LWS: Selling Leveraging Service Assets WDC (ENG)

The service department is known to provide repairs, rebuilds, and maintenance services. We manage the labor function to have the highest possible labor efficiency and quality. High performance in a Service Department must maximize efficiency, maximize quality, and satisfy customers.  The first step to understanding and accepting what we have to do is to understand the assets at our disposal. From the technical skills of the mechanics, to the bays and vehicles we work from, and the specialized tooling there is a lot to consider. How to leverage these assets is the theme in this program.

Individual employees want to do a good job and they want to be able to provide the highest level of skill possible. We have a responsibility to maintain those skills with professional training programs. From the OEM’s, to specific training within the dealership we will explore all that training entails. It starts with the skills set inventory for each technician, and then a training plan for each person can be developed. We are expected to make money on our labor. What is less understood is that we are intended to be able to recover our costs on all of the tools and technology we use. In this program we uncover methods to be able to recover these department costs in a manner that is fair to customers and the company.

Each employee can show off their skills and knowledge especially well if we provide them with the comprehensive training and tools necessary to deliver world class service. We must provide leverage on these assets. This class is an important piece of their learning.

LWS: Selling Basic Finance WDC (ENG)

Before we can be of any value to anyone else we have to be of value to ourselves. That is an old adage, but it still rings true. Ignorance is not knowing what to do. How can we know what to do if we don’t understand basic finance? This is especially true within the labor business, where the technicians look at their hourly wage and compare it to the labor rate charged to the customer.

We will expose and explain all aspects of the operating statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow forecast. These are the three major documents in the world of finance. We will define and describe all of the terms the accountants use. There will be no mystery to basic finance when we are finished. We will explain cost of sales and what it consists of, as well as all of the various expense elements. Personnel Expenses, Operating Expenses, and Fixed Expenses are discussed so that everyone will be able to understand and accept how and why money is spent and how we make it.

The fundamentals of basic finance have been a mystery for too many people for far too long, especially in the labor business. This program gets past that so that the employees in a parts business will understand the effect of each of their decisions.

LWS: Selling Art of the Possible WDC (ENG)

The work in a Service Business within the Construction Equipment Industry is complex and filled with details. It is within this environment that our employees work day in and day out. These people who I call your “heroes” are the warriors that make your business a success.

The technicians have a forward workload that leaves little room for inefficiency or ineffectiveness. In the shop or the field whether for repair or maintenance or rebuilds the work never ends. Your “heroes” do incredible work keeping up with this activity. They work in difficult working conditions, they deal with specialized equipment and tooling, they do inspections, prepare equipment for sale and make ready equipment for rent and lease. They get to the end of the day and take a deep breathe to indicate that they made it through another day. They deal with the Art of the Possible every single day.

In this class we will explore the major pillars that comprise your business; Buildings, Inventory, People, Technology, Purchasing and Employee Development. We will then apply and show you how to apply the Art of the Possible.

LWS: Selling Leadership WDC (ENG)

The management and supervision in business is in many cases misunderstood. You manage process but you have to lead people. Often, we get consumed by our need to improve our processes. Since the 1980’s with the “Japanese” continuous improvement movement we have been obsessed with eliminating non-value added, tasks and processes. But what have we done to inspire management to improve their ability to lead their employees.?

Leadership is a complicated function. It involves compassion, courage, trust, integrity, commitment, loyalty, inspiration, and communication. A true leader will take people to places that they would not have gone to on their own. This program explores the true meaning of leadership and talks about differing leadership styles and their impact on performance.

Leadership has to ensure that the day to day operations are performing and at the same time they must focus on the future. They also have to understand and accept how important managing change is to improvement. They have to be able to look at their businesses with “fresh eyes” to ensure that they can identify and eliminate their “sacred cows.” This is a critical class for anyone in a leadership position.

CWI: Product Support Sales Management CSA (ENG)

Selling is as old as the hills and most people think it is a function that requires you be good with people.  Sales requires very serious organizational skills. Not just a personality. From the rapid changes we have experienced in our industry, we are at the point where the skills and the knowledge of our employees is a critical difference in developing and maintaining our relationships with our customers. The leadership involved with the sales team is critical. The challenges in maintaining a motivated, skilled work force is not easy.

The comprehensive skills assessment covers all of the topics and subject matter required in the course of performing the sales job function. In assessing this position, we have taken all of the classes involved in selling and created a skills assessment. We have taken the 900 questions, from the pretest and final assessment, from all of the classes offered for Selling and Marketing. We have taken all of these questions and boiled them down to ninety essential questions. Each question has an answer within a multiple-choice selection.

The results from the CSA, Comprehensive Skills Assessment, categorize the skills and knowledge of the individual being assessed, into one of our four levels of accomplishment: Developing, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

These assessments can be used, in conjunction with background checks and interviews, to screen applicants before they are hired. They should also be used in the annual performance review with each employee. They can even be used as a foundation piece of information related to the wages and salaries paid to the employees. Finally, and this is the genesis of the creation of the comprehensive assessment skills, the assessment has been developed to be used to create a specific employee development program for each employee in the parts and service business teams.

CWI: Service Management CSA (ENG)

There are some fundamental truths about people and their work: everyone wants to do a good job, everyone can do more than they think they can, and everyone is fundamentally lazy. In management and leadership we have to deal with the people and the processes. That is the job. You lead people and you manage the process.

The job of the manager or supervisor starts with the basic job function description and moves on to standards of performance. Everyone has to understand what is expected of them, as well as accepting that what is expected of them is both achievable and important. The various aspects of management are exposed in this power program.

In dealing with people, you also will need to be able to communicate with the employees.  In this program we explore two of the main forms of communications: praise and criticism. This part of interpersonal relations can be learned. These are skills that can be learned by following a simple plan. We discuss this plan in detail, which has many common elements with both praise and criticism to provide you with a better ability in working with your employees.

CWI: Construction Industry Technician CSA (ENG)

With the rapid changes and developments experienced in capital equipment over the past few decades we have reached the point where the skills and the knowledge of technicians is the critical difference in developing and maintaining our relationships with our customers. This has included changes in machine design, computerization of componentry, telematics, and the use of exotic materials.

The Construction Industry Technician comprehensive skills assessment covers the four major areas of equipment: Engine, Drive Train, Hydraulics and Electrical. In creating this assessment, we have taken into consideration the major manufacturers.

We have created a series of multiple-choice questions within each of the four categories above. The results from the CSA, Comprehensive Skills Assessment, categorize the skills and knowledge of the individual being assessed, into a score.
The following reflects how our clients use the assessment programs.

1. Recruiting: The assessments should be part of the process of recruiting employees. In conjunction with background checks and interviews, the assessment gives you a much more objective evaluation of the applicants before they are hired.
2. Performance Reviews: The assessments should also be part of the process of the annual performance review with each employee.

Upon completion of a specific Job Function Skills Assessment the student will receive their score. This score will rank their skills based on the results we have seen from the thousands of assessments taken.

CWI: Rental Industry Technician CSA (ENG)

With the rapid changes and developments experienced in capital equipment over the past few decades we have reached the point where the skills and the knowledge of our technicians is the critical difference in developing and maintaining our relationships with our customers. This has included changes in machine design, computerization of componentry, telematics, and the use of exotic materials. Additionally, the technology within dealer management systems continues to progress at a rapid pace with VoIP, AI, and “smart” systems to name just a few.

The Rental Industry Technician comprehensive skills assessment covers the four major areas of equipment; Engine, Drive Train, Hydraulics and Electrical. In creating this assessment, we have into consideration the major manufacturers. The Rental Industry Technician assessment recognizes that it is not necessary for these technicians to be able to have the skills to repair and rebuild major componentry.

We have created thirty multiple-choice questions within each of the four categories above. The results from the CSA, Comprehensive Skills Assessment, categorize the skills and knowledge of the individual being assessed, into one of our four levels of accomplishment: Developing, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

These assessments can be used, in conjunction with background checks and interviews, to screen applicants before they are hired. They should also be used in the annual performance review with each employee. They can even be used as a foundation piece of information related to the wages and salaries paid to the employees. Finally, and this is the genesis of the creation of the comprehensive skills assessment, these assessments have been developed to be used to create a specific technical training program for each employee in the repair and maintenance business.

CWI: Service Foreman CSA (ENG)

With the rapid changes we have experienced in our industry, we have reached the point where the skills and the knowledge of our employees is a critical difference in developing and maintaining our relationships with our customers. The changes we face include machine design, computerization of componentry, telematics, and the use of exotic materials. Additionally, the technology within dealer management systems continues to progress at a rapid pace with VoIP, AI, and “smart” systems to name just a few.

The comprehensive skills assessment covers all of the topics and subject matter required in the course of performing the job function of a Foreman. In assessing this job function we have taken the skills and knowledge and created an assessment questionnaire. We have used as the foundation for this assessment the pretest and final assessment questions from all of the classes offered for the Service Department. We have taken all of these questions and boiled them down to ninety essential questions. Each question has an answer within a multiple-choice selection.

The results from the CSA, Comprehensive Skills Assessment, categorize the skills and knowledge of the individual being assessed, into one of our four levels of accomplishment: Developing, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

These assessments can be used, in conjunction with background checks and interviews, to screen applicants before they are hired. They should also be used in the annual performance review with each employee. They can even be used as a foundation piece of information related to the wages and salaries paid to the employees. Finally, and this is the genesis of the creation of the comprehensive skills assessment, the assessment has been developed to be used to create a specific employee development program for each employee in the parts and service business teams.

CWI: Service Office CSA (ENG)

With the challenging level of technical skills available to a repair and maintenance facility today it has become critically important to have a strong technical skill level working on the floor with the technicians. The Service Office function has become an extremely important task. All the back-office functions are impacted heavily by technology specifically the Dealer Business Systems. Each OEM has also been active in developing systems to process warranties and machine deliveries and they also are involved heavily with telematics.

This comprehensive skills assessment covers all of the topics and subject matter required in the course of performing the job function of service office. In assessing this job function we have taken the skills and knowledge requirements and created an assessment questionnaire. We have used as the foundation for this assessment the pretest and final assessment questions from all of the classes offered for the Service Department. We have taken all of these questions and boiled them down to ninety essential questions. Each question has an answer within a multiple-choice selection.

The results from the CSA, Comprehensive Skills Assessment, categorize the skills and knowledge of the individual being assessed, into one of our four levels of accomplishment: Developing, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced.

These assessments can be used, in conjunction with background checks and interviews, to screen applicants before they are hired. They should also be used in the annual performance review with each employee. They can even be used as a foundation piece of information related to the wages and salaries paid to the employees. Finally, and this is the genesis of the creation of the comprehensive skills assessment, the assessment has been developed to be used to create a specific employee development program for each employee in the parts and service business teams.