ALPHABET Partner, the broker sales channel launched at the end of September 2014, has exceeded a portfolio of over 20,000 vehicle contracts. If the channel were a standalone business, it would be positioned in the top 15 of the FN50 table.
Last year alone, Alphabet Partner delivered over 12,500 vehicles to customers via over 40 Broker Partners. The first vehicle delivered by Alphabet Partner in 2014 was a Range Rover Sport courtesy of Partner, Low Cost Vans based in South Wales. In January 2017, the 20,000th Alphabet Partner vehicle was Mercedes-Benz C350e plug-in hybrid delivered by family business West Midland Vehicle Leasing based in Halesowen.
Graham Conway, head of Alphabet Partner, commented: “To achieve a vehicle fleet of over 20,000 in little over 2 years shows the phenomenal power of our partnership approach in action, engaging with a select group of well-established, like-minded brokers.
“Contrary to the conventional view of the broker market, our business is not price-driven. While it is obviously important to be competitive, our approach shows that being the cheapest isn’t everything in the broker market – despite what some people might think. We trade on our service levels, as well as the strength and depth of our relationships with brokers.
“Our key differentiators are the service we provide, the speed and quality of our decisions and subsequently the trust that has developed with our Broker Partners over the past few years.
“It has been a whole team effort and our 11 people have been a huge driving force behind success. We’re a lean team, everybody contributes and we don’t carry passengers – which our Partners appreciate as it reflects their own businesses and entrepreneurial spirit. It also means they get the personal touch from us.
“The growth has been like going from nought to 60 in record time, but this dynamic atmosphere and tempo has created unprecedented opportunities for personal and professional development for individuals within the team. Where we can we have promoted talent from within, which has been reflected in the fantastic feedback we’ve received on our employees from the Partner network.
“Our market-leading IT platform, icon, has proved a cornerstone of our success – acquiring two industry accolades last year. It’s an evolving system – changing weekly or monthly – based on the feedback we get from our brokers.
“2017 is clearly going to be a challenge for the automotive industry across the board – no one was surprised that the SMMT predicted new car registrations for the year to be down from 2.4 million to 2.2 million. But in challenging times, successful businesses adapt and their qualities come to the fore.
“I’m confident that our recipe for success over the past two years – a unique business model, a talented and empowered team, an ethos of continuous learning and improvement, plus an unwavering dedication to a true partnership approach with our Brokers – will ensure that we evolve and thrive in 2017, 2018 and beyond.”
