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The Work Truck Show – Indianapolis 2014

Once again I had the privilege of providing an educational session for the NTEA. The subject matter was Parts & Service Marketing: Making a Difference.

The dramatic changes that have taken place over the past ten years, and those ahead, demand a more professional, productive and profitable Product Support Operation. To support the realization of this Parts and Service Opportunity we have designed this program aimed at those charged with the responsibility of managing this segment of the business. Parts & Service Marketing – Making a Difference consists of 6 elements presented during this learning session.

The Customer Service Focus

Why this is no longer a fad but deadly serious business. We explore the various aspects of customer service – what they are and how can we learn to be better at them.

Defining Customers

The “customer” has become a generic description of who we serve. We need to segment the markets that we serve and define the customer more precisely using a broad array of categories that allow us to more completely define customers with similar needs and wants.

Customer Relations

Expectations must be understood and shaped – when, why and how can they be changed in order to provide systems, procedures, methods, tools and training that will meet the expectations. Satisfaction of customer expectations requires us to have internal excellence in everything we do.

Designing Customer Service Excellence

Understanding who your customer is and what they require is critical in designing service excellence. People perform service, create expectations, satisfy expectations and create the perception of a difference.

Customer Loyalty

Strong Products or Services are central to customer loyalty and loyalty must be a company wide commitment. Everything should be aimed at creating and maintaining this loyalty. We discuss the tools and methods to create, develop, and maintain loyalty.

Measuring and Managing Success

Long term behavior is critical in understanding the return on investment from Parts & Service Marketing initiatives. Clear goals, measurement criteria and profit targets must be constantly reviewed and adjusted to adapt programs to changing customer needs and expectations.

We had a good turnout and some good dialogue. Thanks to all.

Quest, Learning Centers and the AED present Webinars in March

Check out the link below and register early so you don’t miss out on these comprehensive high value learning experiences.

https://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10930616

Quest, Learning Centers

We have just completed the Unit I classes for Parts Management and Service Management in Dallas. It was a lively four days of debate and discussion.

I have enjoyed the time and I feel confident that the attendees will have success implementing many of the things they learned.

One thing is clear. To succeed in anything there needs to be three distinct elements.

  • Understanding
  • Acceptance
  • Commitment

We all have to UNDERSTAND what it is we are trying to do. Then we need to engage in vigorous debate on whether that UNDERSTANDING is the right thing to do. Only with this debate can we come to ACCEPTANCE of the validity of the UNDERTANDING and only with UNDERSTANDING and ACCEPTANCE will we be able to obtain the COMMITMENT of all team members to accomplish the goals and objectives set forward.

The time is now.

 

 

Domain Correction

Please note the below.

https://www.aednet.org is the proper domain for the AED regarding the registration for Parts Management Quest training.

Parts & Service Management Training Unit I

Next week is the last Unit I for Parts Managers and Service Managers for 2013. We welcome you to the windy city for this content packed learning experience.

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Service Webinars

Don’t forget to register for the webinars on service department operations this week. One hour each and content filled. Inspections, Work Order Process, Labor Rates and the Service Organization are the topics. Go to www.aednet.org to register. The time is now.

Disney and AED leadership check it out

Check out www.aed-leadership.com and join in.

Education Step 12

Many are talking about the lost generation. That is the current group of people in their late teens to their early twenties. The unemployment rate for this group is almost obscene and I am not really hearing a lot of outrage.

This group of people must be wondering what happened to them. When I was coming into the work force it was also a frustrating time. There were insufficient jobs available – interview after interview being told that you had everything that they wanted in a new employee but didn’t have any openings gets pretty old.

Think about the loss of earnings capacity for the economy. Think about the loss of taxable earnings as a result of delaying the entry to the economy of these talented people. The penalty is not just for the undereducated which has long been a concern of mine but also for the educated. The dilemma with the education received is that it has not delivered marketable skills to the students that the market wants or needs.

Hope is a wonderful emotion and feeling. But take away hope from these younger people and one day this will boil up and cause serious troubles for everyone.

So we have to get serious someday soon don’t you think. Get government out of education. Get unions out of the way. Get anyone who is protecting the status quo out of the way. Get business and parents and students together to determine what is required of the coming generation of workers.

The time is now.

Training Tidbit #5

Those of you who have following this blog know about my concern for education, particularly the trade and vocational schools. Well yesterday in the Sunday paper here was another voice being raised. Morris Beschloss. He is a distinguished economic analyst He references a book in this article written by Edward E Gordon. It is dry reading but I consider it to be critical information. The book is titled “Future Jobs-Solving the Employment Skills Crisis.”

This book highlights how our vocational and technical training has been abandoned in this country. That is such a shame.

I hope you will get the book and read it. Then spread the word. The time is now.

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Standards of Performance Webinar – March 20th 12:00 Noon Pacific

It is not too late to register at aednet.org/products/seminars.

What does it looks like when it is right? Performance in a Parts Department must maximize productivity, manage assets and satisfy customers.  The first step to understanding and accepting what needs to be done is to have meaningful, measureable and achievable standards. How to develop your own standards and yet continue to reach for excellence is the theme in this webinar.

Individual employees want to do a good job yet many do not know what doing a good job entails. This is a fundamental requirement of good management, communicating performance expectations and measures to the employees. In this webinar we will cover the fundamentals exposed by Patrick Lencioni in his important book “The Three Signs of a Miserable Job.”  Anonymity, Irrelevance and Immeasureability are the three symptoms of this disease which leads to the “Sunday Blues.”

Each employee can also deliver more than they think they are can yet each is fundamentally lazy. Leadership methods to entice or motivate employees to deliver  good performance for coworkers, customers and the Company will be discussed in this extremely important webinar.

The time is now.