Those of you who are spell-check police just had your eyebrows rise. I know you did. You almost skipped to the comments to extol an error. “Hey, he misspelled weight.” Nope, I really mean that this year one of our dealership's resolutions is to “lose some wait.” Wait loss in service, parts and sales. We will improve the issue of waiting for parts we should’ve ordered and let it slip through the cracks … that caused the tractor coming into the shop to have a needed part missing for various reasons … and the tech was 2 days late getting it back out the door. We are going to strive to streamline our service / parts procurement to decrease shop wait time by 50%. To those of you with an MBA degree that is a goal, plan, implementation and monitoring.
When Frank Farmer's tractor comes on the lot, Searcy the Service Writer will assess the issues, ask Tommy the Tech for parts needed and double check with Percy the Parts Person as to what is in stock vs. what needs to be ordered and by what method. This way when Hi-Tech Tommy splits the tractor, the parts will arrive via Percy, pushing the pile of parts with a perverted smile. Tommy will ask "You got the clutch, pressure plate, rear seal, tranny seal, and release bearing?" With a smile, the reply will be "Yes and even with the pilot bushing we always forget." Not any lost time or wait on this work order!
We are planning to “lose some wait” in the parts sales area as well. Customers would vote for that. Waiting for parts is never fun. We plan on doing more research and forecasting parts sales to have the right part at the right place at the right time. (I copied that last phrase from another MBA-degreed person who needs more work in this area, but I digress). Nothing is more frustrating than to place on the counter the shaft, bearing and flanges with pride and then have the customer ask, "...and what about the special half-moon key that goes in the slot on the shaft?" Sheese ... Now we have to order $1 part, pay $20 freight and have a customer who now has developed a wait problem because of us. We set a goal of 10% better over-the-counter fill rate with better planning and looking at lost sales while keeping our investment in inventory at or less than this 10%. We can afford to invest more in parts inventory rather than give it away in freight that we sometimes just can't pass on.
Wholegoods sales. Our new year's resolution is to lessen the number of customers who listen to our spiel of features and benefits, get our price, then state they think they will “wait a while.” We are going to do a better job of asking questions to tailor a sales package to prevent that wait, and everyone – take a gasp – we may even have to trim some margins to move out some inventory. Yes, we have been to Xerox's Professional Selling Skills 1 and 2 a (bet you haven't heard that name in a while) and a ton of lesser schools that always state to never, never, never sell on price. Well, that is a different blog for next time and deserves more space.
So, in the meantime, could your dealership stand to “lose some wait”as well? We certainly could and I personally could also stand to lose some weight – as in pounds. I hate looking at family pictures and noticing I have the “furniture disease,” where the chest has done dropped down in the drawers. We are going to work on that too.
So, till next time, after a few push-ups and sit ups, we are wishing you miles of smiles and holiday wishes — and oh yes, some of your good New Year’s Resolutions.
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Told from the perspective of an in-the-trenches owner/operator — Tim Brannon of B&G Equipment, Paris, Tenn. — Equipment Dealer Tips, Tales & Takeaways shares knowledge, experiences and tips/lessons with fellow rural equipment dealerships throughout North America. Covering all aspects required of an equipment dealership general manager, Brannon will inform, entertain and provide a teachable moment for current — and future — leaders within equipment dealerships. |
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