The more things change, the more they stay the same. In the May 2011 issue of ENX Magazine, my service column was titled Calculating Your Service Burden Rate. It discussed the plethora of emails and calls I was receiving, requesting my help in determining an appropriate service Read More

Las Vegas is definitely not on my list of top ten favorite places to travel. Yet I have driven there at least 4 times each year for the past 40 years for various industry events.  Ultimately, each trip to Vegas provides me with enough positives to make up for the long drive. Even Read More

A decade ago the United Postal Service officially introduced their no left hand turns policy. UPS learned through time studies that avoiding left hand turns saves time, conserves fuel, lowers emissions and increases safety. UPS managers combined personal and historical experience Read More

The Go-To Partner for Quality Products and Service In 2007, Q2 was formed with the primary goal of offering Independent BTA Channel dealers a superior option for parts and suppliers. Until then, dealers had the choice of purchasing from higher priced and less flexible OEMs, or Read More

What Do Your Employees Think About Your Company? Senior managers and dealership owners are periodically responsible to officially evaluate and categorize the job performance of their employees. Reviews are often looked at as a double-edged sword. If the employee is hard working Read More

Shortly after the December 2013 ENX issue was distributed, I had several service professionals, dealership owners and even one sales manager stop at the ENX booth at a tradeshow to talk with me about my December ENX article, Service Tech Sales Sleuths. To summarize the article Read More

For those who are blessed, or cursed, with having an entrepreneurial spirit, failure is just another element of winning. When listening to financially successful people, tales of hardship, loss, and fiascos are all part of their path to ultimate victory. You rarely find this type Read More

Whether you are selling solutions, supplies, or hardware, we are all in the business of making a fair and long term profit. To have a successful long-term business, you need committed employees that bring something special to the table. You do not need to be a business owner or Read More

Most successful dealers have modified their sales compensation schedule to reward solution sales. But even with the change of compensation plans, dealers are struggling with re-training traditional hardware-focused sales reps and hiring new solution sales specialists. While sales Read More

Our dispatcher was sobbing at her desk as I walked by. I stopped, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and asked, “Are you alright? Is there something I can help you with?” “Why are people so mean?” she sniffled. “What gives a stranger on the phone the right to swear at me and Read More

How You Can Move Up the Ladder by Creating a Culture of Success Look around your office. What is the average age of the middle and upper management employee? If the company where you work is privately owned, what is the age of the dealer principal(s)? For the next 16 years, baby Read More

Leaders are often viewed as the trusted go-to person who can correctly answer any question, including but not limited to, questions dealing with our industry, personal finances, governmental regulations, company holidays, how many calories are in a can of Coke. . . and on and on Read More

As a company grows, the need to hire new personnel arises. To ensure continued success, companies need to have good management practices that will hire the right person for the job. This includes factoring in customer expectations and considering how to best leverage each Read More

The lazy, crazy days of summer are finally here. For some service departments it is a time to relax. For others, it is valuable time to improve morale and maximize the value each employee can contribute to the work place. When is the last time you took part in one-on-one Read More

Vertical marketing is a common business strategy to increase the percentage of successful sales. Offering products and services to a specific industry allows the seller to know the idiosyncrasies of a specific group of clients. Sales staff can specialize their knowledge and Read More