Sale of parts and accessories
to employees:

www.wir-fahren-opel.de

“The trunk cover will be waiting for you at the collection depot,” says Erhard Wolf to a customer at the Fahrzeugzentrum für Mitarbeiter. “And the price will be deducted from your next paycheck.” For the customer, a colleague at the plant in this case, this accessory is an absolute must: The keen gardener transports a lot of materials and wants to protect the trunk of his Insignia Sports Tourer from getting dirty, even if only for the sake of the car’s resale value. That’s why he orders the accessory right away when he comes in to collect his new vehicle. Buying it later on wouldn’t have been a problem though, as Wolf explains. Wolf is responsible for selling parts and accessories here at Mainzer Strasse 95 in Rüsselsheim. “A lot of employees think they can only purchase accessories from us when they’re buying a vehicle, but it’s possible at any time.”

“Employees can take advantage of a discount of up to 50 percent.”

— Erhard Wolf —

Sales to former employees and retirees

The FlexConnect Adapter for headrests is currently one of the top sellers across all models. Drivers can attach a special kind of clothes hanger to it, or even a smartphone or tablet. “Floor mats, roof racks, snow chains, and aluminum rims are also always in demand,” says Wolf, listing off other big sellers. Opel employee can obtain all of the accessories at heavily discounted prices, but they are not the only ones who can take advantage of discounts: Anyone with a six-digit personnel number, known as the registration number, is entitled to the reduced prices, and all former employees have a registration number. “A lot of my customers are retired,” says the 45-year-old. The auto mechanic also has trailer hitches and batteries on offer, discounted by up to 50 percent. “They work particularly well in winter,” says Wolf, who has been responsible for parts sales at M 118 since 2007.

A passion for sales and advice

The family man from Rüsselsheim-Bauschheim trained at British Leyland and joined Opel as a production worker in 1989. He switched to the customer service workshop one year later. “I really benefitted from the fact that along with being familiar with the metric system, I had experience working with the imperial system, which was really helpful for the Bedford brand, for example.” Wolf traveled a lot during this period, often appearing at trade shows and dealer and press events. “They always had to take a mechanic along. That’s how I was able to travel all over the world and experience so many different things.” Wolf is an open-minded person, which benefits him in his job as a salesperson. Providing advice and working with people is his thing and he is passionate about his work.

“Of course, the non-cash value
has to be taken into
consideration for tax purposes.”

— Erhard Wolf —

The intranet is becoming an increasingly important sales tool working alongside in-person sales. www.wir-fahren-opel.de contains the accessories catalog and an order form that can be sent out by mail. Coincidentally, Wolf now receives an e-mail order for a FlexDock for the ADAM. The universal smartphone mount makes it possible to safely play music or operate the navigation system. There is also huge potential for savings. Of course, the non-cash value has to be taken into consideration for tax purposes, but it’s still a saving of €50. When you think about it, it’s a wonder that there’s not a long line forming at Wolf’s desk, but change may be on the way, particularly with respect to the promotion of accessories (see also the interview with David Pinder, Director Indizidualization&Accessory). In the future, accessories will be showcased more effectively at the waiting area at M 118, a new catalog will be released, and the leaflets on the trays in the cafeteria will advertise accessory offers.

There are 50 product families, and they are great value for Opel employees.