Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/946503
A ttendance at the Associated Equip- ment Distributors meeting serves as a strong indication of how good – or bad – dealers are feeling about the year ahead. The annual meeting just concluded in Las Vegas was no different: AED saw 200 more people attending than last year, a reflection of the fact that right now, contractors are buying and dealers are selling. In addition, there were 47 new exhibitors at Condex, the small trade show that is part of each year's meeting. One source concluded that North American dealers as a whole had a solid 2017, with sales averaging 6 percent over 2016. Caterpillar's fourth quarter total dealer retail sales rose 23 percent in December over November, represent- ing the eighth straight month of North American retail sales gains. The cherry on top: Several in atten- dance at AED – both dealers and manu- facturers – said that 2018 sales were starting off strong. Times are good right now, but boy, can I – as can many others in this indus- try – remember when they were awful. For example, compare the attendance list of the just-past AED event to that of the 2009 or 2010 program. During the time when the Great Recession was still the major topic of discussion, many dealers had only one representative at- tending the event … if they were attend- ing at all. This year, several dealers sent four or more attendees. These are all survivors, as you'll hear in that best of all information-gathering settings: the table top. Everyone's got to eat, eating relaxes people, and the stories start to flow. We heard about a dealer surviving by converting from representing an OEM to selling used equipment only. About savvy dealer principals grabbing opportunities to take on troubled territories in surrounding states, and creating a unique corporate culture in the process. About a manufac- turer forming young-leader dealer peer groups, intent on getting the communi- cation – and ideas – flowing within this critical component of its brand's future. What's not around anymore: the com- placent dealer, resting on past relation- ships, treating customers with a high hand. They've been absorbed, either by acquisition or failure, and their names are no longer part of the AED roster. You are not the same contractor you were 10 years ago, and the same is true of your dealer. I've said this before, and I'll probably repeat it: there's no better time to make your dealer a true business partner. While it's still true they want to influence what you buy, they now know they have to dig deep into your opera- tion to even be under consideration as a vendor. It's the kind of win-win situation that propels both businesses forward. EquipmentWorld.com | February 2018 7 on record | by Marcia Gruver Doyle MGruver@randallreilly.com Reflections on a meeting