kim phelan

Experiences happen to your customers, no matter what. They just do. But ask yourself: Are my customers’ experiences with my business happening by design … or by default. The choice is yours.

Customer experience expert Doug Johnson is this month’s featured podcast guest, and his wisdom, creativity, and stories will blow you away – or, more important, will hopefully inspire you to put fresh eyes on your equipment business and apply your own creativity in ways that could totally separate you from the crowd. Would anyone know the difference if a competitor’s name was swapped into your marketing phrases? What really makes you memorable, or even famous? These things are within your control, Johnson says, and he’s about to show you how.

Everything in your business speaks, he adds, so what’s it saying? And what do you want it to say? Johnson, who is currently the patient experience officer at a major Midwest hospital, has worked in major league sports, retail, restaurants, and has even trained Santas. He may not talk your equipment language, but he’s the ultimate universal translator of customer-speak – listen in for an eye-opening discussion that could change your business.

Connect with Doug on LinkedIn

Visit IEDA Group Website

Produced by Social Chameleon

Is your dealership leaking leads?

This month’s IEDA podcast guest says data shows there’s a good chance your company is missing web inquiries and maybe even mishandling phone call inquiries. James Hamilton is the senior product manager at Randall Reilly, and his time with us in the virtual studio is jammed with great data and advice.

Pull up a chair (or your steering wheel) and listen in to fresh info about the customer mindset and buying and selling patterns, as well as rental market insights, dealer business opportunities, and some serious straight talk and best practices about creating excellent customer experience.

One of James’ favorite quotes comes from Mike Vorster, the author of Construction Equipment Economics, who said, “The best decisions occur when your intuition, your experience and your analytics jive.” James has used that philosophy to become intimately familiar with the needs of contractors when it comes to equipment ownership, operating costs, disposition and rent versus owning decisions. Lucky for us, he likes to share what he knows.

EquipmentWatch by Randall Reilly Website: https://equipmentwatch.com/

Visit IEDA Group: https://www.iedagroup.com/

Produced by: https://socialchameleon.us/

If your sales reps were sea lions, would you find them reclining at Sea World while gulping fish tossed into their mouths … or would they be out doing the hard work, hunting and surviving in the treacherous ocean depths? Tune in as our guest, Elliott Vigil, helps you think about how to help all your reps stay on their game.

Everyone makes mistakes – what you don’t want is for a sales rep’s mistake to turn into a rut or a bad habit. Of course, you have to see what’s happening before you can intervene, and that’s where Vigil comes in. He was a top performer with Ahern Rentals before it was acquired by United Rentals, and he’s seen it all. He knows the pitfalls, and as a past regional and general manager, he understands how to help reps keep growing.

In this episode, Vigil identifies five common mistakes salespeople can slip into – and what the sales manager can do to correct their course. Whether it’s getting too comfy and pumping the brakes, not following up with all their accounts, or perhaps struggling with good time management, unproductive thinking and behavior has no place in the sales team. Listen in and walk away with some positive ideas to coach reps into the best version of themselves. Vigil offers good resources for management, too.

Website: https://www.elliottvigil.com/

Visit IEDA Group: https://www.iedagroup.com/

Meet the affable, insightful Cody Bork, the youngest member of the faculty at Western Technical College’s Diesel and Heavy Equipment program in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. In this episode, he talks about the motivations and expectations of students training to become the next generation of service techs in the construction equipment industry. 

 And he should know. Not only does he spend five days a week with his students for two years, but he himself graduated from this program – he brings an insider look into the skilled workforce shortage and how independent equipment dealers can play an active role in both supporting students and steering them toward their own companies after graduation.

Bork was formerly the night shift lead mechanic for a national fleet of tractor/trailers. He then taught at Western part-time and was soon hired on as a full-time instructor.

Visit Western Technical College: https://www.westerntc.edu/

Visit IEDA: https://www.iedagroup.com/

Section 179 of the IRS tax code has been around for decades, and it can be an effective strategy for lowering your tax liability year to year. In this program, find out what the deduction limit is for the 2022 tax year, and learn the nuances of Bonus Depreciation and how it differs from Section 179.

Using these tools comes with rules, and it can get confusing – that’s why we’re talking to tax expert, Steve Pierson, shareholder/partner at Selden Fox accounting firm in Oak Brook, Illinois. He’s been educating equipment dealers for decades ... and was a featured panelist at IEDA’s 2022 Annual Meeting last February.

Section 179 has great implications for an independent dealer’s rental fleet, and it can be a great incentive to drive year-end sales this month. Do your customers know that the equipment they buy from you is tax deductible? Learn what’s new, what kind of equipment qualifies, and how to take advantage of this small business tax benefit.

Selden Fox: https://www.seldenfox.com/our-people/steven-pierson/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/selden-fox-ltd-/about/

Visit IEDA: https://www.iedagroup.com/

Produced by: https://socialchameleon.us/