Business analysts often warn that a company which stands still is effectively going backwards, so even in the harshest economic conditions, growth must be a key priority.

However, with a stagnant economy, reduced availability of funds and an increasingly embedded adversity to risk among customers, persuading fleets to part company with their current supplier can seem like an impossible task.

This is particularly the case with larger fleets, where the complexity of introducing a new supplier can take months of hard work to minimise disruption to the business during a changeover.

This perception of risk leads to a ‘fix rather than finish’ strategy among many fleets, where they are willing to work hard to solve problems or issues with their current supplier before they will even consider a change.

Furthermore, what if the fleet is perfectly happy with its current supplier? Is persuading them to consider change impossible?

The simple answer is, in most cases, no. Although the current economic climate makes companies risk averse, most will be eager to remain up-to-date on market opportunities, if they are presented in a way that makes them interesting and relevant.