Interview with Fatou Makabi, Marketing Director

Fatou Makabi is Marketing Director. We talked about the evolution of her company and the deployment of digital marketing efforts.

What drew you to a company specializing in heavy trucks?

After working and cutting my teeth in B2C, notably in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Good), cosmetics and media industries, I became interested in B2B marketing. The challenges of this company were exactly what I was looking for, and the company's values matched my own. Among these values, the desire to work for a Quebec flagship, a home-grown company, is important to me. What's more, the transport and heavy truck industry is a very interesting and booming one!

What is the company's mission

The company's mission is to keep trucks on the road. In a reality where transportation is more important than ever, companies rely on us to repair and service their trucks as quickly as possible so they can get back to business. It's all about having a value proposition where the truck is back up and running in a timeframe that maximizes the customer's uptime. A truck that doesn't run is not profitable for a company whose trucks are an integral part of its operations.

How are you positioned in the industry?

We're a B2B company, and we have the largest network of heavy-duty truck dealerships for the popular Freightliner and Western Star brands, with over 40% market share in the two main markets in Quebec: the Montreal and Quebec City regions.

We deal with customers from many different industries and realities. The main industries are construction, transportation, government, municipalities and maintenance companies (snow removal, landscaping, etc.). Our extensive network of dealers across Quebec, our expert teams on the job, and our competitive, personalized offer make us the benchmark for everything to do with heavy-duty trucks.

What is your greatest personal and professional achievement

My greatest personal achievement is certainly the arrival of my son. His arrival completely changed my outlook on life and my relationships with those around me and with myself. From a professional point of view, I'd say that having had the chance to work for some superb companies, both local and international, and to have had the opportunity to get to know and understand different industry realities that force us to do marketing differently, is a great asset. I've also had chance to be coached (and still am) by influential leaders in their respective industries, and to pass on this knowledge to the next generation. Being able to accomplish all this makes me very proud of my career.

What are your greatest challenges in digital marketing today

The heavy truck industry is an industry that, despite its expansion and major projects, has hit a digital roadblock. Indeed, the digital shift is not 100% complete, if we compare ourselves to the automotive industry. The potential for digital marketing is enormous, and there are many projects underway. But the heavy-duty truck industry is just beginning its digital evolution. First and foremost, we need to work on the basics, secure our resources and support our employees and customers in this shift.

What are you doing to align sales and marketing?

Given that the current website is only a showcase, for 2022 we'd like to improve the customer experience with a website that has a real conversion interface and can serve as a working tool for our different business lines. Thanks to Parkour3, we're deploying an SEO strategy, precise personas and we intend to set up email campaigns that will eventually lead to leads via a platform like HubSpot.

What do your customers say about your products/services?

We have strong products and very good market share in Quebec, where we are the market leader. We have more than 25 years' experience under our belts, and our customers consider us a benchmark in the field. They are all the more satisfied thanks to the volume and strength of the products and services we offer.

What are your main objectives for this year?

To work on developing our employer brand, translating each of the company's values into the teams and services we offer.

We also want to enhance the customer experience by making the customer journey seamless. These are important elements, because employees and customers are at the heart of our business and our success.

Fatou Makabi's LinkedIn