Troy Ottmer: Does Your Business Need a Check-Up?
IEDA Podcast
When we don’t feel well, we can take our temperature or go for a checkup. When our car is not performing right, we can check different gauges and look at various fluids and things. But is it possible for a dealer to perform checks on his/her equipment business to determine if they’ve got any operational problems? This month’s guest, Troy Ottmer, has been diagnosing and treating operational issues at equipment dealerships for about 20 years, and his overall industry experience is twice that long. He’s an expert worth talking to when it comes to helping dealers identify potential areas...
info_outline
Stephanie Smith: Wildly Effective Ways to Ignite More Sales
IEDA Podcast
Your customer is on a journey – are you helping or hindering their progress toward a sale with you? In this month’s episode, our guest tells you how to attract more equipment shoppers to your business and clear the speed bumps that cause them to go somewhere else. The first thing Stephanie Smith, founder of , wants you to know is that marketing doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. She’s going to help you tackle your marketing stumbling blocks and provide you with simple tips that produce shockingly effective results. Best of all, you’ve already got the most powerful tool in your...
info_outline
Nancy Proffitt: Peeling the Onion
IEDA Podcast
Buckle up for a deep dive into management with this month’s guest, Nancy Proffitt, fresh off a standout presentation at the IEDA Annual Meeting! A powerhouse in sales and operations, she’s packed with management wisdom and ready to share her playbook for construction equipment dealers. As a speaker and business coach, Proffitt has helped transform businesses—including a $6-million dealer that scaled to over $200 million. In this episode, she shares invaluable insights on trust (and what erodes it), the top three reasons employees leave, and how a business coach can uncover blind spots...
info_outline
John Dowling: Make Your Service Department Make More Money
IEDA Podcast
We’re kicking off 2025 with a bang! In this episode, CE product support expert John Dowling shares game-changing tools to make your service business more efficient and profitable. Surprisingly, it all boils down to one critical element: the paperwork. Drawing from a lesson taught by a gunnery sergeant during his Marine Corps days, John highlights why same-day service reports are just as crucial as fixing the machine itself. If your business services customer equipment, chances are bottlenecks in your processes are costing you significant money every month. John’s passion for helping...
info_outline
Mets Kramer: Breaking Down a Powerful New Tool for IEDA Members Only!
IEDA Podcast
For our final podcast episode of 2024, we welcome Mets Kramer to the mic! Mets is the mastermind behind the new IEDA app, and in this episode, he gives us an in-depth look at how this innovative tool will transform the IEDA membership directory into a powerful, user-friendly digital resource right at your fingertips. Tune in to discover where to download the app and how it empowers you to manage your company profile in real-time. Plus, find out how you can easily connect and communicate with other members with just a few clicks. Our conversation also takes a fascinating detour into key...
info_outline
Brad Spitzer: Rental and Used Sales Trends
IEDA Podcast
Much of Brad Spitzer’s expertise can be summed up with three R’s: Rouse, Rentals, and Real-Time Insights. Yet, there’s so much more to the Director of Client Services at Rouse Rental Insights. Brad, a dynamic voice in the industry and a featured speaker at the IEDA Midyear Meeting in Nashville, brings an unmatched perspective on market trends in used and rental construction equipment. In this episode, we explore Brad's deep dive into the drivers behind earthmoving equipment rental utilization, the latest trends shaping rental rates, and his forward-looking insights into where those rates...
info_outline
Milissa Wise: Mexico, Marines, and Machines
IEDA Podcast
Much of Milissa Wise’s life can be summed up with three M’s: Mexico, Marines, and Machines. Yet, there’s much more to the owner of , an IEDA member distributor. Milissa has built a strong, well-respected brand among resellers and end-users throughout Mexico, as well as Central and South America. With 600,000 Facebook followers, her equipment ads consistently receive “overwhelming” responses. In this episode, we explore her unconventional business model, her insights into her customer base, her journey into the equipment industry, and the lifestyle-friendly approach she chose,...
info_outline
Shawn Bonnington: Augmenting Your Customer’s Experience
IEDA Podcast
VizaLogix Augmented reality is an actual reality for construction equipment dealers today–no big ARglasses required. This could be the disruptive service your business needs to differentiate yourself from buyers and rental customers. A software called TethrIT Now from VizaLogix uses your customer’s cell phone (whether Apple or Android) to get immediate video access into a machine failure event, so your technician can either help your rental customer solve it remotely or know exactly what to bring for a field service call. Every interaction is recorded, timestamped, and archived. In this...
info_outline
John Andersen: The Dealer with the Most Data Wins
IEDA Podcast
Dealer software expert John Andersen has worked with equipment dealers for many years to become more efficient, savvy, and competitive. He does this by putting his deep knowledge of equipment distribution together with his great expertise in dealer management systems. And it’s an equation that is always a win-win for dealers. John’s 35 years of experience with PFW, ADP, e-Emphasys, CDK, and now as a consultant for DIS, puts him in a category of 1. For the next half hour, listen in as John and Kim identify dealer pain points and explore the key to remaining relevant through adopting...
info_outline
Luke Powers: Stayin’ Alive – The Customer Parts Predicament
IEDA Podcast
One fleet manager has estimated his company loses $112K every day a machine is down. If your customers had a theme song, it would be “Stayin' Alive,” because their No. 1 priority is keeping their iron running. To do so, they need parts–and fast. But besides speed, they also need an easier path to their dealer’s expertise and an overall better buying experience. Luke Powers, founder and CEO of , says contractors don’t want to shop online for the parts they need–they want and need the expertise of their local dealer, but they want faster access to you. Listen in as he...
info_outlineToday’s customers have much more of a “self-serve” mindset in terms of how they prepare and educate themselves long before they talk to you. The Internet has shortened the sales cycle, but it hasn’t removed the valuable role of the sales person. What customers want and need from you is transparency, honesty, and continued insight about their jobs and the right machines.
What you need to figure out is how to harness the Internet so you show up when and where the customer is, providing what they’re looking for without just “shouting into the void.” And don’t overlook your own website!
You may recognize this month’s guest, Clint Lawing. He is a regular (and phenomenal) columnist in the IEDA “Independent” publication – but his day job is associate vice president of digital performance at MediaOne. Clint emphasizes the fundamental importance of having a strategy with digital marketing and letting it guide you in your marketing decisions.
Where do you need to show up online? What do your videos need to be like? How do you put together the words people will read … especially if you’re better at talking than writing? These questions and more are answered in this month’s conversation with a guy who knows his stuff and knows how to share it in plain English.
Produced By: Social Chameleon