With the increase in technology use, we’ve seen a shift in the way our industry approaches fuel transactions. In times past, the sales personnel at the front counter or through the fuel supplier was the first point of contact. Now, the first point of contact is often online through one of a number of fuel pricing indexes.
As a fuel supplier, this means making sure our FBOs are highly visible on an array of resources. The demand for web-based pricing via fuel pricing consolidation and scheduling software continues to rise. For this reason, Avfuel works with industry software leaders to ensure its availability and customized pricing can be acquired no matter the medium in order to remain relevant in a tech-driven industry. In addition, we’ve updated our website to be responsive to mobile technology for easy navigation and access on the go.
Because of technology’s prevalence in the fuel decision-making process, person-to-person contact usually isn’t initiated until well after flight departments have conducted online research. For flight departments, it’s convenience. For FBOs, it could be a lost opportunity—it’s a little late to develop a relationship with a prospect that has already made up his or her mind based on research. So what can FBOs do?
FBOs must be more proactive with prospecting, reaching out to customers rather than waiting for customers to reach out to them. That’s one of the perks of Avfuel Contract Fuel for our customers—our sales team acts as an extension of our FBOs, offering assistance with reaching out to prospects and driving traffic to their ramps. And the addition of Avfuel Network Referrals gives our branded FBOs another tool to start the prospecting conversation with pilots and flight departments.