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Spartan Motors - Dealer Training

The following is news regarding Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasd: SPAR). If you
have any questions regarding this release, please contact Brian Edwards or
Ben Buursma at 616.233.0500 or bbuursma@lambert-edwards.com
<mailto:bbuursma@lambert-edwards.com> . Thank you for your interest in
Spartan Motors.
 

Spartan Chassis Adds Training, Sales Tools for RV Dealers<?xml:namespace
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Company to offer more training and expanded sales tools in 2003


 


CHARLOTTE, Michigan, December 3, 2002 - Spartan Motors, Inc.
today announced its Spartan Motors Chassis subsidiary will offer more sales
tools and increased training for RV dealers in 2003, as part of its efforts
to help them sell more motorhomes equipped with a Spartan.   

 

Spartan Motors Chassis, a Charlotte, Mich.-based manufacturer of custom
diesel chassis for Class "A" motorhomes, said plans to accelerate several
dealer sales and training initiatives started in 2002.   In the area of
dealer training, for example, Spartan Chassis increased the number of dealer
salespeople it trained from approximately 100 annually to more than 1,000 in
2002.  

 

A Spartan team dedicated to training salespeople and original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) representatives is present at major RV trade shows,
including the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) trade show in
Louisville beginning today, and also travels around the country to
dealerships and manufacturing plants.  Spartan will continue to support RV
trade shows, dealerships and OEMs, and said it plans to train 20 percent
more salespeople in 2003.  

 

"We are stepping up our efforts to train dealer sales and service personnel,
so we can help them satisfy their customers' desires for a great motorhome
experience," said Ed Dobbs, director of sales, marketing and customer
service for Spartan Motors Chassis.  "We believe that helping dealers
understand - and be able to articulate - the advantages that come with a
Spartan-built chassis will help drive sales and increase customer
satisfaction."

 

"Many RV buyers don't even think about the chassis their new coach sits on
until they drive it off the lot.  We think it's extremely important that
dealers and their customers be aware of the chassis and that they test-drive
coaches built on different chassis before making a decision on a motorhome
that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars."

 

Spartan also said it has expanded and improved the sales tools that it
provides to RV dealers, including a comprehensive, new Spartan dealer
binder.  The pocket-sized binder includes easy-to-understand breakdowns on
chassis features, model specifications, maintenance tips, and other
value-added materials, such as an RV test-drive guide.  


 

"We created the binder to be a tool that dealer sales personnel can carry
with them on the lot or when they're out doing test drives with buyers,"
Dobbs said.  "The binder includes chassis specifications, help-line numbers,
a test-drive guide and other useful information.  It puts all the pieces
together in one convenient, pocket-sized package.

 

The training and the marketing are deliberate steps we've taken toward our
goal of becoming the most-desired brand in the industries we serve.  Our
emphasis is on the total Spartan experience, not just on our products." 

 

RV dealers or OEMs interested in more information regarding training, or the
new sales tool, please contact Ed Dobbs at (517) 543-6400, or
ejdobbs@spartannotors.com <mailto:ejdobbs@spartannotors.com> .

 

About Spartan Motors, Inc.

Spartan Motors, Inc. ( www.spartanmotors.com <http://www.spartanmotors.com/>
) is a leading developer and manufacturer of custom chassis for recreational
vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances and other specialty vehicles.  The Company
also owns ambulance manufacturer Road Rescue Inc. and rescue vehicle
manufacturer Crimson Fire, formerly Luverne Fire Apparatus and Quality
Manufacturing.

 

###

 
Ben Buursma
LE&A
Grand Rapids, MI
616.233.0500
bbuursma@lambert-edwards.com <mailto:bbuursma@lambert-edwards.com>