Firstly, a reminder that the window to enter the Dealer Of The Year awards will be closing soon.
You have until midnight on Monday October 16th to nominate your business and your staff - or be nominated by a third party. So time is of the essence to make sure you are in the mix for an honour this year.
It is going to be such a fantastic Conference at the new venue in November, with the theme of Taking Care Of Business addressing all aspects of the dealership from its identity, to its people, to its customers - all tackled by a series of engaging experts. The gala dinner that then follows on from the day's work, where the awards are presented, is guaranteed to be a full-on celebratory evening.
All the details you need to make sure you are in the running can be found here. So don't delay! Get entering.
Pivoting as the market dictates
I'd like to thank everyone who responded to our Autumn dealer survey last week, for letting us know how the season has panned out for your business.
We will feature the outcomes and a selection of your comments in the upcoming edition of Service Dealer magazine, but without spoiling too much it does seem to support what we've been hearing anecdotally from readers this year, that perhaps sales of new machines have dipped slightly, but that workshops are busier than ever.
One comment that we received from a dealer, which appeared to corroborate and sum up this theory, read;
"The client has been key in keeping us successful - they have been opting for repairs rather than new machines in the middle market."
This shifting of focus within the dealership is illustrative of a truism that has been said about independent dealers forever. They possess an incredibly valuable ability to pivot as the market dictates - and to do this quickly. The analogy that is often used about why big corporate entities are at a disadvantage in this regard, is that turning them is like turning an oil tanker. It requires much greater time and effort.
A smaller, independent dealer can be nimble. If consumer preferences change, as they seemingly have to a degree during this cost of living crisis, so too can the emphasis of a dealer's bottom line.
Shifting focus to aftersales services doesn't of course mean abandoning machinery sales altogether. Instead, I suppose business experts would say it's about diversifying revenue streams to ensure the dealership's prosperity during any sales downturns.
When customers are not buying new kit, keeping in close contact with them, to let them know all the other services that the dealership can provide, will be an activity that proactive dealers will rely upon. Reaching out to the local community can be argued to not only enhance customer satisfaction but also boost repeat business.
By the sounds of it, that's exactly what has been happening out there in the network this year. It would be easy for any business owner to be spooked with all the talk of rising costs and falling consumer confidence. But as our readers have been telling us, both through our survey and through the entries coming in for the Dealer of the Year competition, intelligent, adaptable entrepreneurship is a key attribute that successful dealers possess.
And long may it continue.
