http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index.cfmThe latest headlines and articles from the AEDFoundation.org Scoop.(c) 2012, Associated Equipment Distributors. All rights reserved.5In order to develop your business you need to develop your employees. Employees need to have a complete understanding how your business runs and what they can do to help it succeed. This includes the knowledge of how develop a business plan, how to anticipate competitors' actions, how to look at...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928397Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT The AED Foundation congratulates faculty and staff of the Diesel Technology Department at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College on receiving AED Re-Accreditation of its Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technician A.A.S. degree program. AED Accreditation is based on rigorous national technical stan...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928398Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTWebinar: Proactive Strategies to Manage Rental Risks June 5, 2012 2-3 p.m. CDT At the AED Spring CFO Conference on May 3-4, rental was certainly the hot topic of the event. For those of you who were not able to attend the conference the AED Foundation is bringing one of the major discussion poi...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928400Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTParts Profits: An Organizational Perspective; Webinar Presented by Rich Jilek Webinar: Parts Profit Disbursement - Parts or Service - A Question of the Budget Process June 12; 10-11:30 a.m. CDT Everyone at your distributorship works toward the same goal, how to increase the bottom line. Each...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928377Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTHave you considered that the measure of successful managers is their abilities plus a desire to reach their full potential? You may currently have managers who are eager to achieve their promise. To compete today you need skilled managers who are full of ideas, employ industry best-practices and ...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928378Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTAll sales people will agree: How you communicate with the customer is critical to making the sale. Great sales people know how to present themselves and how to treat the customer to keep them. Not all customers are easily won over. Defensive selling is a talent you acquire. Learn how to connect w...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928359Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Christine Corelli Webinar: Hiring and Retaining Quality Employees June 7, 2012 10-11:30 a.m. CDT Managing and motivating the younger employee can be one of the most challenging situations a manager faces. How in the world do you get optimal performance from someone in the "younger ge...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928360Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTOn April 12, 2012, The AED Foundation's Technical Training Committee (TTC) met in Oak Brook, Ill. This dedicated group of volunteers is composed of representatives from AED member dealers and manufacturers, and AED Accredited college technical programs. The TTC is an advisory committee to the Fo...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928361Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMTA webinar in negotiation, communication and good customer service No matter what part of the dealership you come from, your ability to negotiate plays a crucial part in your ability to manage operations and drive profit. Negotiation ploys requesting discounts and concessions will rear their ugly ...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928306Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTApril 15-21, 2012 is National Volunteer Week! National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It's about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges ...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928307Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTSince 2005, AED University has raised the bar in manager training by offering AED Certification in Branch, Parts, Service and Rental Management. Today the list has grown to 56 managers who can proudly say they have achieved AED Certification. The list of those enrolled in the program is ne...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928285Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTThank you to all the 2012 The AED Foundation Annual Fund Campaign investors. You made it possible for us to surpass our goal of $260,000. The success of this campaign means that The AED Foundation can continue move forward with the current goals of establishing AED accredited schools, enhancing the ...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928286Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Steve Johnson A question was asked in a research study several years ago, "Why do customers leave your company?" Everyone has their own anecdotal evidence amassed through years of being in the business. However, please read on – you may be surprised at the results. To start,...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928287Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTThe one of the only groups within an equipment dealership that allows a business to differentiate itself from the competition in the market is the Service Department. Don’t you owe it to your business to do all you can do enhance your service department? Take the first step and join industry e...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928249Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTAED's CFO Conference allows distribution executives and managers a chance to sit down with the financial powerhouses of the industry. Get up close and personal with experienced experts to discuss the financial issues that matter most in today's market, including the No. 1 issue: Rental. H...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928250Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT It's been a little over five years since www.AEDCareers.com was launched in October 2006. You may be interested to know that this AED Foundation student recruitment website, which focuses specifically on the AED dealer technician career opportunity, had almost 48,000 visitors in 2011...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928251Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMTThe skill for selling is taught – not inherited or passed on. The veteran sales person will tell you when the old doesn’t work anymore, and then it’s time to learn something new. The economy is ramping up and new sales skills are needed to compete in the new market. Don Buttrey, th...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928231Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTThe AED Foundation is here for you today because of industry leaders who, over the past two decades, built it to be a strong resource in workforce development and industry-specific professional education. They had the knowledge and foresight to invest their hard-earned money in The AED Foundation&#3...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928232Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTThe local equipment distributor group chapters in British Columbia and Ontario have both been recognized with the 2011 Founders Awards. Each year, AED local groups compete for the honor, which is based on outstanding leadership and contributions to AED and the equipment industry. This includes but i...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928233Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTIt's much more expensive to have untrained employees stay with you than to spend money to train them. It's up to you to make the right choice. With the help of AED University, the expense to train your parts and service team is at a minimum when you register one manager or 20 to view a prese...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928203Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTJoin the AED Foundation in welcoming our three newest Board members: Dr. Wayne Longbrake, former dean, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Sonja Metzler, Ohio CAT; and M. Keith Tippett, Kirby-Smith Machinery, Inc. We greatly appreciate their investment of both time and treasure to support The Founda...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928204Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Don Shilling, General Equipment & Supplies, Inc., Fargo, N.D. Ronald Reagan once said, "Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we're in.'" And that is so true when it comes to increasing the pool of qualified diesel technicians. Many dealers in our industry ha...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928205Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTYour customers are your business. Let's face it, if there were no customers there would be no business. You must be doing something right because you are still in business after the last few years of economic turmoil. No matter what you are selling, customer retention is of the utmost importance...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928185Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTIs your company participating in the rental market now more than ever? If so, don't you owe it to your team to give them the tools to survive today's competition? If you want your entire management team to expand their knowledge on rental operations then The AED CFO Conference for Financi...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928186Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Steve Johnson Over the past year, I've written a number of articles on dealer workforce development. I've presented ways dealers can "grow their own technicians" and take control of their own workforce needs. In many of these articles, "workforce tools" were ment...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928187Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTHave you noticed the economy is showing signs of recovery? Intense competition is gearing up. A new sales strategy is required to create a strong sales force to reach your company goals. No matter what the state of the economy, sales training is needed and in today's equipment marketplace it req...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928150Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTWe are almost at the end of The 2012 AED Foundation's Annual Fund Campaign. There are still many of you who have not given yet. Maybe we haven't given you a good reason–yet. You are probably wondering: how did my contribution last year benefit my company? Or if I do contribute this ...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928151Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Steve Johnson Continuing professional education is one of the pillars on which The AED Foundation was founded on in 1991. This pillar was taken to another level in 1999 when The AED Foundation Board of Directors launched a national campaign to advocate self-directed learning for employees of d...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928152Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTShow your parts and service departments how you value their loyalty to you  by helping them grow their skills. The transition we have undergone from a market place driven by goods and services to a marketplace driven by relationships is what has carried you through these toughest of economic...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928126Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTToo often, dealers ask their employees to increase sales and profits without considering how they can institute changes within the organization. By changing the way you look at performance reviews and providing appropriate training and education, you can prepare your staff to succeed and to meet you...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928127Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTBy Steve Johnson More and more, I'm reading about how hard it is to find technicians; the interesting thing is that I'm not necessarily reading about the equipment industry. It goes a lot further than that. Virtually everyone with businesses that require some type of maintenance are in th...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928128Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMTSix weeks into 2012, are you speculating how the economy will play out for the rest of the year? Take out the guess work and join Eli Lustgarten, six-time Wall Street Journal All Star and member of the Institutional Investor All-American Team for more than two decades, as he gives his expert anal...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928094Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMTA more professional, productive and profitable parts and service operation is necessary for the distributors in the capitals goods industries to be successful. To assist in the development of this management team, Ron Slee has designed a series of training courses aimed at enhancing the skills of th...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928095Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMTMike Rowe Speaks on the Skills Gap in the Trades By Mary Knapp, Career Development Advisor Dehryl A. Dennis Technical Education Center; AED Accredited High School On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Mike Rowe, from television's Dirty Jobs show, visited Boise, Idaho, to address educational issues as...http://www.aednet.org/aed_foundation/articles/index_full_story.cfm?id=10928096Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT