Our blog has a mix of articles written by our founder, Walter McDonald, and by other industry experts, business owners, and equipment dealer team members. Learn about everything from marketing ideas to tips for successful branch operations to how to retain customers—and everything in between!
By Walter J. McDonald
Machinery dealers today focus on improving profitability, cash flow, market share, andcustomer service and retention. Because machinery distribution is such a complex business, this can be a daunting challenge. A machinery dealership is really five or six very different businesses, often loosely connected by an information system. So, what is the best way to look… Continue reading How Do We?
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By Walter J. McDonald
What Does It Take to Successfully Compete in Today’s Machinery Distribution Business? Here Are Four Areas That Are Essential to Your Success. Data Analytics for Sales and Marketing Strategy Over the past decade there has been extensive research conducted on machinery business end- user customer relationships. A key finding was the discovery of which aspects… Continue reading Guiding Principles
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By Walter J. McDonald
STRATEGY answers the question where and how does “the general” (dealer ownership) position their scarce and costly resources? Your overall Strategy includes the fundamental set of decisions that must be made and made properly for the dealership to survive and prosper. A Proper Strategy enables the Dealer to achieve business objectives with greatest efficiency at… Continue reading Strategic Thinking for Dealers
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By Walter J. McDonald
Where are your equipment sales going to come from next year? Today, there are exciting NEW tools that help you identify a very large percentage of these potential sales way before they happen. The machinery and equipment industries have changed significantly since we were given a price book, shown how the machine worked and were… Continue reading Dynamite Tools to Build Deal Visibility
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By Walter J. McDonald
In my 7-volume Master’s Program book set, and in these Newsletters, we have been discussing useful and highly effective tools to build machinery market share. In this article, we summarize and prioritize essential market share building tools to help you achieve a dynamite 2021. Gaining equipment market share requires a lot more than just having… Continue reading Building Machinery Dealer Market Share:20 Essential Components of Success
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By Luke Sheppard
The sharp end of the stick. The lightning rod. The business end of the OEM. However you choose to describe the role of the OEM Regional Manager, their importance in the mutual success of the dealer and OEM is indisputable. The role of OEM regional manager is not an easy one, and success is anything… Continue reading About Dealer Development:The OEM Regional Manager’s Guide
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From initial planning to analyzing the results Marketing seems simple: you’re just spreading the word about your company, right? That doesn’t take much skill, right? Wrong and wrong. Marketing requires more than just putting together an email or writing an ad. Marketing is a nuanced, multifaceted process that can overwhelm even the most successful business… Continue reading The 6 Basics You Need for Successful Marketing
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By Walter J. McDonald
One of the most frustrating and costly problems in a machinery dealership is multiple visits to a field service account before the problem is fixed. The technician drives 2.25 hours to the site, finds that he doesn’t have the right part(s), so he drives 2.25 hours back to the dealership, hopefully gets the right part(s)… Continue reading Right Part First Trip: Improving Field Service Technician Productivity
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(by Walter J. McDonald, paperback, 402 pages, 2021)
TABLE OF CONTENTS DedicationForeword by John VandyList of Figures and TablesGuiding Principles for this ProgramWhy You Should Read this Book by Steve RossPrefaceAcknowledgmentsSpecial RecognitionIntroductionThe Master’s Program in Dealer Management (8 volume set) Part One: The Master’s Program–Dealer Management Processes 1. The Big Picture Part Two: The Master’s Program–Operations Performance Metrics 2. Managing the Dealership Overall… Continue reading Achieving Machinery Dealer Management Excellence
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The Executive Program in Machinery Dealer Management
Our McDonald Group Instructor-Led Distance Learning Executive Program is a private, personalized management development curriculum designed for machinery Dealer Leaders and OEM Regional Managers. Key Program Features: Quantitatively Benchmark Operations against High-Profit Dealers. Audit each Dealer Sales, Rental and Aftermarket Operations against our high-performance dealer checklist. Identify and discuss the critical success factors that contribute… Continue reading Sharpen Your Dealer Management Skills for 2022
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