investment and produces the Raving Results we constantly seek to deliver.

The Client: Forbes and Todd Auto Group

The Account Representative: Ariel DeLong

Ariel DeLong can’t pinpoint the exact moment that it happened.

But somewhere between the initial meeting with Forbes Todd Auto Dealership Group, and the finality of the in-depth Discovery process, she realized she’d achieved exactly what she set out to do. She could tell that both the IT Director and CFO there were seeing definite value with Datamax handling their fleet.

“At a certain point, I realized that this was truly a partnership (that we were building),” Ariel says. “We were developing a really good relationship, one that we could all be very open and honest with one another … they knew that they were working with someone who had their best interest in mind.”
Building such rapport is a strategic – almost surgical – process. But it’s one that Ariel DeLong has more than completed her residency with. She’s not just building healthy relationships.

She’s Creating Raving Fans.

The Business Challenge

While many car dealerships suffered through last year’s pandemic, Forbes Todd enjoyed substantial success. Their challenges existed elsewhere, specifically with the handling of their fleet.

“They preferred staying with Lexmark equipment, but the Xerox brand was being pushed on them for their entire fleet. There were service issues, and extra charges for items like training. And there were numerous questions about monthly volumes and toner management,” Ariel says.

Frankly, the auto group was unsatisfied with the level of service. They needed someone to step up and handle the fleet, so they could get back to doing business.

The Thought Process

Early on, Ariel had a very advantageous meeting with the CFO. There, he lined out his five year goals with the fleet. Among them:

• He wanted one manufacturer and only three or four models across his fleet.
• He wanted to consolidate where necessary.
• He wanted toner management off his plate.
• He wanted visibility on print, and specifically color, usage so that he could cut unnecessary waste.

“I told him from the jump. We take pride in long-term partnerships with our clients. We want to help them achieve their goals, and also stay in line with whatever they want to do to help their business,” Ariel said.

In her Summary of Benefits of her proposal, Ariel used terms like “simplification,” (less devices, less models), “hands-free,” (devices and toner off their hands), “all-inclusive” (Datamax includes networking, delivery, installation and training at no additional costs). She made it a point to blanket their specific pains with a relevant solution.

It proved to Forbes Todd that Datamax had their best interest in heart. Perhaps more importantly, it proved that, throughout the discussions and fleet Discovery process, Ariel was intently listening to every pain point, every detail.

The Prevailing Results

Looking back on the duration of the relationship thus far, and the prevailing results, Ariel points to the true collaborative effort between herself, coworkers, and the IT Director and CFO at Forbes Todd. She credits the flexibility of Datamax on the logistics of the deal, as well as the ability to mirror customer objectives with Datamax value-adds.

One could also point to the intrinsic qualities that Ariel possesses with every prospect or customer, on every single call. She elaborates on her strategy:

• Curiosity: “It’s really important to be curious about their business, about their position. If I’m talking to a decision maker, I want to find out more about their history with the company and professionally. That really gets them talking. The more you let them talk, the more they open up. It’s also important to get to know more about their industry, Ariel says. It benefits the relationship, but it also helps her learn things that could be helpful down the road.
• Patience: “It’s important to be to be respectful of their timeline. A lot of times, people feel rushed by sales reps. For me, it’s about understanding that it takes time for these decisions to be made, for them to really evaluate their options.
• Open ears: “Having good listening skills is so important to me. And asking questions: The more you ask, the more you get to know about them, and their business.”

Moving forward with future clients, she may not know the moment it happens. But it’s a great feeling when it does – that moment when she, as a potential provider, becomes a trusted partner. It’s the best way … the Datamax way.