End of Year Thoughts
If you are like me, 2011 seems to have absolutely flown by. Normally I might attribute this to me just getting another year older, but looking at what we, meaning c-Systems Software, accomplished this year; boy we have been busy! I hear the same comment from most Outdoor Power Equipment dealers too. Nearly all OPE dealers I’ve spoken with say they’ve been extremely busy and business has been very good this year.
Now it’s December and for many Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, this is the last month of their fiscal year. If you are in this position, hopefully you have made, or are starting to make, preparations for your “End-of-Year” and planning business strategies for next year.
So as we are nearing the end of the year, here are a few thoughts you may want to consider as you close out 2011:
Physical Inventory – Many dealers perform a complete inventory of their parts, wholegoods and units at end of year. If you have a very small dealership, this task may not be that daunting, but for most dealers, it is a royal pain! If this sounds like you, make this the last year you perform an annual inventory count. Next year implement cyclical or cycle inventory counts. This means setting a schedule to count small portions of your inventory throughout the year. Typically you may count the same products several times throughout the year, but the benefit is a more accurate inventory. There are many other benefits to cycle counting, though I think the greatest is eliminating the horrible burden of one huge count at the end of the year.
Reorganize and Redecorate – Evaluate you dealership. When you walk through the front door what do you see? Look at your store from the customer’s perspective; would you do business with you? Folks like to do business with dealerships that are clean and organized. Investigate better ways to display your merchandise. Same thing goes with your parts and service departments. Start stocking parts by bin location and place faster moving parts closer to the counter for easier access.
Create a Marketing Plan – Look for new sources of business and how to keep customers you currently have. Maintain a database of customer e-mail addresses. Ask for your customer’s e-mail address and post a form on your website to solicit addresses. Periodically, broadcast e-mail solicitations announcing special offers and events. With all of the inexpensive e-mail marketing products now available, broadcast e-mailing is a viable and necessary option to even the smallest dealer.
Finally, as we close out this year, I wish all of our customers, prospective customers, industry associates and friends, a wonderful holiday season and hope they have a prosperous and profitable 2012.
