It's a big day here at Service Dealer Towers (remote) because, as you may have already read, the second module of the free digital Dealer Toolkit is launching today.

I'd like to make it clear up front, that I'm not blowing my own trumpet here -  I personally have had nothing to do with its creation! Thus I feel perfectly justified in pointing our just what a fantastic resource it truly is. I was lucky enough to sit in on the Zoom meetings where the content was discussed - but it was simply my pleasure to sit back and listen to the experts break it down.

The fantastic end product that developed out of those initial sessions, you can now begin to explore today. It was brought to you in collaboration between the media agency team at TAP (who own Service Dealer) and the amazing panel of dealers who the magazine has partnered with on this project.

It is this hand-in-hand collaboration that, I think, is absolutely fundamental to the success of this free resource. It takes the media-savvy, technical know-how of agency professionals who can present in-depth material clearly and concisely - and marries that with the first-hand, expert knowledge from our industry specialists.

And what a group of specialists it is, who gave their time and years of experience to this module. They all contributed with the intention of sharing their thoughts and ideas to act as help, assistance or inspiration to fellow dealers.

You can read a breakdown of who comprised the dealer panel here. Suffice it to say, they represent some of the most progressive dealerships around the country, large and small, specialising in domestic, professional turfcare and agricultural machinery.

Their business acumen, gained from years of practical experience at the sharp end of the industry, has been cunningly extracted from them and presented in an easily digestible online tool. As you'd expect, there's a great mixture of bite-sized chunks to read and plenty of snappy videos to watch.

Protecting your revenue

The module kicking off today - following on from last year's digital focus - is primarily concerned with protecting your revenue.

This subject couldn't be more timely, seeing how we are just at the start of what is clearly going to be an incredibly important season. We all know what everyone has gone through this past year. It's been tough and it's been hard work - but hopefully we're genuinely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time there feels like there might be some real optimism out there. Dealers will want to be tapping into this in a big way.

In order to give your business its best opportunity, there's nothing wrong with looking for a little help and support. And who better to listen to than experienced peers and colleagues who have been navigating their way through similar circumstances as you?

What struck me when I sat in on the group discussions where the content for this module was being worked through, was just how open all the contributing dealers were. No one was guarded, trying to hide their special formula. There were no agendas or rivalries on show. People were incredibly willing to share information about what had worked, or crucially hadn't worked, for their businesses.

When discussing diversification for example, we heard tales of trial and error and the difficulties inherent in finding new products to stock in your dealership. Items that you might imagine would be a good fit to a servicing dealer like barbecues or bicycles, just couldn't be made to work by some we were told. Hard questions need to be asked of your business when you're looking to spread your product offering - and our experts offered us some fine insights into this thought process. Practical tips that you can take advantage of in your own dealership.

We understand of course, that no two independent dealers in our sector are the same. What works for one, might be completely inappropriate for another. But the value of listening to colleagues and taking what is relevant and then adapting and applying that to your own business, shouldn't be underestimated.

The Dealer Toolkit unashamedly wears its intention on its sleeve. It wants to help dealers thrive. It wants to do what it can to keep dealerships trading and profitable through these difficult times. It's a non-profit enterprise, simply there to offer as much assistance as possible. It is generously supported in this endeavour by Kramp UK.

So please do check it out today. You never know, there might be that one crucial nugget which sparks that lightbulb moment!