20 O U T D O O R P O W E R E Q U I P M E N T www.outdoorpower equipment.com
FEATURE STORY
By Jeff Sheets
W
hen talking to dealers, I always ask, "How is
your dealership doing?" Most of the time, I
get very generic answers or an "I don't really
know." But Bob Sayles, the owner of The
Power Barn, has learned the power of knowing his numbers to
bring him greater business success.
The Power Barn has locations in Jackson and Lansing, Mich.
Early this season, Sayles noticed the numbers in the service
department were lagging and the backlog of equipment was
about to go beyond the targeted repair goal of a seven-day
turnaround that he promises his customers. "Knowing what our
turnaround goal is for the service department helps me identify
a problem and attack it, so that we never have to tell a customer
they have to wait longer than seven days in the peak of the
season to get their equipment back," Sayles said. "We take pride
in making that goal a priority."
Armed with concrete data, Sayles was able to recalibrate his
team. He knew he had an inexperienced group of technicians, but
they had been doing well before the spring season. It was time to
order a few pizzas and call a team meeting to recast the vision for
the service department goals and review the service process.
After the meeting, Sayles designated a part-time service tech
to work on the easier repairs to get them turned quickly and get
the team back on track. He added, "Several years ago, we never
would have thought we could accomplish something like this.
It isn't about hiring more people. It is about helping the service
technicians be more efficient."
Sayles and The Power Barn team are a great example of how
establishing goals for your departments ensures success. Sayles had
a process in place and the technicians knew it, but they needed to
be reminded of what the goal was so the process actually mattered.
His quick assessment that something wasn't going right early in the
Assess for success
Power of knowing your numbers and making adjustments
From left to right, The Power Barn's Renee Sayles, parts coordinator; Korie Gray, an A-level service technician; and Jenny Burchett, service
coordinator, compare notes on the service department's numbers in the Jackson, Mich., location.
