GENSERV tripled its SDLG sales during 2014 compared to the previous year.
As SDLG’s authorised dealer for Oman, GENSERV sold 75 of the Chinese manufacturer’s wheel loaders last year, 50 more than it sold in 2013.
The dealer received orders for 23 additional wheel loaders during the first two months of 2015, and with plans to add SDLG backhoe loaders, motor graders, and excavators to its product portfolio this month, GENSERV is confident that it can hit 150 sales before the end of the year.
“SDLG entered the Omani market in 2013, and we struggled to sell the first 25 units,” revealed Ahmed Rashed, GENSERV’s general manager.
“Our customers simply didn’t appreciate the level of aftersales service that we were able to offer in conjunction with SDLG. We didn’t make any money during the first year, but this period was necessary in order to build the brand’s reputation in Oman.
“In 2014, we began to harvest the rewards of our hard work from the previous year. We sold 75 units last year, and during the first two months of 2015, we have closed deals for 23 units. It’s a good start, and this is only with a single model: the wheel loader. We are in the process of introducing SDLG graders, backhoes, and excavators to Oman, but we have to find the right way to bring these products to the market,” he explained.
Rashed, who is currently in Dubai for SDLG’s regional dealer meeting, told PMV that GENSERV intends to introduce the additional SDLG lines before the end of this month. As before, in conjunction with its principal, the dealer will allow prospective customers to conduct frontline trials of the new lines in order to build confidence.
“If you’re the dealer of a normal Chinese manufacturer, you just bring the machine to your region and sell,” said Rashed.
“But if you want to be a market leader, you have to have a plan. This is why before we begin selling the latest machines, SDLG sends a demo unit. This enables our customers to become familiar with the models and test out their capabilities.
“We send the demo units into the market for one or two months with our VIP customers. This way, they gain first-hand experience of SDLG’s performance and reliability,” he explained.
SDLG and its Middle Eastern channel partners employed the same strategy during the roll-out of the manufacturer’s wheel loaders. Indeed, the Rashed says that this approach has enabled GENSERV to carve out a 62% share of the Chinese wheel loader market in Oman.
Jonas Gardetun, SDLG’s regional vice president, told PMV that this ‘try-before-you-buy’ philosophy will play a major role in establishing the manufacturer’s long-term success in the Middle East.
“We have to overcome the perception that because SDLG operates within the value segment, its machines are not as good as those offered by premium brands,” said Gardetun.
“By offering trial machines temporarily, we can help customers to overcome whatever hesitations they might have when it comes to investing in a Chinese-manufactured product. We can prove to them that the machines will perform effectively – not to mention the aftersales service capabilities of our dealers and the parts supply offered by SDLG,” he said.
Rashed, meanwhile, remained confident that – with the upcoming introduction of additional lines – GENSERV will be able to double its SDLG sales in Oman during the current year.
“It will be possible,” he told PMV.
“150 units is realistic, assuming that the graders, backhoes, and excavators arrive according to schedule. Of course, the wheel loader market still looks promising,” Rashed concluded.
