Why is flexi hire so useful for sales directors?

Flexi hire has all sorts of fantastic advantages for businesses spanning across a whole range of industries. However, the benefits are especially attractive for sales directors, and they make up a sizeable proportion of our customer base here at Intack Self Drive. So, why might you, as a sales director, choose flexi car hire over straightforward car hire?

More freedom to trial a vehicle

There are a lot of factors you have to consider when you’re choosing a company car for one of your salespeople. Ideally, you’ll want something that’s fuel efficient so that it saves on costs, comfortable for your sales rep on those longer journeys, and one that makes an excellent impression to prospective clients. Those are just a few examples - you might have a lot more of your own!

Understandably, it’s quite tricky to find something that fulfils all these requirements on the first try, and many sales directors are therefore hesitant to enter into long-term commitments with car hire. This is where flexi hire can come in handy, as it provides plenty of freedom to experiment as you try and find out which cars give you the best value for money, while providing the most practicality for your business. (If you’re having trouble making your decision, we’ve got a handy blog post that gives helpful guidance on finding which is the best flexi car hire service for you.) And it’s not just the vehicles it’s excellent for trialling…

Well-suited for probational periods

As well as allowing you to experiment with the cars, it’s also an effective way to trial the staff themselves. After all, sales is a high pressure game, and it’s sometimes difficult to tell immediately whether an employee is up to it for the long haul. With flexi hire, you can provide them with their own vehicle and put them to the test, without tying you into any long-term commitments which might prove inconvenient if it doesn’t work out. Probational periods are quite common in sales, and it’s the perfect option to help you test their abilities - especially if you’re hedging your bets on inexperienced but promising new members of staff.

Get your salesperson out on the road quickly

In sales, time is money, and there’s nothing worse than having a member of staff hanging around with not much to do as you plough through all the necessary admin, or wait for their vehicle to come through. With flexi hire, the administration only takes a few days rather than a few weeks, so you can get their car ready in plenty of time before their first day. That way, once you’ve hired your new salesperson, you can get them out on the road with no delay, so they’re earning you fresh revenue as soon as possible.

Saves the hassle associated with grey fleets

You may well be familiar with grey fleets, but we’ll give you a quick definition just in case. Basically, a grey fleet refers to the use of an employee’s private vehicle for business travel. While this might sound ideal at first, hundreds of thousands of salespeople do it throughout the UK, and it can pose some serious headaches for managers. This is because it entails complications for the employer’s duty of care, health and safety concerns, and the overall condition and state of the vehicle.

However, with flexi hire, you don’t have to worry about any of that. It gives your business increased flexibility and capital to provide your own company cars, so you know exactly what they’re using, and how they’re using it. Plus, as we’ll get onto in just a moment, at Intack Self Drive we do most of the heavy lifting for you!

Cost effective alternative to leasing

Finally, one of the most attractive benefits of flexi hire for sales directors is, of course, the cost savings it offers. All the costs of road tax and regular maintenance are included in our prices, saving you money while still allowing you to enjoy full, unrestricted use of the vehicle. Providing maintenance is also one of the ways in which it helps avoid those grey fleet complications, as it gives you peace of mind that the car your employees are driving is always in top condition.

What’s more, we’ve got no shortage of flexi car hire options to choose from. If you’re based in a major city like Manchester or Leeds, you might find that a city car suits your requirements best, whereas if you’re out in more rural areas you might prefer to choose large car flexi hire. It’s all up to you! If you have any questions, or you need any help or advice, feel free to give us a call on 01254 57811 - we’re always happy to help!