We have a couple of exciting announcements to share with you today, from here at Service Dealer Towers.

Firstly, the team behind Service Dealer are proud to confirm that Machinery Dealer Diversity is now up and running. A new scheme designed to promote the dealer network running across multiple digital platforms, our social media whizz, Annie Winn, who is generating oodles of content, tells us today, "Our mission is to encourage diversity within the machinery dealership network, whilst educating and creating connections for both industry professionals and the general public about the vast opportunities within this sector."

To me, this sounds like a tremendous initiative as we all know just how tough it is for dealerships to attract the attention of new recruits. If this scheme is able, as it intends, to reach the eyes, ears and importantly, the screens, of people who may not have thought of the dealer sector as a career path - or indeed, never even knew there was such a thing as a dealer network - then it will be succeeding.

We all know that our industry skews towards the older, white, male demographic. That's simply a truism. But if MDD can breakthrough and perhaps find a wider pool of people to draw upon, who may be interested to learn that there are people like them who've chosen to build a successful career for themselves in this field, then that's surely a positive?

Because it's not about ticking boxes or filling quotas, as we were once accused of when this group was first discussed! For a dealership to look outside its traditional recruitment cohort, if that is not proving fruitful, is surely just common sense?

To embrace diversity is move that could benefit dealers in numerous ways. It doesn't seem controversial to suggest that a diverse workforce could bring fresh ideas, improve customer relations, boost employee morale, and enhance adaptability in what is an increasingly competitive marketplace. 

So best of luck to Annie and all the tremendous dealers that are already supporting the group. We'll follow their progress with interest.

AI in the dealership

Also today, the organisers of November's Service Dealer Conference have confirmed the next of the event's ever-popular workshop sessions.

Following on from the previously announced seminar on how to protect your dealership from cyber-crime, the next breakout will also consider another up-to-the-minute issue of interest to dealers. Neil Wilkins, a marketing consultant and mentor, will be taking our dealer delegates through how the use of AI can aid your business. He says he will debunk myths and give real-world examples of how the developing technology can be utilised by small businesses.

I don't know about you, but it sounds like this session will be a real eye-opener for me, as someone whose knowledge of how AI works, comes mostly from The Terminator. I'm happy to admit that the 1984 film probably doesn't offer myself the most accurate understanding of the tools available to dealers today and what they can achieve for companies in our sector. To be fair, I doubt they involve time travel and the killing of unborn resistance leaders.

Having done a bit of reading, it turns out that benefits could include areas such as, and I quote, "enhancing inventory management, improving customer engagement, personalising marketing, streamlining operations, and enabling data-driven decision-making." Phew! All areas I'm sure dealers would be interested in discovering what help is available.

So once again, this sounds like another session in an already packed day, not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you there next month.