16 OCTOBER 2015 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com
CHANGE
is not a dirty word
COVER STORY | Best Practices
■ BY JEFF SHEETS
The word "change" gets thrown around
a lot, both personally and professionally.
We've all heard the following expres-
sions: "They need to change," or "We
need to change," or "Things are chang-
ing." Generally, what I see though is that
most people go kicking and screaming
all the way until the "change" happens,
and then they accept it and move on…
hopefully. There are those people who
still want to cling to the old way of doing
things because they are so comfortable.
In the outdoor power equipment
(OPE) world, or in the retail world in
general, things have changed dramati-
cally in the past 10 years. How have you
responded to those changes? Let's look
at the top five changes that you should
have made by now, and grade yourself
on how you have done on implementing
them. You get an "A" if you have incorpo-
rated all five changes, but a failing grade
if you have made less than three changes.
Obviously, changes still can be made to
improve your grade, but you must estab-
lish a goal with a timeline for completion.
Nothing ever gets accomplished without
a goal and a plan in place.
#1 TECHNOLOGY
Have you upgraded your software to the
latest version? Are you still running a
DOS platform instead of Windows based?
Software providers are not evil and trying
to make you pay more money for useless
stuff! They are upgrading software to
provide you with the best opportunity
to do business in the most efficient way
possible. Many times, the upgrades are
done because users have requested them.
Do not fall behind in this area. The things
that have happened with regard to inven-
tory management, ordering and pricing
are too numerous to mention here. After
you upgrade, you need to learn what the
latest version of your software can do to
make your life easier. I have been in many
dealerships where they have great soft-
ware but use it inefficiently. When your
software provider holds training sessions,
attend them or have them come to your
dealership and individually train you. I
mention this about software, but this ap-
plies for any technological advancement.
If you decide to procure it, then make
sure you do your best to know it well.
5 things that must be done to survive
and thrive in today's business climate
