I have just returned from the Service Dealer Conference and Awards 2019, which was held last Thursday (21st Nov.) at the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry Hotel.
Attending were the leading Groundcare and Agricultural machinery and equipment dealers throughout the UK. It was wonderful to see such a large gathering of people coming together and celebrating their industry. Many of the dealers catching up on old times as well as analysing the problems within the industry and reviewing the year just gone by.
The theme of the Conference was Turning a Profit. The Conference had four excellent speakers and gave many thought provoking ideas. I was particularly interested in Dr. Eliza Filby’s presentation. Dr. Filby is a writer, speaker and consultant specialising in helping companies and services understand generational shifts within politics, society and the workplace. She categorised people into four generational brackets:
- Baby Boomers (born between 1942 – 1965)
- Generation X (born between 1966 – 1980)
- Millenials (born between 1981 – 1996)
- Generation Z (born between 1997 – 2010)
It was interesting to hear Dr. Filby’s take on the spending attitudes of each of the four groups. Did you know that one in every five “Baby Boomers” are millionaires? How could this be? According to Dr. Filby, they grew up in an environment where their parents, who had experienced hardship during the two previous World Wars, encouraged their children to save, buy their own property, and start a pension. Those that took their parents advice are now reaping the benefits. Most of them are retired in a house they own with a good pension, plenty of money and lots of spare time. How do they pass this time? Many look after their garden – mowing the lawn and maintaining the flower beds. Something to take note of if you’re a garden machinery and equipment dealer.
The last group - Generation Z, are a completely different group (non of which were found amongst the delegates). None of them remember the 20th century (nor do they care) and they don’t know what life was like pre-broadband. They have a different attitude towards money. They prefer experience over owning a product. For example they would spend more money on holidays (experience) and have little money left for saving for a deposit on a house (product). They shop online and don’t read instruction manuals (they will find out how on YouTube).
Another topic discussed during the Service Dealer Conference was on recruiting and retaining staff, particularly mechanics and technicians. This is becoming a big problem in Ireland and the UK and I will talk about this in a future blog in Service Dealer Ireland. Bob Clements and his daughter Sara Hey of Bob Clements Inc. (USA) spoke so well on how to address these issues. Sara was later joined by Pete Harding of PFW Associates where they compared the UK with the USA on recruitment issues and best practice when it comes to hiring staff.
The Q & A panellists chaired by Duncan Murray-Clarke (far right)
There were breakout sessions after each speaker’s presentation where the delegates were split into two groups. These sessions got everyone’s juices flowing in debate and discussion. There was a lot to talk about. The two topics discussed were A. Turning your service department into a cash producing machine (given by Bob Clements and Sara Hey) and B. Recruitment, retention and client engagement (given by Dr. Eliza Filby).
The Service Dealer Awards took place that evening and it was wonderful to see those in the industry being acknowledged for their hard work and effort throughout the year.
The whole event was an enjoyable experience for me. I would love to see more Irish dealers attend next year’s Service Dealer Conference and Awards. I would strongly recommend you put it in your calendar for next year. You won’t regret it and it could be a game changer for your business.
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