U.K.-based rental car firm Europcar last month announced the development of a new business travel sales team targeting travel management companies to further corporate business.
The decision stems in part from Europcar's 2006 acquisition of the European assets of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car from Vanguard Car Rental Holdings
(BTNonline, Nov. 16, 2006). David McNeill, corporate sales director for Europcar UK, previously headed the international corporate sales team at National.
"I decided really quickly to put some more corporate muscle behind that, because I worked in the international arena for five years and I was able to quantify the benefits much more closely with the business travel arena," McNeill said. "We felt that was where we should increase our representation and work more closely with the travel trade."
The new sales team will join an existing team that focuses on direct dealings with corporate customers. Corporate business is approximately 60 percent of Europcar's total U.K. business.
"What we really want to do is broaden our scope and our opportunities to work with them either directly through their TMC or direct to brand," McNeill said. "The relationship with travel management companies and organizations is critically important. We decided to use a dual strategy."
Anita Jarratt, business travel manager of Europcar UK, added, "If there are any customers that we are introduced to as a result of developing relationships with the travel management companies, that's almost the cherry on the cake. Initially, our focus will be to work closely with the TMCs."
While Jarratt's team is focusing on U.K.-based TMCs, she will work with Europcar's international sales teams to develop new products for multinational TMCs as well.
"She's responsible ultimately for developing the products to sell to U.K. travel agencies, although they may be products that allow them to book overseas as well," McNeill said.
The team is reaching out to TMCs to understand its business needs for car rental, Jarratt said. "Rates weren't always as transparent as they would have liked, with issues around commission payments. We've developed new products and rate packages and ironed out a lot of those issues," she said.
The number of products and commission levels the company offered "added to the confusion for agents," Jarratt said. "We developed a package that encompasses short- and long-term car and van rates, which they can access through one contract number and one set of commissions rather than having to shop through the system."