Following the excitement and intensity of last week's Service Dealer Conference and the Dealer of the Year awards, it has been great to be back at my desk this week, concentrating on the next issue of the magazine.

And even if I do say so myself, we have a great issue coming up for you in the new year. For this first edition of the new decade, it's fantastic to start off with a bit of positivity. In the mag we’re going to be unashamedly looking back with pride on the events of last week. I've now heard from many people who attended who have used the phrase 'best ever' when talking about the conference. It's immensely gratifying for the organising team to hear such praise because each decision made in the process, is solely intended to produce real value for the dealers in the room.

Over the coming weeks, the guys at TAP will be uploading a series of videos to our Service Dealer YouTube channel, which will feature interviews with the key players from the day.

We have our first ones up today for you to enjoy. Below you can watch Bob Clements giving some top tips for dealership profitability:

Also if you head over to our YouTube channel you can watch our interview with dealer Pete McArthur, Director of Strathbogie Forest & Garden tell us what he got out of the conference this year. Whilst you're there, don’t forget to hit the Subscribe button on our channel to stay tuned and watch more of this year’s Conference & awards interviews as they get posted.

So we'll be reflecting on the conference in the next magazine, as well delivering reports from a couple of the late autumn trade shows, SALTEX and Agritechnica.

To take the time to catch breath and reflect after an intense run of activity is important in all lines of work. For myself as an editor, of course it's vital that I'm out and about as much as I can, attending events and meeting people in order to generate material for the magazine. But there comes a point where I need to retreat and be sat quietly in front of the computer, getting the work actually done. Alongside this I need time to both reflect on what's been happening recently, as well as planning ahead for future editions.

This idea of taking time for reflection is a luxury which of course dealers are not afforded too often - what with the hectic nature of the job. 

I heard from Sara Hey who presented a couple of superb sessions last week, who was talking about how important it is, around this time of year, for dealers to be able to grab some much-needed rest as the season slows down a bit. It’s also the perfect time, she said, for dealers to reflect on the season while it is still fresh in their minds.

Sara says that with the dealers that their company works with in the States, she advises them how they should be setting 'off season goals'. It's around now that they begin working with the dealerships they consult with, to get their sales goals and dealership objectives set for the next year.

Sara encourages dealers to take a moment and give some thought to how well their service department functioned during the season. She poses questions like were things flowing well? Did you have a quick turn-around time for your customers? Did you notice an unusual number of comebacks or redo’s? Did your technicians improve their efficiencies? Were you able to deliver the customer experience you had hoped to deliver during your busiest time?

"If they answered 'no' to any of these questions," Sara said, "their off-season goals should be to develop new or better processes to fix those issues before the new season starts."

The same is true, Sara believes, for both a dealership's parts department and their sales department. 

Sara summed up this time for reflection, saying, "During the off season is the time to make the changes needed to improve profitability and customer experience as we move into the 2020 season.

"I would encourage dealers to not waste this period, and to use the time to get laser focused on improvements than can be made that will help drive the dealership to a strong and profitable 2020."

Time is always a commodity that dealers can be particularly scarce of - but if you are able to take a moment at some point in the coming weeks to consider some of these areas which Sara mentions, it could prove beneficial in the long run.