Fleet customers are one of the most important growth opportunities in the automotive industry. In many markets, they already account for a significant share of new vehicle sales. In Greece, 57% of all passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are sold to fleet buyers.
p>Yet within that, the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) segment – companies with fewer than 250 employees – offers significant potential that remains largely untapped. Despite SMEs making up 98% of all Greek businesses, sales efforts have historically focused on large leasing companies and operating lease providers (OPLs), which lease vehicles to companies and manage their operations. The result was a missed opportunity for Inchcape Hellas in a segment that is highly relationship-driven rather than tender-driven in the Greek automotive market.
The strategic challenge
Dealers of Toyota Hellas, part of the Inchcape network in Greece, had long excelled at serving walk-in retail customers, but there was an opportunity to improve their business-to-business (B2B) sales approach. Operating lease providers controlled much of the SME customer relationship. Without a proactive strategy to engage SMEs directly, market share growth was limited, and significant lifecycle value was being left on the table – not only the initial vehicle sale, but also servicing, financing and used car resale.
The SME sales machine – A new approach
To address this, Inchcape Hellas developed the SME sales machine, a structured model that combines data-driven targeting with proactive engagement to build stronger and more direct relationships with SME customers. Each participating dealer hires a B2B sales advisor whose role is fully dedicated to building relationships with SMEs and they’re supported by a central Inchcape team who provides training, oversight and support for larger opportunities.
Through a partnership with a local data provider, Inchcape Hellas built a geo-mapped database of more than 100,000 SMEs, enriched with open-source data such as company size, sector, EU funding received and number of vehicles, leased or assets. A dedicated call centre team then schedules qualified appointments for advisors, with minimum daily targets to maintain momentum.
Crucially, advisors bring test-drive vehicles directly to customers, discuss total cost of ownership and tailor offers – including white-label leasing options – to each business’ operational needs. This allows companies to evaluate vehicles in the context of their day-to-day operations, matching our vehicles with their unique requirements. At the same time, they build a robust pipeline of future opportunities for companies with upcoming vehicle lease expirations.
Measurable results
The results in Greece demonstrate the power of this approach. SME fleet sales volumes have been doubled in less than two years (vs 2023) and light commercial vehicle battery electric vehicle sales tripled. Most importantly, the model has created a robust sales funnel and enabled us to better engage with the fleet opportunities that SMEs provide.
Global opportunity
The SME sales machine is more than a success story in Greece. It is a blueprint for how Inchcape can continue to grow market share and deliver more lifecycle value in SME-heavy countries worldwide. By pairing our digital and data capabilities with the strengths of our local dealer networks, we can continue to build scalable solutions that connect our brands with more customers.