“Are you nuts?” That was the reaction I received when I proposed the idea of selling our equipment dealership. My partners, all in their thirties, were shocked. By their reaction, it was obvious that they were not clear on the reasons behind the suggestion....
“A successful dealership is like a successful sports team – not only should the manager be keeping his/her eye on the ball, but so should each team member.” The above is from Kelly Mathison’s article in the 2018 spring edition of Western Equipment Dealer and it’s...
Looking back on 2017, I found it was an interesting consulting year. Family issues sabotaging effective business practices came at me from many directions. Let me share with you many of the family issues I observed. Parents who struggle making business decisions...
When it comes to parts and service departments, there is no shortage of metrics to watch so it’s hard to narrow it down to only one. To use a sports analogy, a successful baseball team must do many things well to win. When asked to narrow it down to the most important...
“I just don’t know what to do.” This is a common comment from the calls we are receiving. These calls come from department managers, salespeople, branch managers, dealer principals – every position in the store. The underlying message – they are just lost on what to...
Imagine learning about your dealership’s culture from a Koi, a red-gold carp. The ultimate size (and sometimes colors) of a Koi is determined by the environment in which it resides. What does that phenomena tell you about the effect of your dealership’s culture? Let’s...
Well, I did it again. I got worked up and shot off my mouth. Let me explain as I apologize. At the Omaha Dealer Minds Summit in August, our panel discussed various wholegoods commission structures, which are driving used equipment sales and increasing turns. We were...
Being The Leaders Followers Like To Follow Let’s start this article by looking at your hand. Stick your left hand in front of you and look to find something you would change about it. Perhaps you have wrinkles or unattractive fingernails. Some of you will look at your...
For every 100 dealerships, there are 200 commission structures. We work with dealerships that have a different compensation structure for each salesperson. If it works, don’t fix it. But is your compensation plan generating the results you desire or just the results...
WRITER’S NOTE: I began drafting this article while staying at a hotel on Super Bowl Sunday. While that was a few months ago, I thought I’d share some events leading up to the game that are as relevant today as they were back in February. Wanting to watch the game, I...
HAVE YOU EVER promoted your most skilled parts person to manager only to find out the employee lacked management abilities? Of all the questions whispered in my ears, the most common is: “I am now a manager. What is expected of me?” Along with the parts counter...
Perhaps it’s time to remind everyone about the importance of time. All of us talk about time as being one of our precious possessions. The psychological aspect of time is not always pleasant since most of us experience the frustration of having too little time to do...
WEDA/DI Videos