Archive for category: Uncategorized

Proactive Parts Programs

May 7, 2012/in Consulting Services, Parts, Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

So let’s start the week properly.

For your parts business. Each and every customer phone call or customer counter visit we should be asking two questions. Every time.

What is the machine model and serial number for this parts order?
Who is doing the work for you?

With the model and serial number we can update the machine population records which we will discuss later and with the answer on who is doing the work for you we will know more about our competition. The time is now…

Germany Step 1

May 6, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

Merkel’s party lost a significant portion of their vote. Their junior partner did better than expected but not enough to secure a coalition majority. The real test will be on the 13th. The time is now.

A Greek Tragedy

May 6, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

Well the early returns indicate that both parties that led the country back from the brink with austerity and international bailouts are being punished and that there will be no clear winner in the election today. This will cause further turmoil. Isn’t that what is needed now? Not.

We are witnessing a “New Reality” which I believe is equally significant as was the Industrial Revolution. Shifting demographics and shifting economic stories are leaving politicians in the unwelcome position of have to deal with the truth of their past sins. It is interesting that we are all being bought with our own money (albeit it borrowed) at the polling booths. The past several decades labelled as the most successful in human history have brought great successes to a much broader segment of society but it appears as if it has all been done with smoke and mirrors in an unsustainable fashion. But that is clearly above my pay grade and not within my realm of expertise. The time is now.

Tempting Conclusion

May 6, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

In the absence of a clear decisive leadship people will do what they think is the right thing.

Bennis says that “good leaders are not outsiders who cheer on a group. They are part of that group, integrated deeply into its fabric and emotional life.” This might give some insight on France. “Someone who views himslef as an outsider or as above other members of the group can almost never succeed as a leader.” Going further he says “If there isn’t a deep connection, a real fit, the group will either eject the leader or destroy itself in the attempt.” Interesting thoughts for the times. The time is now…

France Decides – One down five to go

May 6, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

We will be embarking on potentially a new direction involving more spending and more debt. I wonder how the markets will react. The time is now.

France, Greece, Serbia, Germany, Italy and Armenia

May 6, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

Today is a very significant day in Europe. What with the orbit of the moon putting us the closest we have been in decades and the earth shattering potential with European elections everyone should be tuned in to the results. Expect the unexpected and the continuation of the kicking the can down the road to future generations. Perhaps even in Germany. The time is now…

TED.com

May 5, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

How did you like the Perspective talk?

Life is pretty simple isn’t it? It is people that screw it up.

The time is now….

France and Greece

May 5, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

This should be an interesting weekend. Growing up in the sixties – the “if it feels good do it” generation – I suspect that the people in both countries will be in denial – a different form of “hope and change”. France should elect a Socialist for the first time in a long time who is promising higher taxes on Companies and the High Income Producers and in Greece there is talk of fringe parties gaining and wanting to leave the eurozone or renegotiate the recent bailouts. Oh my. I wonder when the adults will show up?France with government spending at 56% of GDP will be the most instructive to me. The youth should be hopping mad at the actions or inactions of the “adults” in power almost everywhere. The time is now…

First Weekend in May

May 5, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

Another beautiful day in paradise here and I hope the same is true where you are too. Enjoy your family time and refresh.

The time is now..

Perspective is Everything – Rory Sutherland.

May 4, 2012/in Uncategorized/by learningwithoutscars

Check out TED.com. Look for Rory Sutherland – perspective is everything. You will find the time spent quite interesting.

The time is now.

TESTIMONIALS

The Digital Dealership – Where we are now?

Guest writer Mets Kramer updates us on where we are now in this continuation of his series on The Digital Dealership.

Next week, at the AED Summit in Orlando, I’ll be presenting the Digital Dealership concept in the education series. During the hour we’ll have a chance to dive more deeply into some of the topics I’ve presented over the past year. Even more exciting, we’ll get to have open discussion.

The Digital Dealership will focus on the transformative impact of information, expectations and the new channels of engagement with customers and your audience.

Over the past 2 decades we’ve seen a massive shift in the business models of many different industries. We’ve also seen the impact of a changing demographics as new generations come into the working world and as the world of digital communication broadens. The result is a growing gap between the old approach to business, and the younger generations. The old approach to business was built by the older generations who are also, frequently the most senior managers. The newer generations, who are often the buyers, have their own expectations on how they want to carry out business. This collision of generation, technology and expectation creates both the most significant opportunity to differentiate and grow, and the highest risk to existing dealerships. In the past decade alone, we have seen major retailers and corporations lose decades or even a century’s foothold in their industry. Gone are companies like Borders and Blockbuster, and JCPenney almost joined them. Numerous others have simply failed to keep up and been relegated to the margins. Each of these companies failed to react to clear changes in the industry and buyer expectations, while their competitors did.

There are clear differences between the companies that failed or succeeded. Those that succeeded have several things in common. First, they saw the change in the market and buyer’s expectations and changed their business model to address these changing conditions. Second each of these companies started to understand the importance of information to their business and learned how to apply it. Finally, these companies applied these first 2 points to their entire business, they didn’t make it a bolt on to their existing business, which remained operating in the old way.

The first point is probably the hardest to grasp as it’s a combination of 2 inputs each effecting the other to produce an exponential rate of change in buyer expectations. In today’s business world we have 3-4 generations comprising our teams. With some of the last Baby Boomers still in the work force and often in the most senior positions, Gen X is now well placed throughout organizations, the Millennials are getting a strong foot hold in decision making and now Gen Z is entering the workplace. All this means we have some people who started in the corporate world before any computers existed and, at the same time, we have new entries into the business who have only known a world with smartphones and internet. How these different generations see the realm of possibilities couldn’t be farther apart. I’ll admit, I’m in the generation that thinks if the internet goes down, in a store, they should switch to handwritten bills and take cash, but that makes me old. Some people have never seen this type of POS terminal, it’s completely foreign, so they would avoid a store that still uses it. Furthermore, our youngest generations have always been able to find the information they needed, when ever they wanted. When they wanted something, they can order it from their phone. This collision of generational experience gap and changing expectations will drive the fastest change in business to business buying and business process we have ever seen. Change we’re already seeing in other industries.

Information has both contributed to the prediction of change and the resetting of expectations in all areas of commerce. Many of the most admired and referenced companies in our world have been the best at applying information and technology to their business, vaulting them over competitors, or blasting from obscurity to relevance. Information, and more importantly the analysis and application of information, has allowed organizations to foresee changes in the business. They have fine tuned their operations to trim waste and better apply capital. Furthermore, the analysis has driven action and change. Change in how companies engage with their customers and meet their customers’ growing expectations. While personal relationships and partnership remain a cornerstone of any business relationship, the expectation for partnership now includes deeper integration and focus on improving the transactional efficiencies. Information has inspired a massive improvement in understanding the drivers in a buyer’s decision making. It has highlighted the small differences in presentation and product definition that impact sales. The best competitors have combined this insight with a growing database of customer data to capture increases in total sales and market share.

When the acceleration of changing expectations come together with information, we see the genetics of the best of the best organizations. Those “Most Admired”. These organizations have used the information they are collecting daily to see the growing rate of change coming from new generations, and new expectations fueled by technology, social media and digital systems. They apply this analysis to all aspects of the business, changing the structure of the organization. In some industries we’ve seen long standing businesses either change or be replaced by new entrants who understand what a modern organization need to be. For dealers in our industry, both mainline OEM and independents, it’s no longer adequate to meet these changes with partial measures. Your website can no longer be a billboard, your social media engagement can’t just be advertising, your parts department can’t remain a “call for availability” or a “call to place an order” department. Your sales department won’t survive on “call for details”. The growing rate of changing expectations is your opportunity to succeed.

Each one of you have no doubt worked with family-owned contractors that saw a change in generational management. The original owner handing the business to their children came not just with a change of faces but came with changes in the approach to business relationships, focus of the business and new expectations on your role and how to be a partner.

The Digital dealership looks at all these items in more details. We will also look at actions any dealer can take to assess the impact of these changes in their business. We will look at what actions can be taken to implement new approaches to the business and remain a leading competitor in the field.

If you’re going to AED, I look forward to seeing you in the Digital Dealership session, and if you’re not, I’ll continue to develop the details in this blog series.

Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.

For our course lists, please click here.

January 12, 2022

Friday Filosophy v.01.20.2023

Friday Filosophy v.01.20.2023 offers quotes and words of wisdom from Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to Watteau."

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France, in 1841. His father, Léonard Renoir, was a tailor of modest means, so, in 1844, Renoir's family moved to Paris in search of more favorable prospects. The location of their home, in rue d’Argenteuil in central Paris, placed Renoir in proximity to the Louvre. Although the young Renoir had a natural proclivity for drawing, he exhibited a greater talent for singing. His talent was encouraged by his teacher, Charles Gounod, who was the choirmaster at the Church of St Roch at the time. However, due to the family's financial circumstances, Renoir had to discontinue his music lessons and leave school at the age of thirteen to pursue an apprenticeship at a porcelain factory.

In 1862, he began studying art under Charles Gleyre in Paris. There he met Alfred Sisley, Frédéric Bazille, and Claude Monet. At times, during the 1860s, he did not have enough money to buy paint. During the Paris Commune in 1871, while Renoir painted on the banks of the Seine River, some Communards thought he was a spy and were about to throw him into the river, when a leader of the Commune, Raoul Rigault, recognized Renoir as the man who had protected him on an earlier occasion. In 1874, a ten-year friendship with Jules Le Cœur and his family ended, and Renoir lost not only the valuable support gained by the association but also a generous welcome to stay on their property near Fontainebleau and its scenic forest. This loss of a favorite painting location resulted in a distinct change of subjects.

Hoping to secure a livelihood by attracting portrait commissions, Renoir displayed mostly portraits at the second Impressionist exhibition in 1876. He contributed a more diverse range of paintings the next year when the group presented its third exhibition; they included Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette and The Swing. Renoir did not exhibit in the fourth or fifth Impressionist exhibitions, and instead resumed submitting his works to the Salon. By the end of the 1870s, particularly after the success of his painting Mme Charpentier and her Children (1878) at the Salon of 1879, Renoir was a successful and fashionable painter.

In 1883, Renoir spent the summer in Guernsey, one of the islands in the English Channel with a varied landscape of beaches, cliffs, and bays, where he created fifteen paintings in little over a month. Most of these feature Moulin Huet, a bay in Saint Martin's, Guernsey. These paintings were the subject of a set of commemorative postage stamps issued by the Bailiwick of Guernsey in 1983.

Around 1892, Renoir developed rheumatoid arthritis. In 1907, he moved to the warmer climate of "Les Collettes", a farm at the village of Cagnes-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, close to the Mediterranean coast. Renoir died at Cagnes-sur-Mer on 3 December 1919.

An artist, under pain of oblivion, must have confidence in himself, and listen only to his real master: Nature.

The pain passes, but the beauty remains.

Art is about emotion; if art needs to be explained it is no longer art.

To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful, and pretty, yes pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.

One must from time-to-time attempt things that are beyond one's capacity.

One morning, one of us ran out of the black, it was the birth of Impressionism.

Regularity, order, desire for perfection destroy art. Irregularity is the basis of all art.

Nothing costs so little, goes so far, and accomplishes so much as a single act of merciful service.

Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.

Work lovingly done is the secret of all order and all happiness.

I would never have taken up painting if women did not have breasts.

There are some things in painting which cannot be explained, and that something is essential.

Photography freed painting from a lot of tiresome chores, starting with family portraits.

When I've painted a woman's bottom so that I want to touch it, then [the painting] is finished.

The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself, carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion; it is the current which he puts forth which sweeps you along in his passion.

I like a painting which makes me want to stroll in it.

There are quite enough unpleasant things in life without the need to manufacture more.

The advantage of growing old is that you become aware of your mistakes more quickly.

The Time is Now.

Did you enjoy this blog? Read more great blog posts here.

For our course lists, please click here.

January 20, 2023