To remain competitive in today’s evolving automotive industry, dealerships must seek out and capitalize on new revenue streams. One of the most overlooked, yet highly profitable opportunities lies in commercial vehicle (B2B) sales and service. Dealers might be unsure about this market opportunity – but those who have embraced serving business customers have found that selling and supporting commercial vehicles delivers a stable, repeatable, and lucrative business. Building a successful commercial business not only delivers fast growing profitability for a dealership, it builds overall community loyalty.
“Have a conversation about the new profit center that commercial vehicles represent—because it’s there.” – Jim Fitzpatrick
Redefining the Modern Dealership: Embracing Long-Term Success
What does being a dealership truly mean today? Dealerships can no longer be just a place to buy or service cars—they need to be a cornerstone of their community. Working to be a trusted partner for local businesses, a lifeline for industries that depend on reliable transportation, that is a great role for a dealership to embrace.
Many dealers hesitate to enter the commercial vehicle market, perhaps not fully recognizing its vital role in the economy. The pandemic underscored this importance—when everything else paused, commercial vehicles kept the world moving. Work trucks and vans sustained essential infrastructure, keeping businesses and critical services running.
Now, with renewed OEM support, there is a deeper recognition of commercial vehicles’ long-term value. With programs like GM Envolve, Ford Pro, and Ram Professional, the segment is gaining the recognition it deserves. Smart dealers are seizing this opportunity to support businesses while securing long-term profits, on repeat.
The Rise of Commercial Sales: A Game-Changer
Historically, a commercial vehicle department has been viewed as a supplementary department—much like the F&I department once was. As Jim Press characterized, “F&I started as your brother-in-law in a closet, and now look at what it’s grown to mean to a dealership.” Commercial sales are following the same trajectory, poised for transformation. The question is—will you be ahead of the curve, or will you be left scrambling to catch up?
Many dealers have resisted entering commercial sales. However, those who have taken the leap quickly realize that the rewards far outweigh the learning curve. As one dealer put it, “I’m mad at myself for not doing it sooner.”
One to Many: Unlocking the True Value of Commercial Business
Commercial vehicles offer deep-rooted, repeatable, and high-value sales opportunities. The financial incentives for dealerships to embrace commercial sales are undeniable. Commercial vehicle dealers consistently report substantial profit growth, with B2B sales generating five times the profit of retail sales, while commercial service transactions yield 2.5 times more profit than their retail counterparts. With additional revenue opportunities such as fleet management, telematics, mobile service, courtesy delivery, sales to Fleet Management companies, and commercial accessories and custom vehicle upfitting, the avenues for revenue growth are abundant.
With record-breaking profits of 2021-2024 now in the rearview mirror, dealerships must seek new ways to sustain revenue growth. As Jim Fitzpatrick succinctly put it:
“This [commercial department] is a ‘No Brainer.’ It brings more sales growth, it brings more customers to both the commercial side of your business, as well as all of the other vehicles that you sell, both new and used. And then of course on the fixed ops side, it brings a TON of revenue for you there—and repeat business.”
Glenn Mercer, Automotive Researcher and Industry Futurist, recognizes commercial vehicles as a new profit center and affirms this in his “NADA, Back to Basics Project” field interviews:
Dealer A: “Commercial service is great for us. Not big fleets like FedEx (where we just get a handling fee, and they can do their own service) but small local fleets where we are in control of the sale. Less competition here than in retail new cars; higher gross.”
Waiting too long means missed opportunities, while competitors capture market share and late adopters struggle to catch up.
Unlike retail buyers, commercial customers buy in volume, cycling regularly through multiple vehicles. Since these vehicles serve as essential business tools, owners prioritize maintenance, service contracts, and extended warranties—all recurring revenue streams for the dealerships they trust. The customer browsing for an SUV on the showroom floor could also be a business owner (or employee) with a growing fleet needing additional vehicles. Not cultivating sustainable relationships with commercial buyers means leaving money on the table.
Loyalty in commercial sales isn’t transactional—it’s a relationship built through trust, expertise, and genuine support. Business owners seek dealerships that understand their operations, challenges, and long-term goals. When you prioritize commercial sales, you’re not just selling work trucks and vans—you’re becoming a business consultant, a trusted advisor, and a key player in your customers’ success. A dealership that invests in its business clients’ growth fosters loyalty, ensuring repeat business for years to come.
And don’t forget that as that trust strengthens, it will likely spread to the employees of commercial clients when they need personal vehicles.
Commercial buyers are more loyal, and as a result, dealers are getting a ‘one to many’ opportunity. It’s not just about buying five vehicles—it’s about exposing an entire company to your dealership, building a living network of loyal customers.
Breaking Down Barriers: Unifying Dealership Departments for Greater Profitability
One of the biggest barriers to commercial success is fragmentation within dealerships, where sales teams operate in silos, missing out on cross-selling opportunities that could significantly boost revenue.
Forward-thinking dealers, like Peter Spitzer at Ron DuPratt Ford, are fostering collaboration between departments. Through an interdepartmental luncheon, he openly discussed building comfort in sharing customers across departments. By integrating commercial sales into the broader dealership strategy, they’ve unlocked new, exciting levels of profitability. The result? A unified dealership running on all pistons, ready to capitalize on every opportunity.
Seizing the Opportunity: The Time for Focusing on Commercial Vehicles is Now
Dealers who recognize the potential of commercial vehicles – in both sales and service – and take action today will be the ones reaping the benefits tomorrow. The demand is here, the opportunity is growing, and the dealerships that act now will be the ones driving the industry forward. Will you be one of them?
