On Wednesday, February 22, the Illinois Limousine and Bus Association (ILLBA) held their latest Coffee With ILLBA educational webinar. The free event attracted more than 40 operators from around the country who were interested in learning about Building and Maintaining a First-Class Affiliate Network—and the conversation even went into overtime as so many wanted to contribute or ask questions.
ILLBA President Art Rento of Pontarelli Companies
ILLBA President Art Rento of Pontarelli Companies welcomed the virtual attendees and introduced a panel of four operators from around the world who were on hand to share their expertise in managing affiliate networks. Taking part in the webinar were Randy Allen of James Limousine (Virginia), Richard de Krijger of DMC Limousine (Amsterdam), Tom Halsnik from Walsh Transportation (Florida), and Yoali Garcia of Godandi & Sons (Mexico City).
Randy Allen of James Limousine
The forum kicked off with a discussion about national and local affiliate work, followed by the importance of getting your company’s name and brand in front of potential affiliates. Allen stressed the value of social media, being part of regional and national associations, and even taking part in Chauffeur Driven’s monthly Benchmark & Best Practices column. Next the conversation switched gears to inbound affiliate work, specifically the discounts given to operators. Somewhat surprisingly, each member of the panel offers different percentages (ranging between 10-20 percent), while one operator does not provide any discount at all. From there the discussion went to the always hot-button topic of rates and determining the markup for affiliate work. Overall, a 30 percent markup seemed to be the average, but dynamic pricing based on local events could make a difference in a day’s rate. Allen pointed out that software, namely GNet, can provide instantaneous and accurate pricing that’s transparent to your affiliates.
The entire webinar is available on ILLBA’s YouTube channel, and can be viewed here.
Visit illba.org for more information.
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