New Dealer Resource Pavilion to provide wealth of knowledge
Bob Clements
Bob McCann
Gary L. Antoniewicz
Sabrina SebastianThe brand-new Dealer Resource Pavilion at the 2011 Green Industry and Equipment Expo (GIE+EXPO) Thursday, Oct. 27, through Saturday, Oct. 29, will combine education for dealership owners and managers, a dealer-only lounge and Internet Café, new products, and best-practice advice for managing your service center. Only dealers, distributors, retailers and technicians will be admitted to this feature area, which will be located on the show floor.
Dealers of all sizes will benefit from a variety of resources and programs available through this outstanding education program. Education sessions for owners and managers will be led by Bob Clements, who has earned a reputation as the go-to consultant for building profitability in outdoor power equipment dealerships. In addition to benefiting from Clements’ expertise, dealers will have the opportunity to participate in sessions by the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) on marketing through social media, as well as legal issues of running a dealership. On Friday morning, participants can learn from other dealers in roundtable breakfast discussions, sponsored by Stihl and Gravely.
“Dealers have to learn to think differently about their business in order to be successful,” said Clements. “An outdoor power equipment dealership can be the most profitable business out there if they run it right. During GIE+EXPO, dealers can learn how to make more money.”
Highlights of the Dealer Resource Pavilion will include:
Education for dealership owners and managers
A Dealer Resource Roundtable Breakfast
Dealer-only lounge
Internet Café
New products and tips for running an efficient service department
Best-practice advice
In the service department area of the pavilion, dealers will be exposed to the latest information and products to help turn their dealerships into strong profit centers. Clements and his team will provide tours of the service department, demonstrating techniques on improving the performance of the technicians. From compensation programs, software, workbenches and lifts, attendees will learn tips on how to move a service department to the next level of performance.
Following is the schedule of education for dealership owners and managers (all sessions are free with tradeshow admission unless otherwise noted):
THURSDAY, OCT. 27
10:30-11:30 a.m.
“Legal Issues Facing Today’s OPE Dealers”
Gary L. Antoniewicz, Boardman Law Firm LLP
In this interactive workshop, Antoniewicz will talk about current issues facing OPE dealerships from the manufacturers, government and consumers, and he will answer any questions dealers have regarding specific issues they are facing.
2-3:30 p.m.
“Generating and Managing Online Leads for Higher Sales Conversion Rates”
Bob McCann, director of education, ARI
Most dealers have websites that aren’t producing the sales results the dealership is seeking. In this upbeat and interactive workshop, McCann will show dealers how to turn their website into the profit-maker it should be.
FRIDAY, OCT. 28
8-9:30 a.m.
“Dealer Resource Roundtable Breakfast” ($25 per person)
Sponsored by Stihl and Gravely
Dealers have said time and again that one of GIE+EXPO’s greatest benefits is the opportunity to learn about the best practices of their peers. This is an opportunity to participate in small-group discussions facilitated by industry professionals on a range of topics, including selling to commercial contractors, using employees to drive lean practices, pumping up profitability in the service department, smart marketing with today’s technology (social media and public relations), strategic business planning for success, and other important issues.
10:30-11:30 a.m.
“Harnessing the Power of Social Media”
Sabrina Sebastian, Fastline Publications
Facebook and YouTube are just two of the free resources that are accessible to today’s dealers. In this powerful workshop, Sebastian will guide dealers through developing and then promoting their online presence using these powerful business tools.
2-3:30 p.m.
“Building and Maintaining a High-Performance Service Department”
Bob Clements, Bob Clements International
Service is the backbone of every dealership and should be the most profitable part of the OPE business. In this workshop, Clements will share his tools and insights on how to take any shop and turn it into a profit center in less than 90 days.
SATURDAY, OCT. 29
10-11 a.m.
“Leveraging Aftermarket Selling Opportunities”
Bob Clements, Bob Clements International
Every year, tens of thousands of dollars walk out the doors of dealerships because dealers are not in a position to take advantage of lucrative aftermarket sales in the service and parts department. In this fast-paced workshop, Clements will share with dealers the aftermarket opportunities they have and give them the tools they will need to motivate their team to go after high-margin, easy-to-sell aftermarket dollars.
“I highly recommend that dealers bring their service department employees to hear Bob Clements,” said Terry Coffin, Beard’s Outdoor Power Equipment Inc. in Crestwood, Ky. “They’ll come away with great ideas and systems they can implement that will solve a lot of issues. That really helped us.”
Admission to the Dealer Resource Pavilion is free with a tradeshow pass, with the exception of the Dealer Resource Roundtable Breakfast, which is $25 per person. Pre-registration for a three-day pass to GIE+EXPO is $10 per person until Sept. 13. Beginning Sept. 14, pre-registration will be $25. The tradeshow admission for those who wait to register onsite will be $50.
To register online for GIE+EXPO, go to www.gie-expo.com. If you have already registered for the trade show, and would like to add the Dealer Roundtable Breakfast, call Sellers Expositions at (800) 558-8767 or (812) 949-9200. Additional details about the show are available at www.gie-expo.com.
