Hidden Fleet Data: How Dealers Find New Customers Using Company Database

A generic database tells you that Company XY exists. It won't tell you they operate 12 Škodas, 3 of which are at the end of their lease, and the CEO just changed. Martin Střecha and Patrik Novák from BizMachine showed in a webinar how to work with automotive data — and why it's changing how dealers find customers.

"The key is to contact the right company at the right moment with the right offer," summarizes Patrik Novák approach at BizMachine.

How to work systematically with data in the automotive sector?

1. Service: Map Your Brand's Operators in Your Region

One typical example is service. "Service is a source of sales opportunities," says Patrik Novák. Today's service customer can be tomorrow's new car buyer. Yet most dealers have no idea how many companies in their region operate vehicles of the brand they service.

Car owners outside warranty no longer need to visit authorized service centers, so they often choose cheaper independent garages. Dealers can proactively reach out and give them a reason to stay.

How Does a Dealer Filter Relevant Companies?

A dealer in Košice sets up the following filters in BizMachine Prospector:

• Region: Košice region (or specific districts based on driving distance)
• Brand: Volvo
• Category: passenger vehicles (filters out trucks if they don't service them)
• Age: maximum 5 years from first registration

The result? A list of all companies within reach that operate relatively young Volvos. For each company, they see:

• Specific model and year of manufacture
• VIN code (for tracing service history)
• Whether the vehicle is financed (lease vs. ownership)
• Conctact details for the CEO or fleet manager

It's not just about service. The dealer builds a relationship — a service customer eventually becomes a candidate for a new car purchase.

Practical tip: Track vehicles that left the fleet too. If a company sold your brand and bought a competitor, that's a signal. If they sold it to another company in your region, you have a potential new service customer.

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2. New Vehicle Sales: Look for Competing Brands

Vehicle sales is undoubtedly another situation where systematic data work helps. The most successful dealer acquisitions target model against model. When you enter the market with a new SUV, you're not looking for "all companies" — you're looking for owners of aging competitive SUVs.

Example: Audi Keychain Campaign

An Audi dealer wanted to reach owners of premium competitor vehicles (BMW, Mercedes) in their region. In Prospector, they filtered:

• Companies with premium competitor brand vehicles
• In a specific region
• With direct contact to decision-makers

The goal wasn't a meeting. The goal was brand awareness. The dealer sent CEOs an Audi keychain with the text "This is your next vehicle". They raised brand awareness — and opened the door for further communication.

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3. Fleet Sales: Connected Companies Reveal True Potential

The Czech and Slovak market is full of companies connected through shared owners, directors, or holding structures. A small LLC can be part of a group with a fleet of 50+ vehicles.

A salesperson who doesn't know this offers a discount for 2 cars instead of a volume discount for 20. That's why we recommend checking every customer to see if they happen to own a connected company with more vehicles.

How Do You Find Connected Companies in Prospector?

For each company, you see a "Connected Entities" section — companies linked through:

• Ownership stake (parent/subsidiary company)
• Shared CEO or board member
• Asset relationships

Example: Škoda Dealer

A Škoda dealer was looking for customers with potential for a larger volume offer. In Prospector, they searched for companies that on their own have maybe just 2 vehicles — but through connected entities, the total group potential is 20+ vehicles.

Process:

• Filter for companies with at least 2 vehicles
• Check connected entities for each customer
• Calculate total group potential
• Offer with corresponding volume discount

Result: Within the first month, they sold vehicles to two companies — plan achieved.

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What Can You Know About a Prospect Before You Call?

Fleet data is the core, but the company profile in Prospector offers more. And it's the combination of information that makes the difference between cold calling and informed outreach.

Real-World Example

A customer comes with a request for a Mercedes. In Prospector, you see:

• History: already had 3 Mercedes historically (loyal brand customer)
• Current fleet: 5 cars, average age 4 years (renewal approaching)
• Connected company: another 8 cars (potential for a bigger deal)
• Financing: 2 vehicles are on lease from a specific bank

With this knowledge, you choose a different strategy. You know it makes sense to offer a loyalty bonus. You know the lease is ending for part of the fleet. You know the total group potential is 13 vehicles, not 5.

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When Is the Right Moment to Reach Out?

It's not just about who you contact. It's about when.

• Management changes: new CEO might change brands
• Company growth: they're hiring = they might need more cars
• Where vehicles went: if a company sold vehicles, but the car stayed in the region, you have a new potential customer

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How Do You Get Contact to Decision-Makers?

The key step is reaching the right person.

For companies, in addition to information about vehicles, growth, and market behavior, you can also filter for contact details for decision-makers. You can target:

• Top management (CEOs, owners)
• Fleet managers
• Procurement heads

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Summary: 5 Principles of Data-Driven Acquisition for Automotive

1. Service is the gateway to sales. Map all operators of your brand in the region — including those who've never been to your dealership.
2. Connected companies reveal true potential. A small customer can be part of a large group. Always check ownership ties.
3. Target model against model. New facelift vs. aging competition = high-conversion opportunity.
4. Contact details for decision-makers are key. Generic databases with info@ emails don't always work.
5. Timing is half the success. Track signals — lease ending, CEO change, company growth — and call at the right moment.

BizMachine gives you the map: you see which companies operate your brand, when their lease ends, and who decides. Strategy, offer, and relationship are in your hands — but you know which way to go.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What tools does BizMachine offer for automotive dealers?

BizMachine is the only database that provides truly in-depth data on corporate fleets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

‍BizMachine Prospector covers 238,000 fleet-owning entities in Slovakia and over 534,000 in Czechia. For every company, you can see the make, model, VIN, year of manufacture, and financing type (leasing vs. ownership). You also get ownership history and notifications about corporate changes.

The WebTracks tool identifies corporate visitors to your website, making it easy to see who is interested in your offer.

How to get a contact for a fleet manager or CEO?

‍BizMachine helps you find contact details for decision-makers—CEOs, fleet managers, or procurement heads. In Slovakia, 52,000 companies have a link to contact information for a decision-maker; in the Czech Republic, there are 293,000 decision-makers with links for contact info.

How to tell if a small customer is part of a large corporate group with a bigger fleet?

‍BizMachine displays linked entities—companies connected through ownership stakes, shared executives, or holding structures. A firm with 2 cars might actually be part of a group with 50+ vehicles.

Where can I learn more?

‍Are you interested in the possibilities Prospector offers? Contact BizMachine for a demo. We’ll be happy to walk you through the existing automotive data and show you how to tailor it to your requirements so you can get the most out of it.