AgilitiONE
Alex Weaver’s career in the industry spans several decades. His initial job in the industry was with an independent used equipment – used parts company, White Tractor Parts in Blue Springs, MO. After several years of ground floor, learning the business, including how to chain a tractor to a trailer, he went to work as Assistant Used Equipment Manager for The Whayne Supply Company, Caterpillar dealer for Kentucky, in Louisville, KY. Later, promoted to Eastern Region Sales Manager. In 1979 he went to work for Crane and Tractor of Dallas, another independent used equipment, used parts dealer.
In 1988 He relocated to Charlotte, NC to work for the Caterpillar Dealer, Carolina Tractor. Initially holding the position of Product Support Sales Manager, later serving as General Parts Manager and VP of Heavy Equipment Sales. In 2002 Alex began work with Caterpillar, Inc, and relocated to Peoria, IL. Here he served as Sales Manager for the Eastern Region of Caterpillar’s Redistribution Company, CRSI, Inc, moving to the Reman Group, and later to the Caterpillar Used Equipment Sales, Inc before retiring in 2014.
With over 40 years of experience in the industry. As a retirement project, Alex and a partner created the concept for agilitiONE, including manually researching every company listed in our search engine/database. The great influencer working with all these companies, in various positions and segments, were the customers. The customers shared what they did, how they did it and how as a supplier you could help them do it. A great education in market wants and needs.
Imagine all Your Information Needs at Your Fingertips
Have you ever wondered why? Why there is no single source that lists all suppliers to the construction equipment industry? There will be soon. A fast, easy to use industry- specific search engine, or directory. Search for providers of new / used / and rental equipment. Search for providers of parts and attachments. Plus, service – providers, such as insurance, heavy hauling, software, business services, marketing, and consulting. Filter searches by brand, New, Used, condition, distribution source by brand, and zip code location. Search all industry parts providers in North America. Would you believe there are over 13,000 such suppliers / providers in our database?
agilitiONE was created by a team of construction equipment businessmen. Their background in the industry includes senior level management / leadership roles at both manufacturer and dealer organizations. Through extensive work in the field with construction equipment customers, they’ve gained a strong appreciation for the contractors’ challenges and needs. It is with this background that agilitiONE addresses those needs.
The agilitiONE website is the first true, industry-wide, product – wide, online platform / marketplace built solely for contractors to easily locate and purchase all job-related requirements. At attractive prices. All using a single IOS or Android app. Machines, rentals, parts, and services. Users of agilitiONE will find many new sources and viable options for all of their many needs.
agilitiONE is an online platform / marketplace where contractors and equipment owners will find multiple, new sources for the products, parts, and services they routinely buy, rent, and utilize. At the same time, industry suppliers can expand their sales reach by attracting an ever-growing larger clientele. And, manufacturers can further promote their brands, support their distribution, and collectively increase sales. agilitiONE is unique; there’s nothing like it in the industry!
Why is an industry specific search engine important? What is the benefit? Easy. You get your specific result faster and easier. Have you noticed that with the existing search engines, your answer may be down in a search results page or pages down? For instance, search for a turbocharger for a Volvo MTC85C skid steer loader. If you search by zip code, or within 100 miles of your zip code, you may get results for turbochargers for Volvo automobiles or Volvo Trucks. The search is interesting because Volvo is out of the skid steer business. The MTC85C was built for Volvo by JCB. The engine is Perkins, now owned by Caterpillar. But all you want is an exchange, rebuilt turbo. In agilitiONE a search for “turbocharger” returned 23 providers. Only 23 results, not thousands of non-search related results, that don’t apply to your search. A search on Google, also using “turbocharger”, turned up 64,000,000 results. Because our search engine is industry specific, our database only contains providers for construction equipment or related rebuilders.
How do you find all of the providers of Safety Equipment, that focus on the Construction Industry? A search of agilitiONE returned 109 providers that can be filtered by zip code.
Again, Google returned millions of providers. Our goal is “fast and easy” access to information.
In today’s work world, small contractors are accepting work further from their home base. Home base is comfortable. Providers are known. But contractors are also bidding more work further from home base. If there is a minor breakdown, how do you find the nearest hydraulic repair shop? Or if a contractor needs to rent a small excavator to finish a job. What provider is close to the work?
We know and understand the challenges of daily operations. agilitiONE will provide quick and easy information search related solutions for all contractors.
About Industry Services: Categories – Aerial Information/Data – Asset Appraisal – Asset Inspection – Associations/Trade/Industry – Auction – Builders/Commercial – Business Services – Certification Agencies – Construction – Consultancies’ – Contractor – Engineering – Financial Services – Financing – Freight/Trucking/Delivery – Governmental Agency – Individual Consultants – Insurance – Land Survey – Logistics – Manufacturers’ Representative Firm – Marketing – Oil Analysis – Opinion Survey – Project Management – Publishers/Publications – Safety – Software – Training/Education – Warranty – Drone Services – 3-D Printing
Our search engine is currently under construction. But it is coming soon. A lot of information in one portal. We hope you are curious. Will keep you posted on Start Up date. Questions? Email tr******@*******i1.com.
Alex Weaver
Co-Founder / AgilitiONE
Alex Weaver’s career in the industry spans several decades. Experience with Used Equipment / Used Parts Dealers, 2 – Caterpillar Dealers and Caterpillar.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
You Only Have One Flashlight
You Only Have One Flashlight
Guest writer Sonya Law shares the importance of honing your focus and discovering your purpose. You only have one flashlight, and you need to be particular about where you shine that light!
What you FOCUS on grows.
When we focus on PURPOSEFUL work that we feel connected to it’s POWERFUL.
“Find clarity on what is your passion, focus on what gives you joy, it will bring you closer to your purpose, then align your life and work with it…” Sonya Law
Driven employees take ownership!
We know that feeling when we can’t wait to get out of bed and get working, we are energized by our work-day not the other way around. Commonly though most employees are out of step with what they enjoy.
We have all been asked to do things in our job that we don’t agree with but because of our position and responsibility we carry out the task. In Human Resources this is very common particularly in restructuring and redundancy situations. Tasks that leave us questioning why we do the work we do? Creates a feeling of emotional dissonance and we feel burnt out, broken and overwhelmed instead.
This isn’t always the case, when we carry out these tasks with humility, care and professionalism we create trust, respect and genuine connection with employees.
Why is this important? Because as leaders we spend a lot of time and money directing, delegating and managing the performance of others and what we need is driven employees to take ownership.
This is a journey of focusing on work that gives us joy and aligning ourselves with it!
Happy employees are fulfilled employees!
When we align our life with work that we enjoy we experience fulfillment. Our purpose is a cross section of work that we are good at and that we enjoy. As an activity we can reflect on our career to gain clarity on what work we enjoy.
This inquiry asks 3 questions:
Over the last 30 years I have talked with thousands of people about their career and they talk a lot about not feeling connected to their work and wanting something that makes them feel fulfilled and part of something bigger than themselves.
Because as we know from Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, once we have satisfied our desire for food, shelter and love, we want to experience self-actualization, to live our best lives and work is a big part of our life!
Leader as Coach – what is their role!
As leaders, we lean into the role of leader as coach and engage with our people in new ways.
When, we are given the privilege of a position in leadership it is a great responsibility, our IMPACT has a ripple effect.
As leaders we need to:
What are the attributes of a leader as coach?
Purpose is number one in the TALENT game!
Best Practice in Employee Value Proposition (EVP) in human resources and staffing is connecting people with their purpose. Organizations who focus on the following will retain and attract and develop top talent.
Purpose focuses us on what we are good at and what we enjoy!
Purpose is a cross section of both what we are good at and what we enjoy. So how do we know when we are connected with our purpose at work?
“We only have one flashlight and when we focus on PUPOSEFUL work that we feel connected to its POWERFUL”.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Friday Filosophy v.04.08.2022
Friday Filosophy v.04.08.2022
Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. Sagan argued the hypothesis, accepted since, that the high surface temperatures of Venus can be attributed to, and calculated using, the greenhouse effect. He testified to the US Congress in 1985 that the greenhouse effect will change the earth’s climate system. Initially an assistant professor at Harvard, Sagan later moved to Cornell where he would spend the majority of his career as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences. Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books.
He wrote many popular science books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Broca’s Brain, Pale Blue Dot and narrated and co-wrote the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. The most widely watched series in the history of American public television, Cosmos, has been seen by at least 500 million people in 60 countries. The book Cosmos was published to accompany the series. He also wrote the 1985 science fiction novel Contact, the basis for a 1997 film of the same name. His papers, containing 595,000 items, are archived at The Library of Congress.
Sagan advocated scientific skeptical inquiry and the scientific method, pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). He spent most of his career as a professor of astronomy at Cornell University, where he directed the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. Sagan and his works received numerous awards and honors, including the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for his book The Dragons of Eden, and, regarding Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, and the Hugo Award. He married three times and had five children. After suffering from myelodysplasia, Sagan died of pneumonia at the age of 62, on December 20, 1996.
The Time is Now
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
AgilitiONE
AgilitiONE
Alex Weaver’s career in the industry spans several decades. His initial job in the industry was with an independent used equipment – used parts company, White Tractor Parts in Blue Springs, MO. After several years of ground floor, learning the business, including how to chain a tractor to a trailer, he went to work as Assistant Used Equipment Manager for The Whayne Supply Company, Caterpillar dealer for Kentucky, in Louisville, KY. Later, promoted to Eastern Region Sales Manager. In 1979 he went to work for Crane and Tractor of Dallas, another independent used equipment, used parts dealer.
In 1988 He relocated to Charlotte, NC to work for the Caterpillar Dealer, Carolina Tractor. Initially holding the position of Product Support Sales Manager, later serving as General Parts Manager and VP of Heavy Equipment Sales. In 2002 Alex began work with Caterpillar, Inc, and relocated to Peoria, IL. Here he served as Sales Manager for the Eastern Region of Caterpillar’s Redistribution Company, CRSI, Inc, moving to the Reman Group, and later to the Caterpillar Used Equipment Sales, Inc before retiring in 2014.
With over 40 years of experience in the industry. As a retirement project, Alex and a partner created the concept for agilitiONE, including manually researching every company listed in our search engine/database. The great influencer working with all these companies, in various positions and segments, were the customers. The customers shared what they did, how they did it and how as a supplier you could help them do it. A great education in market wants and needs.
Imagine all Your Information Needs at Your Fingertips
Have you ever wondered why? Why there is no single source that lists all suppliers to the construction equipment industry? There will be soon. A fast, easy to use industry- specific search engine, or directory. Search for providers of new / used / and rental equipment. Search for providers of parts and attachments. Plus, service – providers, such as insurance, heavy hauling, software, business services, marketing, and consulting. Filter searches by brand, New, Used, condition, distribution source by brand, and zip code location. Search all industry parts providers in North America. Would you believe there are over 13,000 such suppliers / providers in our database?
agilitiONE was created by a team of construction equipment businessmen. Their background in the industry includes senior level management / leadership roles at both manufacturer and dealer organizations. Through extensive work in the field with construction equipment customers, they’ve gained a strong appreciation for the contractors’ challenges and needs. It is with this background that agilitiONE addresses those needs.
The agilitiONE website is the first true, industry-wide, product – wide, online platform / marketplace built solely for contractors to easily locate and purchase all job-related requirements. At attractive prices. All using a single IOS or Android app. Machines, rentals, parts, and services. Users of agilitiONE will find many new sources and viable options for all of their many needs.
agilitiONE is an online platform / marketplace where contractors and equipment owners will find multiple, new sources for the products, parts, and services they routinely buy, rent, and utilize. At the same time, industry suppliers can expand their sales reach by attracting an ever-growing larger clientele. And, manufacturers can further promote their brands, support their distribution, and collectively increase sales. agilitiONE is unique; there’s nothing like it in the industry!
Why is an industry specific search engine important? What is the benefit? Easy. You get your specific result faster and easier. Have you noticed that with the existing search engines, your answer may be down in a search results page or pages down? For instance, search for a turbocharger for a Volvo MTC85C skid steer loader. If you search by zip code, or within 100 miles of your zip code, you may get results for turbochargers for Volvo automobiles or Volvo Trucks. The search is interesting because Volvo is out of the skid steer business. The MTC85C was built for Volvo by JCB. The engine is Perkins, now owned by Caterpillar. But all you want is an exchange, rebuilt turbo. In agilitiONE a search for “turbocharger” returned 23 providers. Only 23 results, not thousands of non-search related results, that don’t apply to your search. A search on Google, also using “turbocharger”, turned up 64,000,000 results. Because our search engine is industry specific, our database only contains providers for construction equipment or related rebuilders.
How do you find all of the providers of Safety Equipment, that focus on the Construction Industry? A search of agilitiONE returned 109 providers that can be filtered by zip code.
Again, Google returned millions of providers. Our goal is “fast and easy” access to information.
In today’s work world, small contractors are accepting work further from their home base. Home base is comfortable. Providers are known. But contractors are also bidding more work further from home base. If there is a minor breakdown, how do you find the nearest hydraulic repair shop? Or if a contractor needs to rent a small excavator to finish a job. What provider is close to the work?
We know and understand the challenges of daily operations. agilitiONE will provide quick and easy information search related solutions for all contractors.
About Industry Services: Categories – Aerial Information/Data – Asset Appraisal – Asset Inspection – Associations/Trade/Industry – Auction – Builders/Commercial – Business Services – Certification Agencies – Construction – Consultancies’ – Contractor – Engineering – Financial Services – Financing – Freight/Trucking/Delivery – Governmental Agency – Individual Consultants – Insurance – Land Survey – Logistics – Manufacturers’ Representative Firm – Marketing – Oil Analysis – Opinion Survey – Project Management – Publishers/Publications – Safety – Software – Training/Education – Warranty – Drone Services – 3-D Printing
Our search engine is currently under construction. But it is coming soon. A lot of information in one portal. We hope you are curious. Will keep you posted on Start Up date. Questions? Email tr******@*******i1.com.
Alex Weaver
Co-Founder / AgilitiONE
Alex Weaver’s career in the industry spans several decades. Experience with Used Equipment / Used Parts Dealers, 2 – Caterpillar Dealers and Caterpillar.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Adaptability
Adaptability
Guest writer Alex Kraft tackles the importance of adaptability for all of us in our businesses, and our lives.
In order to Succeed you have to be Adaptable.
What do Nick Saban, Domino’s Pizza, and Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers have in common? Adaptability.
Every equipment dealer everywhere has uttered the words, ‘because that’s the way we’ve always done it’. I’ve heard it a million times and I may have said it once or twice. Adaptability is becoming a larger separator between the dominant players in an industry and the middle/lower tier companies. I’ve always been impressed by market leaders that continually work to improve and adapt to changing market conditions even when they don’t have much incentive to.
As a huge sports fan, I’ve always enjoyed the parallels between sports and business. Nick Saban is undoubtedly the most successful college football coach ever, having won seven national championships. For those who don’t follow college football closely, they may view him as a hard ass, but to me his success stems from a willingness to adapt. Saban’s early teams were the conservative type, focusing on suffocating defense and a run-first offensive approach that limited mistakes. No one could argue with the approach as SEC titles and national titles piled up. If there ever was a person who could rest on his laurels and point to the “this is the way we’ve always done it”, it was Nick Saban. But what makes Coach Saban a legend is that he’s never satisfied and he’s constantly seeking improvement. Even with his extraordinary success, he looked at the teams that beat Alabama and noticed similarities with their offensive schemes. The rules had changed in the early 2010’s to lean more towards the offense, specifically the spread passing scheme. Instead of being stubborn, Saban leaned into the new age offensive schemes and Alabama has become the most dangerous passing program in the country over the past 4-5 years (averaging almost 48 points per game!) with 11 1st round picks on offense since 2019. Football fans have all seen the examples of the legendary coach in his last few years struggling to adjust to rule changes, differences in athletes from prior decades, and the overall style of the sport. It creates this sad state where we all think to ourselves ‘the game has passed him by’. I don’t ever see anyone suggesting that about Nick Saban because of his incredible ability to be open minded and adaptable.
Domino’s Pizza was near bankruptcy in 2008 as its share price dropped below $3 per share (today it’s >$400 per share!) and they were losing franchise locations. This led to a few changes including the launch of some new products and a completely new pizza recipe. Next, they launched a campaign with a promise to deliver pizzas in “30 minutes or less”. When the competition just copied the program, Domino’s was searching for an edge. The true catalyst that changed the entire company’s future was their ability to adjust to the smartphone revolution and embrace digital ordering. In 2011, then-CEO Patrick Doyle challenged the internal team to create tools to allow customers to order a pizza while waiting at a stoplight. The average stoplight takes 17 seconds to turn green and Domino’s has 34 million different possible pizza combinations. Impossible? Quite the opposite. Anyone who’s ordered a Domino’s pizza in the past 5 years can attest to the ease at the entire process from order to receipt. It isn’t just about launching an ‘app’. Domino’s was at the forefront of the “pizza tracker”, along with experimenting with autonomous delivery vehicles and electric bike deliveries in certain markets. The Domino’s AnyWare program allows customers to order directly from consumer 3rd party ‘apps’, such as Slack, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, a text message, a Smart TV, or even a tweet! Today, over 60% of their orders come from digital channels. With such an intense focus on customer experience, Domino’s launched an ‘Innovation Garage’ to continually test and implement new ideas. This culture has changed the entire perception of the company, to where they are more often characterized as a tech company than their standing as the world’s largest pizza company.
Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers is a great construction industry example of adaptability. I just attended the big February sale in Orlando as I have every year since 2008. The RB Auction has become a destination, a networking event for so many in the industry over the years. One would think that a pandemic such as Covid-19, which brought ‘social distancing’ and outright travel restrictions would absolutely crush a company that holds in-person auctions, right? Wrong. Long before Covid-19 struck, Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers laid the foundation for online bidding at their in-person auctions. Ritchie introduced online bidding back in 2003, but it was their IronPlanet acquisition in 2017 that cemented their leadership position in selling equipment online. I was surprised to learn that prior to Covid, Ritchie’s online sales exceeded their in-person sales. Having been in this industry since 2004, I can’t imagine how much resistance RB must have had internally when the idea of selling used equipment online was posed. Especially for a company that started in 1958 auctioning furniture at a rented hall. It seems like a stroke of genius today with our current conditions, but those seeds were planted long before it was popular.
The 3 examples above are success stories. Unfortunately, there are plenty of examples of the opposite, of rigid companies like Blockbuster movie rentals. At its peak in the late 1990’s, Blockbuster had over 9,000 video-rental stores, employed over 84,000 people, and had 65 million customers. The story is well known now that Netflix basically begged Blockbuster to buy their fledgling operation in early 2000 for only $50 million. Blockbuster turned them down and today Netflix is worth $195 Billion, and Blockbuster is out of business. This is the ironic part to me: if I’m chasing a competitor, I’d want them to keep everything the same. Please don’t change. Yet that seems to be the trap that most in the equipment industry have fallen into. If you’re 3rd/4th/5th in market position and you’re not pursuing new ways to do business, what do you think happens next? No one just falls into a better market position by staying the same. Learn to adapt or you may just be holding a position for someone else to come and grab on their way up.
Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.
For our course lists, please click here.
Embracing Automation
Embracing Automation
Tonight, guest writer Jennifer Albright shares with readers the ways in which our “new normal” can bring about some positive change with embracing automation.
Embracing Automation in a Post-Pandemic Dealer World: Creating a Smoother Tech Implementation Experience.
As much as I think we are all tired of hearing phrases like “unprecedented times”, “pivot”, and worst of all, the dreaded “new normal”, the past 2 years have put a spotlight on how critical technology and adaptability are in the dealer world. Equipment dealers are as much about relationships as they are about selling and servicing equipment, so the idea of introducing a lot of technology may at first seem counterintuitive. But regardless of whether it’s the result of folks working from home during the pandemic or customers becoming more tech-savvy in general, we’ve reached the point where it isn’t as much of a choice as it is an inevitability. When done right, software streamlines back-end processes which can free up capital and reduce or refocus headcount, reduce opportunities for fraud, and can improve the customer experience making it easier to do business with you, thereby strengthening your relationships with your customers. A real win-win.
In my experience, dealers have often avoided implementing new technology…it’s time consuming, it’s disruptive, it can be expensive, and for many, change can be scary. However, the cost of not embracing technology at this point is exponentially more than the cost of the software itself. Yes, of course it’s time consuming and disruptive even under the best of circumstances, but there are many steps that can be taken in order to make it a better experience for all involved.
The Problem is a simple question…. Where to begin?
First, define what you’re trying to accomplish. You can opt to start small and automate a stand-alone process, or you can go all out and introduce or replace an ERP system. Regardless, you’re going to want to choose the right tech and the right partner for the job which starts with a formal RFP process. Use your selection criteria to create an RFP that can be sent to all participating suppliers, and create a scorecard by which your selection team will use to rate the responses.
The next step is one that is often overlooked, but is absolutely critical. Map your current processes and define where you want to be through the use of the new technology. By skipping this step, many dealers wind up simply forcing bad processes into the new system which is a recipe for failure. This exercise provides the GPS coordinates for where you are and where you want to be.
Involve your key stakeholders – don’t let system selection happen in a vacuum, seek input from the folks who are actually doing the tasks in question to shape your selection criteria. Far too often I see dealers excited by a slick sales pitch or demo and make decisions without comparing apples to apples, involving the right people or asking the right questions, which can of course cause issues when it comes to actually living with the new tech that they’ve bought. Technology shouldn’t be an impulse buy, but rather a business decision that has been reached through a thorough and structured approach. The preparation takes longer but it is well worth the time spent.
Once you’ve gathered the right people and created your RFP and decision criteria, reach out to the suppliers you wish to include in the bid process with your RFP documentation. Establish a single point of contact internally so that all suppliers are receiving the same information. Allow each supplier the same access to your team in the form of a demo and Q&A, and review their product using the scorecard that you’ve created. Taking this type of structured approach allows you to come to a decision based on facts and data as opposed to emotion.
Pro tip – be sure to also review the suppliers’ contracts prior to making a final decision. This way you don’t award the business to someone only to find that their terms and conditions won’t work for you.
Once you’ve decided on a tool and signed all of the paperwork, the hard work begins – or the fun, depending on how you look at it. Having an internal project manager is critical, as this person will herd all of the cats, ensure that everything is handled on time, and keep the project within budget. I’m often asked why the dealer needs a project manager when the software provider assigns one to the implementation. The thing is, those folks typically know their product but they can’t know your business like you do. This is where the input from your stakeholders is especially important, as they’ll be able to ask the right questions to ensure that the software is configured to meet your needs as a dealership.
Another critical aspect of the project that can’t be ignored is testing. Test every common scenario that your folks would face when using the software that you can think of. Don’t assume that everything will work the first time – the purpose of testing software is to try to break it. The more you can do to ensure that everything works prior to go-live, the less frustration your people will feel when trying to adapt to using it.
Last, but certainly not least, overcommunicate. Communicate early and often. Talk with your people about the purpose of the new tech and listen to their concerns. Reinforce what efficiencies they’ll gain, learn what frustrations they might feel, and listen. Given the long tenure of so many dealer employees, change can be challenging. While everyone can’t always have a say, most people just want to be heard. When people feel heard, they tend to be more accepting of change even if it isn’t what they wanted. Train, and provide ongoing training opportunities to ensure that folks are using the new technology correctly – and that new employees are learning to use it correctly versus falling victim to the telephone game.
New technology can open up a whole new world of efficiency and opportunity for dealers. There are so many tools created specifically for our industry, it’s pretty exciting to see how many companies are dedicated to our success. While it may not be a quick process, taking the time to define your needs and processes, assemble the right team, assign the right resources, test, and communicate will make your next implementation a smoother one.
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Friday Filosophy v.04.01.2022
Friday Filosophy v.04.01.2022
Alan Alexander Milne (18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, joining the British Army in World War I, and as a captain of the British Home Guard in World War II.[1]
He was the father of bookseller Christopher Robin Milne, upon whom the character Christopher Robin is based.
I thought he would be an appropriate choice for April 1st.
The Time is Now
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Find and Develop Skills
Find and Develop Skills
Founder and Managing Member Ron Slee writes about how we can find and develop the skills we need in life. He brings the idea of Ikigai to bear on this crucial and timely subject.
How do we find and develop the skills to provide us the best possible life?
I have written often about happiness. From the philosopher Tom Morris and his book Plato’s Lemonade stand to The Art of Happiness at Work it is clear I want people to be happy in their lives. This I find out is a Japanese word – Ikigai. It is a word that is the meaning of life. It is what gets you out of bed in the morning.
Ikigai is the center of a circle that touches on four basic elements.
This is a very simple graphic, isn’t it? I would like everyone to be doing what they love, what they are good at and what the world needs. And clearly you need to be paid for it.
One of my first clients in 1980 was a cancer survivor. His name was Ron Miller. He was an extraordinary man in his early 30’s who gave Caterpillar fits. He was the largest broker of Caterpillar equipment in the world. He hired me to put him in the parts and service business so that he could feel he was a pseud CAT Dealer. He was quite force. My family and I were living in Vancouver, BC and I was working for Finning Tractor. I was effectively, or not, running the parts business for them in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. We had fifty-three stores then and my job had become babysitting and politics and I neither liked nor was I any good at either. Ronnie successfully lured me away and that was the beginning of my consulting life. I remember as if it were yesterday sitting at the poolside in his building with my wife and daughter Caroline who was about four years old at the time. Ronnie had lost a leg to cancer and Caroline was fascinated with the “six-dollar man.”
I have met many gifted people in my life and Ronnie Miller was clearly one of them. He once told me that there were three words that he used to quide his life. Happiness, Effectiveness and Making Money. He said each day he tried to be happy and be effective and make money. I have never forgotten that lesson.
I am not as successful at living u0p to that as I would like but I continue to try. Notice he said “effective” not efficient. Two different words. He was all about doing the right thing. Not doint things right. That is a very telling statement. It fits into my mantra of doing your best, doing wha is right and honoring the golden rule. Simple things.
But let us return to Ikigai.
The British journalist Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called Outliers. In it he proposed that it takes 10,000 hours to be good at something and succeed at whatever it is. Aristotle said “We are what we do repeatedly.” There are many wonderful books written around the same theme. I was a swimmer in my youth. I swam hours and hours each day for years to get good at it. And I did get good at it.
When I started at a Caterpillar Dealership in Quebec, Canada, in 1969 I had the Senior partner from a consulting company spend one day a week, all day with just me, to show me and teach me about inventory management and systems. I had a passion to get good at what I did. Ad I did get good at it.
Along the way I had very talented people step up and help me get better at everything I did. Bob Kirk who was the “guru” of inventory management for Caterpillar took me under his wing. Larry Noe, one of the founders of Caterpillar Dealer Data Processing di the same. I don’t know why they did that but they did. Similarly, although later Roger Fay, who was responsible for the Caterpillar parts business in “Caterpillar Americas,” Canada, Mexico, Central and South America did the same. I will never forget those men. The truly “paid it forward.”
So, what was my passion? To do the right thing and to do things right. It started with swimming and my coach would watch where I put my hand in the water and wasn’t happy until I did it right. It continues today with everyone who influences my thinking about doing everything I do a little bit better. The “Kaizen” way.
That takes me to Professionalism. That is tough. It is a matter of opinion. I hate that. I don’t like opinions I like facts.
But let’s look at professionalism.
Professionals are:
As a consultant I have to be viewed by my clients in a specific manner:
Once have become established I have to have references that will attest to my skills. That is my professionalism.
Let’s return one more time to Ikigai.
I am passionate about what do. It shows. I love it.
I have a mission. I have goals and purpose.
I have to be professional.
I have to make money.
In my life, professionally and personally I live Ikigai. I would hope that each of you would be in the same place. It is not easy and there are many roadblocks. But don’t give up. It is worth the pain and struggle to get there. I promise you that once you get there you will be happy and life and long and fruitful life.
The Time is Now.
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Customers Value Their Time
Customers Value Their Time
Guest writer Alex Kraft talks about the importance of time, and how much your customers value theirs, as he continues to explore the ways in which technology has shifted our sales.
“No one will buy a $250,000 machine online”! “But this is a relationship business!” I’ve heard those 2 comments repeatedly. First, Ritchie Brothers and Bidadoo have sold Billions (with a ‘B’) of equipment online, as-is where is. The crowd that clings to those two statements are missing the greater point: the shift towards online transactions is due to customers placing more value on their time than ever before. Why fly to an auction site when I can bid or buy the machine online without any interruption on my daily routine? I was reminded of this the other day when I was speaking with a construction contractor who owns his company. His insight is incredibly relevant since he started his career as an equipment salesperson and therefore knows both sides of the supplier/consumer dynamic personally. When we were discussing the growing influence of technology in the equipment industry, he mentioned to me:
“As a salesperson I was trained to call on customers in person every day. Now that I’m on the other side, I’m always squeezed for time. We’re trying to grow our business. I’m out trying to land jobs for our people. I don’t have time to meet sales reps for a beer or go to dinner. It’s nothing personal… If I’m not in the office or on one of our jobsites, I want to be with my family.”.
This is a common refrain. It can be difficult to look at something through another person’s eyes, especially when it impacts you. But think about your customers and how many different vendors are trying to build that same relationship. For example, there are OEM dealers, independent dealers, rental houses, and service providers (auction companies, tire vendors, freight companies) all competing for that customer’s attention. My contractor friend told me that he is called on by 30+ different vendors in a normal month. This was incredibly eye opening for me, because I just assumed that it was just our dealership and our two biggest competitors that were calling on my friend.
There are positive and negative aspects of technology and its effects on our culture. I am amazed to see how many people will order a Starbucks coffee online to avoid the possibility of a five-minute wait. One could argue technology has made us impatient and has created some real first world problems. But there’s clearly a disconnect between construction customers and their vendors with how they want to interact. Customers are working on jobsites coordinating and managing large teams against tight timelines and budgets. Yet, equipment dealers encourage and push their sales teams to continue showing up unannounced on jobsites or offices with no real agenda other than ‘do you need anything?’ How is this productive and still part of the daily routine in 2022?
I’m not suggesting that customers don’t want salespeople to exist. The difference is customers want dealer salespeople when they want/need them. This is the definition of the ‘on-demand’ economy. It’s possible to build relationships with people while relying more on digital experiences to communicate. If dealers embraced these tools, their sales teams could be more prepared to serve their customers. Every interaction could provide value thereby strengthening the relationship instead of wasting each other’s time. Smart business is about listening to customers, and those that ignore this reality will probably create openings for their competitors that didn’t exist before.
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Friday Filosophy v.03.25.2022
Friday Filosophy v.03.25.2022
Patrick Jake O’Rourke (November 14, 1947 – February 15, 2022) was an American libertarian political satirist and journalist. O’Rourke was the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute and a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, and frequent panelist on National Public Radio‘s game show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! He was a columnist at The Daily Beast from 2011 to 2016.
He authored 16 books, including three that made The New York Times Best Seller list. The Forbes Media Guide Five Hundred, 1994 states, “O’Rourke’s original reporting, irreverent humor, and crackerjack writing makes for delectable reading. He never minces words or pulls his punches, whatever the subject.”
The Time is Now.
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The New Plague: Vacant Jobs
The New Plague: Vacant Jobs
In tonight’s blog post, guest writer Edward Gordon shares the new plague taking hold in our economy: vacant jobs.
“Hiring Now” signs are sprouting across the United States. Businesses can’t fill the tidal wave of empty positions. Many are not new jobs but replacements for the unprecedented number of 79 million baby boomers retiring by 2030. The largest number reach age 65 in 2022. This will be a terrible year for recruiters.
As COVID-19 restrictions have eased, job openings have soared. Since October 2021, the number of vacant jobs reported in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic’s monthly JOLTS report has remained at about 11 million. The latest report shows that jobs openings are high in many key industry sectors including:
However, many businesses for proprietary reasons or because of repeated failure to find qualified candidates, do not report their job openings. As a result, we estimate the current number of vacant jobs at between 12 to 13 million vacant positions.
People are reentering the workforce, but many lack essential educational qualifications or specific job skills. Too many Americans graduate from high school or even college without “learning how to learn” or failing to attain the math or literacy levels needed for employment in today’s in-demand career areas. Meanwhile technological advances across all industry sectors demand continuous education and training updates.
After assessing the current job situation, a Wall Street Journal analyst predicts, “If employment keeps growing like it has, by this summer the jobs market will either be extraordinarily tight, or excruciatingly so.” (March 5-6, 2022)
There is some evidence that American businesses have finally begun to increase their investments in worker training and education. But to produce more educated and skilled workers, systemic change is needed. If regional efforts do not grow appreciatively over the remaining decade, job vacancies will rise substantially. Our current analysis predicts that by 2030 there will be over 95 million empty positions globally with up to 30 million U.S. vacant jobs. The resulting economic and social upheaval will have dire consequences overseas and across America.
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