Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/117833
From the Chairman President & CEO - TOBY MACK Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. Why Do We Need a Dealer? Executive Vice President & COO Robert Henderson Associated Equipment Distributors Oak Brook, Ill. Be certain every one on your team can answer that. Officers Chairman - mike quirk Wagner Equipment Co. Aurora, Colo. Vice Chairman - Tim Watters Hoffman Equipment Co., Piscataway, N.J. Sr. Vice President - Don Shilling General Equipment & Supplies, Inc. Fargo, N.D. Vice President - Rick van exan Toromont Industries Inc. Concord, Ontario Vice President - whit perryman Vermeer of Texas Inc. Irving, Texas Vice President of Finance Michael D. Brennan Brandeis Machinery & Supply Co., Louisville, Ky. Past Chairman - Larry Glynn CMW Equipment St. Louis, Mo. At-Large Directors ron barlet Bejac Corp. Placentia, Calif. Paula Benard C.N. Wood Co., Inc. Woburn, Mass. Gregg R. Erb Erb Equipment Company, Inc. Fenton, Mo. Dennis J. heller Stephenson Equipment Inc. Harrisburg, Pa. Mike Rooney Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. Tarrant, Ala. Michael J. Savastio Groff Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Mechanicsburg, Pa. Regional Directors Bruce A. Bowman Upper Midwest Reg. Star Equipment, Ltd Des Moines, Iowa gary frelick Western Canada Reg. Douglas Lake Equipment Langley, BC Patrick McConnell, West Reg. Clyde/West, Inc. Portland, Ore. christopher palmer Northeast Reg. Wood���s CRW Corp. Williston, Vt. Mark Romer, Southeast Reg. James River Equipment, Inc. Ashland, Va. Jeffrey Scott Rocky Mountain Reg. Intermountain Bobcat Salt Lake City, Utah Rick Van Exan Eastern Canada Reg. Toromont Industries Ltd. Concord, ON gary D. Vaughn South Central Reg. OCT Equipment, Inc. Oklahoma City, Okla. 5_fromthechairman_KP.indd 5 By Mike Quirk Recently I was asked to attend a meeting with a new customer regarding a new product line that we had acquired and would soon be representing. This is a big opportunity for us and I was really looking forward to meeting their management team and introducing them to the key players in our organization who would be working with them on a daily basis. We had been provided a list of specific questions in advance and our team had prepared well. This would be the start of a great relationship. We began with introductions, including the background history of our two companies. We went around the room describing our various roles and responsibilities and what we hoped to get out of the meeting. There was nothing unusual about it. It was something we had done countless times. It was only after we began working through the list of questions when they dropped one that wasn���t on the list: ���Why do we need a dealer?��� That question should not have surprised anyone. This customer has multiple locations in several states, a long history of buying direct from the manufacturer, and they pride themselves on leveraging their purchasing processes to lower costs and increase efficiency. My response was equally predictable. ���That is a very good question,��� I said. All I needed then was a very good answer. It truly is a good question that has been asked by customers and manufacturers for as long as machines, engines, parts, and service have been on the market. The answer is a simple one: That a quality dealer brings unique value to the relationship that is tangible and beneficial to the end user. Our team at the meeting brought deep experience, so we were able to provide a thorough explanation of how our dealership���s local investment in people, training, inventories, and facilities would benefit their operations. By all appearances, they could see how our involvement may actually provide significant value to them as long as we deliver what we promise. We���re confident we can. After all, that���s the role of the dealer. Although pleased with the outcome of this meeting, I wondered how deep the understanding of our value equation penetrates our organization. On the long ride home, I concluded that we certainly could talk about this much more internally to ensure that our employees have a greater understanding of why our business model has survived all these years. I began to think of the many ways our people add to the value provided by our dealership. I also thought of various opportunities to talk with them about it. One came up just a few days later when the first of many groups of our field service personnel came in for several days of training, computer updates, and team-building. I spoke to them about how much value they bring to our customers and how this additional investment on their behalf, and ours, keeps us sharp and better prepared in the highly technical environment that we have today. That���s our role as the dealer, and I encouraged them to feel free to talk about it with the customer. There is a reason our business model has survived. As an AED distributor, it is our role to keep bringing demonstrable value to the marketplace, applying our expertise to enhance and protect the customer���s investment. Without that value, our products become just another commodity and our customers and manufacturers will question why they need us. For more than 90 years, AED has provided resources, services, and a fertile environment to identify and raise the standards for our industry. Let���s make sure that in 2013 we take full advantage of all AED has to offer. It starts at aednet.org. Mike Quirk (mquirk@wagnerequipment.com) is vice president of Operations at Wagner Equipment Co., Aurora, Colo. April 2013 | Construction Equipment Distribution | www.cedmag.com | 5 3/25/13 11:53 AM