Guides
How to Get Corporate Accounts for Your Black Car Service
Who books corporate cars, what companies expect from a black car vendor, how to find and pitch them, and how to set terms and keep the account for years.
EazyLimo Team 8 min read
A single corporate account can be worth more than dozens of one-off rides, because the same company books again and again. For an owner-operator with one or two cars, a handful of good accounts can fill weekday calendars that would otherwise sit empty between airport runs and weekend events.
Companies buy differently from individual passengers, though. They care about reliability, paperwork and how easy you are to work with, often more than the fare itself. This guide covers who books corporate cars, what they expect, how to build a prospect list, what to say when you reach out, how to set rates and payment terms, and how to onboard and keep an account. Any numbers in this article are examples only.
Who books corporate cars
The person who signs the contract is often not the person who books the rides. Knowing who does the booking tells you who to impress.
Executive assistants
Assistants book airport pickups, meeting runs and dinner rides for one or more executives. They want one thing above all: no surprises. If your chauffeur is late once, it reflects on them. Win an assistant's trust and they will keep booking you for years, and often take you with them when they change jobs.
Office managers and receptionists
At smaller firms, the office manager handles rides for visiting clients, candidates and senior staff. They want a simple way to book, a price they can predict and a single invoice at the end of the month.
Travel managers and procurement
Larger companies may have a travel or procurement team that approves vendors. They look at insurance, safety, invoicing and whether you can support their billing rules. You may need to fill out a vendor form before anyone can book you.
Event, HR and sales coordinators
These people book group moves for conferences, recruiting days, roadshows and client entertainment. The work is less regular but often larger, and it is a good way into a company you want to keep.
| Booker | What they care about | How to win them |
|---|---|---|
| Executive assistant | Punctuality, communication, remembering preferences | Flawless first rides, trip updates by text, easy online booking |
| Office manager | Simple booking, predictable price, one invoice | Flat routes to common destinations, clean monthly invoices |
| Travel or procurement team | Insurance, compliance, billing rules | Documents ready, PO number support, clear terms |
| Event or sales coordinator | Capacity and timing for groups | Clear hourly pricing, a trusted overflow partner |
What corporate clients expect
Before you pitch, make sure you can deliver the basics that companies take for granted.
- A monthly invoice. Most companies do not want a card charge for every ride. They want one invoice listing every trip, passenger and date.
- PO numbers and cost centers. Some companies need a purchase order number or department code on each booking so accounting can allocate the cost.
- A receipt for each trip. Travelers often need to submit receipts for expense reports.
- Consistent pricing. The same trip should cost the same amount each time, or the booker has to explain the difference.
- Several people able to book. Assistants, coordinators and managers should each be able to book on the company account.
- Proactive communication. A text when the chauffeur is on the way, and a call if anything changes.
- Professional vehicles and chauffeurs. Clean car, suitable dress, discretion about conversations in the back seat.
- A written cancellation policy. Our limo cancellation policy template is a useful starting point, though it is not legal advice.
Get ready before you pitch
A company that checks you out and finds a weak website or no insurance certificate will move on quietly. Use this checklist first.
- A professional website with a page about corporate service and a clear way to book online.
- A one-page rate sheet with flat routes, hourly rates and minimums.
- A certificate of commercial auto insurance you can send on request.
- A completed W-9 and your business registration details for vendor setup.
- Your cancellation, waiting and no-show policy in writing.
- A sample invoice that shows what a monthly statement looks like.
- At least one partner operator for overflow. See our guide to farm-in and farm-out for small limo companies.
If your website needs work, our article on limo website design covers what a credible site looks like.
Build a prospect list
You do not need a big list. Twenty to fifty well-chosen companies you actually contact beat a thousand names you never call.
Start with who already rides with you
Look through past bookings. Passengers who travel for work, expensed their ride or asked for a receipt with a company name are warm leads. Ask them who books travel at their office and whether you can mention their name.
Look close to home
Companies within a short drive of your base, or near the airport you serve most, are the easiest to support. Business parks, downtown office towers and hotels without their own car service are all worth a look.
Pick industries that travel and host visitors
Businesses that regularly fly people in, entertain clients or run events tend to need cars. Law firms, financial and consulting firms, medical and technology companies with visiting customers, event venues and production companies are all worth testing in your area. Watch which ones respond and focus there.
Keep the list simple
| Company | Contact | Role | Source | Last touch | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example Law Group | Name | Office manager | Past passenger | Date | Follow-up call |
| Example Consulting | Name | Executive assistant | Referral | Date | Send rate sheet |
A spreadsheet is fine. What matters is that every company has a next step and a date.
Outreach that gets a reply
Corporate bookers are busy. Keep messages short, specific and easy to say yes to.
A short email script
Subject: Car service for your visitors and executives
Hi [Name], I run [Company], a local black car service near [area]. We handle airport pickups, meeting runs and client rides for companies around [city]. Rides can be billed to a company account with one monthly invoice, and PO numbers are supported. Would it help if I sent a one-page rate sheet for your most common trips, such as [airport] to your office? [Your name], [phone], [website].
A phone or walk-in script
"Hi, I run a local car service and I work with a few companies nearby on airport and client rides. Who usually books cars for visitors or executives here? I would love to drop off a rate sheet and a card for them."
Visiting in person with a printed rate sheet works well for offices close to your base. Be polite with the front desk, since they are often the person who books.
A simple follow-up rhythm
- Day 1: first email or visit.
- Day 4: short follow-up with the rate sheet attached.
- Day 10: a phone call to ask whether they have any trips coming up.
- Day 30: a useful note, such as a reminder that you can handle holiday party rides.
Stop after that if there is no interest, and try again in a few months. For more ideas on filling your calendar, read how to get more limo bookings.
Rates and payment terms
Keep corporate pricing simple
Offer flat routes for the trips a company books most, such as the airport to their office, plus an hourly rate with a minimum for roadshows and events. You can use your public rates, or a modest account rate in exchange for regular volume. For example, if your public flat rate from the airport to downtown were $150, you might offer an account rate of $140, but only if your costs still work at that price. Our rate guide for operators shows how to check.
Net-30 terms and credit risk
Many companies expect to pay a monthly invoice within an agreed period, often 30 days. That is normal, but it means you are extending credit.
- Collect a billing contact and the company's legal name before the first ride.
- State your due date and any late fee in writing.
- For new or very small companies, consider keeping a card on file until they have paid a few invoices on time.
- Send invoices on the same day each month. Late invoices get paid late.
Waiting, cancellations and extras
Agree how waiting time, late cancellations, extra stops and meet and greet are charged. Put it in your onboarding email so nobody is surprised on the invoice.
Onboarding a new account
- Collect the billing details, billing contact and payment terms.
- Get a list of people allowed to book, and set each of them up as a booker.
- Ask whether bookings need a PO number or cost center.
- Note preferences for regular passengers: vehicle, temperature, water, preferred route.
- Send a welcome email explaining how to book online, how to reach you, and your policies.
- Drive the first few rides yourself if you can, and make them perfect.
- Check in after the first week to ask how it went.
Keeping accounts for years
- Be early, every time. Reliability is the main reason companies stay.
- Communicate before they ask. Text when the chauffeur is on the way and when you arrive.
- Send clean invoices. Correct names, dates and PO numbers mean no back and forth with accounting.
- Remember people. Note passenger preferences and the names of assistants.
- Never leave them stranded. When you are fully booked, cover the trip through a trusted partner instead of saying no.
- Check in quarterly. Ask what is coming up, such as offsites, visitors or holiday events.
- Say thank you. A handwritten card at the end of the year goes a long way with the person who books you.
Tools that make corporate work easier
Corporate work runs on paperwork, and doing it by hand from a spreadsheet eats your evenings. EazyLimo, a done-for-you limo website with online booking built in, includes corporate accounts with bookers, bill-to-account at checkout, PO numbers and monthly invoices, plus driver assignment with trip texts and farm-out by link for overflow. It does not sync with QuickBooks. You can see how a two-car service might set this up in our corporate black car use case, or review the features page.
Next steps
- Get your documents ready: insurance certificate, W-9, rate sheet and policies.
- List twenty companies, starting with past passengers and nearby offices.
- Send the short email to five of them this week.
- Line up one partner operator for overflow.
- Try booking a corporate trip yourself on the live demo to see the booker experience.
