The Looming Dilemma in Education
(August 2010) By Ron Slee The cultural myth that four-year college is the only path for students has left us lagging in technical skills.
The Future is Here, But Are You in It?
(June 2010) By Ron Slee Technology is now “helping” technicians, and factory-authorized dealers should be leading the charge in bench-marking efficiencies.
Sales Cover Lots of Sins
(April 2010) By Ron Slee But did we really know how much the good markets in the past were hiding from us?
It's Not Easy Sticking to Your Quote
(April 2010) By Richard R. Rogoski Unless they can see through steel, dealers cannot always diagnose repairs perfectly, but some are tough enough to eat the difference between their quote and actual cost to keep customer relationships and trust intact.
The Depth Chart Looks Pretty Shallow
(February 2010) By Ron Slee Where are we going to find all of the talented people we will need in the future?
Emissions Retrofit 101
(January 2010) By Dana Brewster
Defining the devices that you and your customers need for regulatory compliance on older machines
Welcome to the New World
(January 2010) By Ron Slee
It is time for action – time to develop the strategy to thrive not just survive.
Five Ways to Succeed in 'The New Realilty'
(November 2009) By Ron Slee Responding to reader feedback from recent CED ‘Aftermarket’ columns, the author elaborates on his recommendations for aggressive, intentional product support outreach.
Pragmatic Optimism – is that an Oxymoron?
(October 2009) By Ron Slee Good news: You can get that parts market share up again, and the secret is in the right balance of personnel to keep customers happy.
Is the Scrap Market Rebounding?
(August 2009) By Richard R. Rogoski Time will bring better days, but in the meantime, dealers and manufacturers serving this market continue to sell equipment and attachments that improve customer efficiency.
Draw Back Product Support Business with an EPM
(August 2009) By Steve Uible and George Wacaser A step-by-step outline for developing and implementing a genuine game-changer in your market.
Drive Machine Sales with Attachments
(July 2009) By Mary Sedor Attachments manufacturers say opportunities exist for sales despite the grim economy, but dealers have a choice: Either seize the chance to explore new markets, or sit and wait for the upturn.
EPM Turns Data into Dollars
(July 2009) By Steve Uible and George Wacaser Develop a more sophisticated planned maintenance system that slashes customer repair costs and drives revenue into your dealership.
Thriving in Challenging Economic Times
(July 2009) By Mary Sedor A credit card and a handshake were the humble beginnings of now-successful concrete crushing company, Komplet North America, proving that opportunities still exist - even in a tough economy.
Without My Dealer, I Wouldn't Be In Business Today
(June 2009) By Mary Sedor The fleet manager of a small mining materials operation says the name on the dealership, not the name on the equipment is what matters most.
Using Telematics to Make Money
(June 2009) By Kim Phelan It's time to stop playing Where's Waldo with dozers - and dollars. Dealers discover innovative ways to find lost money, generate new revenue streams and help their customers survive.
The Talent Crisis
(April 2009) By David Semb Your mid-level leaders are ready to run your company - into the ground. Post-downturn winners will heed the wake-up call and help ready their next generation of leaders now.
A Funnel That's Better Than Plastic
(April 2009) By Mary Sedor The Fast Funnel is an innovative, flat-folded product that prevents contamination.
A Silver Lining Right Under Your Roof
(April 2009) By Ron Slee After decades of a throw-away mentality, didn't you expect this to happen sooner or later?
What's in Your Tool Box?
(March 2009) By Ron Slee If cutting costs means cutting professional education for employees, delivering best-in-class services is going to be a challenge.
Nine Ways to Become More Tech-Friendly
(February 2009) Edited excertps from the final report of research conducted by David Pier, Access GE Leader, GE Capital Corporation - America(s), for The AED Foundation Research indicates that innovation and communication are needed to improve your service department as well as the long-term recruitment and retention of technicians.
Does Your Software Make the Grade?
(February 2009) By Ron Slee Parts and service people responding to customer calls need more information at their fingertips.
Buckle Up: Dealer Simulation
(February 2009) CED Magazine, February 2009 'Test Drive,' a unique business training experience is coming to a city near you.
How Much Are You Letting Go?
(November 2008) By Ron Slee If you're cutting personnel, you're losing far more than you may realize.
Get the Know Their Mine Fields
(October 2008) By Mary Sedor Public works fleet managers need dealers who communicate openly, solve problems and keep their word.
The Shifting Sands of Time
(October 2008) By Ron Slee Isn't it about time we looked after capital equipment properly?
Your Selling Prices and Costs
(September 2008) By Ron Slee Are you on auto-pilot when it comes to passing costs on to your customers?
The Trouble with Technology
(August 2008) By Mary Sedor and Kim Phelan Machine sophistication poses serious challenges for dealer product support departments. This and many other subjects were addressed during the AED Product Support Round Table.
The ABCs of Sales Campaigns
(July 2008) By Ron Slee Thoughtful preparation is critical for success in your parts and service campaigns.
Market Coverage with a Twist
(June 2008) By Ron Slee Retain good customers and grow market share with a little help from your managers.
Thinking Out of the Box
(April 2008) By Ron Slee Who put us in this box in the first place? I want to talk to them.
What I Need From a Dealer
(March 2008) By Joanne Costin The fleet manager for Ryan Inc. Central says he wants to partner with progressive dealers. He also shares other criteria he looks for when choosing who he does business with.
Straightening Up the Tech Recruitment Mess
(February 2008) By Steve Uible Having trouble finding service department talent? The answer may lie buried beneath an unkempt workplace.
Assessing Customer Service
(February 2008) Written By: Ron Slee A survey of your customers tells a story you need to hear.
What’s Your Goal, and Is It Enough?
(January 2008) By Ron Slee There's a lot of catching up to do in parts and service, and the growth you may think is adequate may only be enough to keep you in the game.
Guide to Inventory Accuracy
(January 2008) By Dave Piasecki Consider implementing this list of actionable steps that contribute to a better parts inventory system.
What Can We Learn from Material Handling?
(December 2007) Written By Kim Phelan Larry O'Neill is the former president and CEO of Patten Industries, a Caterpillar CE dealership serving the Chicago metropolitan region. A year ago, he shifted into the parallel industry of material handling (MH) to become the top executive at Equipment Depot of Illinois, also serving the greater Chicago area with six locations. CED editor Kim Phelan recently spoke with O'Neill to contrast the two distribution industries and highlight some of the MH best practices that could benefit construction equipment dealers.
Raising Your Product Support IQ
(December 2007) Written By Mary Sedor Knowing what your customers need before they do - now that's service. And in today's competitive landscape, it's the kind of edge dealers need to differentiate themselves. Our buyers' guide outlines key features of some new software and technologies available for making the parts and service departments run faster and smarter than ever.
Equipment Will Still Need Support in 2008
(December 2007) Written By: Ron Slee Pundit predictions are plentiful - but one thing we can count on for sure is the opportunity to serve customers even better next year.
The People on the Bus
(November 2007) Written By: Ron Slee Talk to the people who got your business to where it is today.
All Together Now
(October 2007) Written By Mary Sedor Building teamwork among your departments means tearing down all barriers to collaboration.
It’s a Self-Serving World
(September 2007) Written By: Ron Slee And it's time we responded to the call for ‘responsiveness.'
What's Really Causing the Technician Shortage?
(September 2007) Written By Mary Sedor Executives on AED's Product Support Round Table say it may be less about the number of technicians and more about an inefficient service department.
How About Those Resolutions?
(January 2006) Written By: Ron Slee With a great year behind us, we need to work on the future.
Phew,What A Year!
(December 2005) Written By: Ron Slee I wonder how many more of these we can stand.
One Man, One Day, One Bay
(December 2005) CED Magazine, December 2005 CONDEX 2006 to host HKX live demonstration.
Interns & Trainees
(November 2005) Written By: Ron Slee Who is coming up behind you?
Attachments
(October 2005) Written By: Ron Slee An interesting no man's land.
Training anyone?
(September 2005) Written By: Ron Slee It's very expensive to keep employees current and up to date.
Why Don't Dealers Grow Technicians?
(September 2005) Written By Matt Di Iorio Sixty-six percent of service managers say they are involved in some type of workforce development effort.
Industry Round Table, Part II
(August 2005) By Walter Berry Your input is essential to the future of our association.
What Does It Cost To Lose A Customer?
(July 2005) Written By: Ron Slee The true cost of your business is what it costs to acquire and retain customers.
Charting A Course For Change
(July 2005) Written By Pam Gruebnau and Mary Seaman Equipment dealer and manufacturer executives discuss today's critical issues and tomorrow's brightest opportunities.
To Add Profit Add an Attachment
(July 2005) CED, July 2005 Equipment Sales are strong, and there's never been a better time to imcrease profit by adding an attachment to that machine sale.
The Flat Rate Debate
(June 2005) Written By Pam Gruebnau and Mary Seaman And other product support issues facing dealerships today.
