Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/443279
January is really a great time of the year. A time for a fresh start! We take stock of what we did the previous year in all areas of our life, including business, and then try to make changes. Sometimes we can make the changes permanent, and sometimes we can't or don't. The reason we usually make permanent changes is there is a great incentive. Three areas that you should have ample incentive to make changes because of their enormous potential impact on your dealership are, in order of priority, as follows: 1) technology, 2) incentive programs, and 3) pricing strategies. Your goal in each and every aspect of your dealership should be to have a "competitive advantage," so you will always be the most desired place for your customers to bring their business. You want to be ahead of other local dealers or stores who provide the same products or services. Technology, incentive programs and pricing strategies are just good places to start! #1 Technology If you ask me to come visit you in your dealership, the first question I will ask you is, "Do you have a business management system software program?" If you don't, it usually doesn't make sense for me to visit you because you don't have access to the information that I need to analyze to determine where problems might be occurring. I favor the latest technology too! If you still have a DOS system, when Windows-based systems are available, you are basically 20 years behind what is going on in the business management system world. Anytime you are behind on technology, you do your customers a disservice because your ability to help them is restricted. Since the software provider continues to update the Windows system, you get the new ideas or advantages that are coming because the software provider is supporting that system. You also need updated computers, so that you can run the software efficiently in the system. Plus, you need the fastest Internet speeds, so you can find information online quickly to answer customer questions in a timely fashion. Technology is not just limited to computers, software or Internet speeds. You need to have the best tools for your service technicians, as well as great sales and marketing through your website. You need bar codes for products and bar code scanners for your parts department to conduct easy inventories. You need to make sure that you can accomplish tasks as quickly as possible, so that you can focus your attention on your customers as much as possible. If you don't know where to start, go out and look at your competition. If you want a competitive advantage, you need to know what they are doing and find a way to do it better. 20 JANUARY 2015 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com Feature Story | Best Practices Using technology, incentive programs and pricing strategies to transform your dealership ■ By JeFF SheetS 3 ways to revolutionize your dealership Image ©Istockphoto.com/oJo_Images