How confident are you feeling?

According to a survey of small business owners, which was reported in the press this week, business confidence is down by nine percentage points compared with the start of the year.

Uncertainty brought about by Brexit is the biggest challenge facing the Government, according to the latest SME Confidence Tracker, a quarterly survey of more than 1,000 small and medium enterprises from funding provider Bibby Financial Services.

Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said that uncertainty caused by Brexit is damaging to the Government's ambition for a more productive and prosperous economy.

Discussing the confidence issue, The Times said this week, "Confidence among both large and small businesses has collapsed amid mounting concerns over the domestic political backdrop and fresh evidence that households, the engine of recent economic growth, are tightening their belts. A series of business and household surveys have raised concerns that the UK may be performing as poorly as it was at the start of the year, when the economy grew by only 0.2 per cent in three months."

The Guardian meanwhile, discussed how household spending was down, saying "Household spending has fallen at the fastest rate in almost four years as rising prices have made consumers less willing to splash out on furniture, clothing and trips out. Spending fell by 0.3% between April and June compared with the same period a year earlier, the biggest drop since the third quarter of 2013, according to Visa’s consumer spending index."

Oh dear me. That all sounds pretty doomy and gloomy. But how does our readership feel?

This time last year, a month or so after the Brexit decision was taken, we conducted a survey to ascertain our readers' business confidence levels. And at that time, they were pretty bullish.

At that point those describing themselves as Confident or Very Confident was a reasonably healthy 57%. I wonder will that have changed a year on? We would be most grateful if you could a spend a few moments to take our survey today, to let us know.

We'd be very interested to hear if dealers in our sector are feeling this uncertainty which is being reported nationally. Is it affecting any plans you may have had to expand? Have you taken on any new franchises during the past 12 months? Or are you planning on doing so during the forthcoming year? When we asked last year only 16% of respondents were thinking of taking on additional ranges of products. Will that have changed?

Might it be affecting any thoughts of expanding or updating your premises, or adding another branch? Or indeed are market conditions forcing you to consider downsizing?

And in these times of uncertainty, what steps are you taking to attract new customers? What methods work best for you?

Please let us know your thoughts. And as ever there's space for you to have your say, letting us know just what you think about this whole issue of business confidence. We will publish a selection of your opinions in the next issue of Service Dealer. Sign up here if you don't receive a regular copy.

Thank you in advance for your help. You can TAKE OUR SURVEY here.

STIHL have sadly reported that Fred Whyte, former president of STIHL Inc., passed away on July 7th 2017, surrounded by his family at his home in Virginia Beach, Virginia after a battle with an aggressive form of cancer. He was 70 years old.



A Vancouver, British Columbia native, Whyte began his STIHL career in 1971, working as a regional manager for STIHL American, the same company where his father had worked. Whyte moved up the ranks at STIHL in the U.S. and at the age of 34, led STIHL’s expansion and operations in Canada. In 1992, Whyte returned to the United States as president of STIHL Inc.

During Whyte’s tenure as president, he led the company from a moderately-known brand to the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America. After serving STIHL for more than 45 years and leading STIHL Inc. for 23 years, Whyte retired, and was named sole director and chairman of the Board of Directors for STIHL Inc. and influenced STIHL strategy worldwide.

“We, and the larger STIHL family, are very saddened by the news of Fred’s passing,” said Bjoern Fischer, president of STIHL Inc. “He will be remembered for his extraordinary leadership, passion and personal connections he had with both his customers and his employees.”

Robin Lennie, Managing Director, STIHL GB told Service Dealer, “Fred was a wonderful man, so highly regarded by everyone and will be so dearly missed”.

In addition to Whyte’s service to STIHL, he was also a well-respected leader of both the outdoor power equipment industry nationwide and the local Hampton Roads community. He served as chairman of the board of directors for the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) and president of the Portable Power Equipment Manufacturers Association (PPEMA).


Fred Whyte served STIHL for 45 years, including 23 as president of STIHL Inc

In 2015, the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) recognized Whyte with the Frank Armstrong III Service Award for his contributions to the Virginia manufacturing sector and the association. He was also named honorary member of the Equipment Dealers Association (EDA). In 2016, Whyte was honored by the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates with a joint resolution outlining his successful tenure with STIHL Inc.

During his retirement Whyte stated, “I often say history is a great business teacher. And after working for more than four decades in this industry, I can confirm that substance wins out over style, every time.”

According to Fischer, “Fred Whyte was a man who had both substance and style and we are forever thankful for his leadership of our organization.”

Whyte was an avid sports fan, outdoor enthusiast and like many true Scotsman, played the bagpipes. He is survived by his wife Karen, their two children, Jean and John (wife Stacy) and their twin granddaughters, Klarise and Isla.

Reesink Turfcare has concluded a recruitment drive to expand its service branch in East Anglia with five new members joining the team in St Neots, Cambridgeshire.


From left: Reesink East Anglian branch new team members, Matt Thomas, Liam Pindred, Stuart Hall, Andy Carpenter and Keith Knight on the far right. Second from right stands existing team member Matt Ragus

Stuart Hall joins the company as service manager and Andrew Carpenter comes on board as parts supervisor. 

In joining the East Anglia service branch, Stuart is fulfilling a long-held ambition to work for the company and brings to the role 16 years’ experience servicing and maintaining Toro‘s turfcare machinery.

He says: “As workshop manager at John O’Gaunt Golf Club, where I worked for 25 years, I have been on the ‘other’ side of things and know exactly how important it is to be able to rely on distributor and manufacturer back-up and prompt parts delivery.

“I have worked through the preparation and hosting of major events including the 2010 Ryder Cup and can vouch that in order to keep to deadlines and tight schedules having direct access to factory-based technicians is essential.”

Similarly, Andrew Carpenter is well aware of the high level of service expected from a distributor. Having worked for nine years with Lely Turfcare, this move continues a successful career during which Andrew progressed from temporary warehouse team member to parts sales supervisor. It was in this role that Andrew became the company’s first point of contact for technical parts queries and developed into the company’s TYM tractor product specialist.

Stuart and Andrew will be supported by a team that includes three newly appointed technicians.

Matt Thomas, a mechanical engineer, and Liam Pindred with five years’ experience as a workshop technician and production workshop supervisor at Reesink, join the mobile technician team; and Keith Knight brings two years’ experience in the Reesink assembly and service department to the branch in his new role of internal workshop technician.

The Reesink Turfcare East Anglia branch operates from Reesink’s headquarters, supporting the region’s professional grounds maintenance customers.

Stuart concludes by saying: “The East Anglia branch provides its customers with access to experts in their fields, offering advice and guidance straight from the manufacturer and distributor, but with a local understanding. This recent expansion demonstrates the importance the company places on its local networks and why the region has developed a strong Toro and TYM customer base.”

Husqvarna has expanded its team in the UK with the appointment of two new recruits, David Turner and David Ryden.


L-R: David Turner and David Ryden

Joining as Area Business Managers, David Turner will be covering the Wales and North-West region and David Ryden will be responsible for the East and higher Northern England regions.

In their role as Area Business Managers, both new recruits will form part of the Husqvarna sales team, managing the specialist garden machinery dealer network across their respective regions. They will also work alongside the sales and marketing team as the business looks forward to one of its busiest years to date and aims to continue momentum in to 2018.

David Turner joins Husqvarna UK from Valspar UK, a colour mixing paint proposition for B&Q, where he worked for over three years, gaining valuable experience in the sales sector. Previously, David had worked in the food retail market where he was in senior management for Morrisons for over five years, and with Lidl UK for over two years previously.

David Turner said: “I’m really looking forward to working with such a successful and forward thinking company. The business is having a fantastic year so far and I am looking forward to becoming a part of this success.”

David Ryden joins from Dometic Group after four years as an Area Sales Executive at the company. With a total of eight years’ experience in the sales sector he previously worked as a superstore General Manager in the electrical retail market.

David Ryden said: “I’m excited to work with such a progressive company at a really exciting time for products such as Husqvarna Automower. Husqvarna represents a great mix of quality, innovation and heritage which I will be proud to promote".

Mike Hind, UK Field Sales Manager was pleased to welcome the new recruits: “I want to welcome both Davids to Husqvarna, they bring a wealth of experience in the sales sector and I know their enthusiasm and expertise will be a great addition to the team."

Kyoeisha UK, the distributor of Baroness professional mowing equipment, supported Notts Golf Club when they hosted the final qualifier for a major tournament, held at Hollinwell on 4th July 2017.


Course Manager Phil Stain (3rd from left) and the Hollinwell team with the Baroness support fleet

Notts Golf Club is maintained to championship standard year-round and has been used for major professional and amateur events throughout the years.

Baroness, together with their recently appointed local dealer, Platts Harris, provided support machinery including two Baroness LM 2700 fairway machines, which were used exclusively for fairway mowing leading up to and during the event, and two Baroness LM 315 greens mowers assisted with final greens preparation.

Platts Harris provided standby technical support, which although not utilised, provided the Hollinwell team with peace of mind.

Following the prestigious qualifying event, Course Manager, Phil Stain said, “The competition was a great success and our thanks go to Baroness and Platts Harris for their support. We really appreciated their efforts and hope to be adding more Baroness kit to our fleet in the not-too-distant future.”

Jim Whitton, Business Development Manager at Baroness UK added, “I have known Phil Stain for many years and was delighted to be able to assist him with support equipment for this prestigious event."

Dan Prest, the IOG’s head of membership services, has confirmed that the SALTEX College Cup will be even bigger at the 2017 event.

“We’ve gone from five participating teams in 2016 to a potential nine or ten teams this year. For the individuals it is a fantastic CV builder. At some time in the near future many sports turf students are all going to be going for the same jobs, and it is whoever stands out the most – so this kind of experience will really help them on their career path.

"For the 2017 SALTEX College Cup, we have a prize lined up that will be equal in stature and reputation to the FA Cup Final experience – so watch this space!”

IOG CEO Geoff Webb said the initiative is all about raising industry standards. “The SALTEX College Cup is something that we feel very strongly about in terms of raising standards across the industry and creating interest, developing individual skill, and hopefully giving people the confidence to go for the big jobs such as Wembley itself.”

All colleges interested in participating in the 2017 SALTEX College Cup should email Dan Prest at dprest@iog.org for more details

Kubota UK has strengthened and expanded its marketing team with the addition of four new appointments.

Caroline Brown, Shannon O’Connor, Sophie Sprowell and Victoria Nemar have bolstered the team, supporting Kubota’s Marketing Manager Karen Tipping to help continue to drive brand awareness and support the company’s products and aftersales proposition.


L-R: Victoria Nemar, Sophie Sprowell, Karen Tipping, Shannon O'Connor, Caroline Brown

Karen Tipping commented, “In order to maintain the reputation of the brand and continue our growth across all industries, we must ensure our marketing team is as strong as it can be. In the last two years the team has increased from one to six people, highlighting the commitment and investment Kubota places on marketing activities and the support for our first class independent dealer network.

“It’s fantastic to welcome Caroline, Shannon, Sophie and Victoria into the marketing team. As we continue to increase awareness and market share in both established and new markets these key appointments will prove to be pivotal as we move forward.”

As part of Kubota UK’s investment in marketing, Karen will continue to be responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies. Caroline joins Kubota as a Marketing Executive and will report directly into Karen, with responsibility of managing the day-to-day marketing activities with a specific focus on Kubota Engines.

Shannon, Sophie and Victoria have been appointed as marketing assistants, supporting Karen and Caroline, with Shannon focused on Kubota’s agricultural division, Sophie looking after the groundcare sector and Victoria responsible for the marketing of Kubota’s compact construction equipment.

Karen concluded: “These new appointments will help create a more organised and structured marketing team to deliver Kubota’s dynamic marketing strategy across the agricultural, groundcare, construction and engines divisions, whilst also helping with the growing number of exhibitions and events that Kubota has committed to across all market sectors.”

Caroline joins Kubota with over 30 years marketing experience, having previously worked for Oxfordshire County Council, Entertainment UK and WH Smith, along with specialist B2B brands Timbmet and Maccaferri. Shannon previously worked in marketing at Ford, Sophie joins Kubota from Impact Sign Solutions where she worked as a graphic designer and Victoria joins from a printing company Lynx DPM.

Doosan has appointed James Gordon Ltd (Gordons), based at Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway, as the new Authorised Dealer for the Doosan construction equipment range in the South West and Borders regions of Scotland and for the county of Cumbria in Northern England.


Left to right - Les Aitchison (sales); Kyle Amos (service); Alasdair Kaye (service) and Darren Nicholson (sales)

Under the new agreement, Gordons is responsible for sales and servicing of the Doosan crawler, wheeled and mini/midi excavator, wheel loader and articulated dump truck ranges in these areas.

Founded in 1865, Gordons is a well established and much respected business in South West Scotland, with four strategically placed depots in the new Doosan areas, providing a fast, efficient local service for machinery supply and, most importantly, aftersales support.

Kim Dudley, Doosan Regional Manager – Northern Europe, commented: “We are delighted to be able to appoint Gordons as the new Doosan dealer for Southern Scotland and Cumbria. We were impressed by Gordons’ reputation and focus on the aftermarket and their strong desire to grow their construction equipment business and customer base.

“As a perfect illustration of this, Gordons has already secured a number of new orders for Doosan products and is taking delivery of a significant stock of new machines and parts to ensure good availability for customers in its area. Whilst some of these are to already existing Gordons customers, they include a number of businesses that are new to the company, resulting in an immediate expansion of their customer base.”

Kevin Fraser, Sales Director at Gordons, said: “We are delighted to be appointed as the new Doosan dealer and see this as a tremendous opportunity for the company. We currently employ 85 staff across our six depots and we have dedicated sales and aftermarket staff for the Doosan range already in place, working out of the four depots at Dumfries, Castle Douglas, Castle Kennedy and Whauphill covering our new Doosan area, with a Doosan trained Service Engineer based in Cumbria to serve Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.”

Sam Graham, a farmer from Killinchy in County Down, beat off tough competition from farmers and contractors representing 13 European countries to win the European Drivers' Championship 2017, organised jointly by John Deere and Michelin.

The runners-up were David Durand from France and Stefan Häkansson from Sweden.


The European Drivers’ Champion for 2017 Sam Graham is congratulated by Bibendum, better known as the Michelin Man

The event was held at the Michelin Technical Innovation Centre Test Circuit in Ladoux, France, and saw farmers and contractors testing their skills behind the wheel of John Deere’s new 6250R tractor - riding on Michelin’s latest generation ROADBIB tyres, which were unveiled at the event ahead of their planned 2018 launch.

Sam earned his place at the final after registering to take part online, and winning hundreds of votes to secure himself the chance to compete at an international level. This saw him treated to an exclusive two-day visit to Ladoux, which is one of the world’s largest vehicle test centres, featuring 20 test tracks with a combined length of 45km.

To compete in the challenge each participant had to master the challenges of speed, manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and soil protection by developing their own winning driving strategy for tasks that are typical for the daily work of a farmer or contractor.

The winner was the driver who adopted the best overall strategy, combining speed with the lowest possible fuel consumption and lowest soil compaction in the field. Their skills were tested around a carefully constructed 18km long course where even the smallest mistake mattered.

“Winning the competition was a very pleasant surprise, taking into consideration the skill and effort we all put in,” said Sam Graham. “Whether I won or not, the European Drivers’ Championship was an unforgettable experience, and I would like to thank John Deere and Michelin for the opportunity - the whole event went so smoothly and without a fault.”

The European Drivers’ Championship took place on 14 June 2017 and was the first public test of Michelin’s new ROADBIB tyres, which will be available on the original equipment and replacement markets during early 2018.

Job title: General Manager
Location: Oxfordshire
Salary: £attractive plus performance based bonus, car and benefits
Sector: Garden / DIY
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: NH 18693

• Join a great British company with 100 years of trading history
• Full responsibility for a multi-million turnover sales and marketing business unit
• A broad management role requiring sales, marketing, operational and financial skills

The Company:

EP Barrus is a great British company, established in 1917 with strong core values that have shaped its success ever since. Today the company represents over 30 leading brands that are supplied to garden, marine and industrial channels through a network of 3000 dealers.

A retirement creates this opportunity for an experienced General Manager to join EP Barrus to lead the Lawn and Garden division.

The General Manager role:

The Lawn and Garden division supplies a comprehensive range of branded lawnmowers and powered garden equipment for domestic and professional users.

The General Manager will lead a team of field sales, service and administration personnel with full responsibility for:

• Controlling all business drivers within the Lawn and Garden division
• Customer development strategy
• Exploring new business channels while minimising channel conflict
• Supplier relationships
• Divisional financial performance
• Marketing and publicity
• Development of the divisional strategy

The role requires all of the qualities of a Managing Director and the job holder will be supported centrally in areas of finance, operations and HR.

The General Manager profile:

Suitable candidates for this General Manager role will have the following profile:

• Residing within one hour of Bicester or prepared to relocate
• Senior sales leadership experience in a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Ideally with experience of DIY or garden products, power tools or agricultural machinery
• A proven track record of performance in sales, marketing, finance and customer service
• Intelligent, articulate and IT literate. Highly proficient in excel and PowerPoint
• Previous job titles might be Managing Director, Sales and Marketing Director or General Manager
• Strong negotiation and presentation skills 
• Analytical and data driven

A successful candidate in this role will enjoy an excellent working environment and rewards that truly reflect achievement.

Contact:

Name: Nick Hester at Cavendish Maine Search & Selection
Telephone: 01275 813030
Email: nick@cavendishmaine.com

For a free demonstration contact Evopos on Tel: 01202 795900

Evopos UK Ltd are the producer of the Dealer management software which service dealers are taking a serious look at. This all-in-one solution with friendly and effective telephone support may be worth checking out, if you are a new service dealer or are currently unsatisfied with your current system.

The latest version includes quick and easy point of sale software, comprehensive stock control, workshop organiser, hire contract module, accounting package and state of the art automated SMS and email marketing, all of these features are available in specifically designed dealer packages.

"What makes Evopos streets ahead of its competitors?" asks Denis Bullen (MD). "Evopos is perfect for the Service Industry; everything about the customer is tracked, sales of parts, whole goods and all vital contact information."


Denis Bullen, Evopos md

Denis continues, "The workshop module is of particular interest to most service dealers. Evopos will fulfil the main three requirements that make any busy workshop successful.

• 1. Easy to use; this minimises mistakes making sure correct time is billed for and all the information is correct.
• 2. Maximises sales and repeat custom using the excellent time management and service reminder tools built into Evopos.
• 3. Helps to provide the very best customer service; by providing engineers and salesman with all the necessary information to make the job or the sale as easy for the customer as it as easy for you.

"As far as I can see the workshop process is fairly straight forward

• Step one: Book the job in, providing the customer with details regarding the job.
• Step two: Book parts and labour to the job.(Evopos will automatically remind the customer to drop the machine off and when the job is finished, let the customer know when to pick it up via an SMS text or email alert.)
• Set three: Produce a professional looking invoice for when the customer picks up their machine.

"A comprehensive history is retained within the Evopos system. For example for each machine you can see who has previously owned it and what work it has had done to it.

"Evopos offers a very competitive pricing structure, where costs are kept to a minimum. A standard dealer package can cost as little as £75.00 per month, there are no hidden extras. If you are concerned about losing your old customer database, this shouldn't be a problem. The helpful support team can convert most databases into workable Evopos data at no extra charge.

"Evopos is a low cost way to help make your business more controllable and profitable. It's a total business management solution."

Whether you are a new start-up or run an existing business, why not contact Evopos and arrange a no obligation free demo and see what Evopos can do for your business.

Contact them direct on telephone: 01202 795900 or register online at Evopos.com and they will call you.

Software that does more and costs less.

The Drive Pro Snow Plough for 4x4 vehicles, has been our fastest selling product every winter for the last 8 years. They are simple, robust and fit to more vehicles than any other plough we know of.]

But even the best products can do with a revamp every now and then…

We think the new design is a revolution!

• We have added a significant increase in ground clearance for getting up over curbs.
• The plough is made with High strength, lightweight steel, making it a lighter plough for the front axle.

But most crucially…

Dealers will half the installation time for a plough and lighting kit, with our new patented plug and play electrical system. It is now so easy to install that our Marketing Manager can do it! Even on the latest CAN bus systems.

The wiring system in a conventional Plough would look like this;

With a lighting kit, this can take anywhere from 6 – 8 hours to fit.

With the new system;

The plough and lights can now be fitted in 3-4 hours on most vehicles! Saving you valuable workshop hours. And the CAN bus system is avoided completely.

This can double your throughput and double your margins on plough fitting!

For more information on our range of winter maintenance products visit; http://meyerproducts.co.uk/

Or contact Kersten UK on 0118 9869 253 or info@kerstenuk.com

The following organisations have confirmed their sponsorship of the 2017 Service Dealer Conference and Awards. We’d like to welcome them on board and thank them for their support and input. 

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSOR




GOLD SPONSOR




SPONSORS

Want to become a sponsor? Email: julie@theadplain.com