The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced Michaela Nejaime as its May 2023 Member of the Month. Nejaime is the enterprise sales manager at TruVideo, a video-first texting platform designed to create more transparency in the vehicle sales and service process.
Nejaime’s professional career began at a technical recruiting and staffing company, where she quickly learned some hard lessons experienced by women in business. In meetings, Nejaime noticed that she was typically looked over and questions were directed at her male counterparts. As a result, she would often defer to suggestions submitted by others, knowing it was wrong to not make her voice heard.
After her career transition to TruVideo, a heavy equipment dealer contacted the company, as he had mistakenly received a TruVideo link meant for an automotive dealership nearby. Accidentally clicking the link, he was impressed by the high-definition video of RO being performed, combined with the capability of texting updates back and forth between dealer and customer. The dealer asked TruVideo if the same solution could be implemented at his dealership, however, at the time, this could not be done because TruVideo was co-founded by a retail automotive dealer and lacked visibility into the trucking industry.
Immediately recognizing the opportunity to enter a new market, Nejaime pitched the transportation industry to her leadership team, which agreed to give her the chance to prove her instincts correct.
“The trucking industry is the lifeblood of our country,” said Nejaime. “There isn’t anything that we touch that hasn’t been brought to us by a truck.”
Taking on this initiative by herself with no additional resources, Nejaime began asking dealerships questions regarding their goals, customer experiences, and areas that needed improvement to better understand how they conducted business. It didn’t take long for Nejaime to discover the value TruVideo could bring to this industry, expediting the service process and ensuring trucks were back on the road sooner rather than later.
By following her instincts, Michaela discovered a new sales channel for her company and the results speak for themselves. Due to her diligent efforts, TruVideo has now been implemented by several hundred similar dealerships within the industry in the U.S. and Canada. One dealer, for example, averaged $3,100 more per RO in a 30-day time period with TruVideo versus without the platform.
“Typically, there are only a few women sitting at the same table with you during business discussions,” said Nejaime. “As a woman in this space, it is sometimes natural to doubt yourself and to doubt your ability to contribute. We need to remember we have a lot to offer.
