THE POWER SOURCE

April Showers Bring May Flowers It’s true that April rain is much needed for an awesome start to the year. I’m not sure where you are located but here in MN we are starting to have indications of an early spring. The snow has melted, and birds are chirping. Temperatures are slowing beginning to rise. In other words, spring is finally on the way! If you placed a Medart Spring Order, congratulations. Not only are you ready for the season, you are locked into the freight program until next year. And you are ready for the first lawnmower of the year (pretty sure you have already seen that) and then prepared for more and more. It was a year ago we started to see a shut down like we have never seen. If you watched the news when the Coronavirus began, you could see that although it was in China, the rate it traveled through the rest of the world, it was coming here. At that time we had no reason to think we would see businesses fold, remain in place orders, and someone determining if you were essential or not. The reason I bring this up is because 1 year and a couple weeks later, we are slowly starting to see things open back up. This means people are not as fearful to go out and live a somewhat “normal” life. That means you might see more people in your store once again. Your customers are being vaccinated and want to get out and shop. Are you ready for that? Continue to have safeguards for those that have fears from the virus. Allow masks, even though you may not personally wear one. If you can have sanitizing sprays, have it easily available for your customers. Medart still has cases of hand sanitizer in stock if you need it. You need to figure if you will allow people to sit on the showroom tractors again, if you stopped allowing for that. The economic re-opening may be as hard as the shutdown. When May rolls around in 30 days, we hope your business is busy. We hope you will remember us for most of your product needs. Medart has over 80 product lines now. We’re sure you can find some items that you will need. We have fuel additives, gas in a can, filters, spark plugs, engines, grass catchers, grass mulching blades, and so much more. Welcome to our NE dealers who are getting this newsletter for the first time.

We have a lot of dealers that re-ceive the newsletter. The reviews are good. If for some reason you don’t want to receive the news-letter any longer, simply go to the bottom of your email with the newsletter link and click unsub-scribe. It is automated and you are removed immediately.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Pg. 1

• Supply Issues Are True.

• News You Can Use Pg. 2

• Sound Off Results

• Editors Comments

• March Poll Link Pg. 3-6

• Update On Medart Transition

• Medart Holds Virtual Sales Meeting

Pg. 7

April Product Spotlight

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Take time to thank your employees. Without them we are nothing.

Original Toro parts mean your customer will feel confident having the same parts that were used to build the

product. Talk to your Medart TM about original Toro parts.

The Medart product line catalog will be hitting the streets soon. This amazing catalog is great as a reference tool

too.

If you are a Kohler Rental Partner, ask your Medart TM for information on a Kohler contest. You won’t regret it!

Our new Greenworks Commercial Program will be out soon. If you are in NE, IA, ND, and SD you are able to buy

from us. Be sure to talk to your Medart Territory Manager as soon as possible to secure your spot with the dealer

network. With predicted upcoming shortages and the focus on Green products, this product line should be one of

your more successful lines. A new work UTV, 60” Commercial Zero-Turns Ride on units, and more consumer

mowers will help add to your success.

From all we can see, curbside service is going to be around a long time. What other ways have you re-invented

yourself during the pandemic?

Our new Greenworks Commercial program has a very nice floor plan from TCF. We know this will be a game

changer for those that take on the line.

With the shortages discussed above, be sure to have parts in stock. Consider the shortage on steel, resins and

other raw materials. May want to ask your Territory Manager about the immediate stock and availability.

WARNING 2021 Supply Issues Are Real

It’s going to be a hit and miss year for supplies in 2021. We are hearing from major suppliers which we sell (and don’t sell), that 2021 will be a tough year for making products. Almost every small engine company in our industry is pre-paring for shortages of component parts. Steel and resin are two other reasons we will see shortages not seen in a long time. If it makes you feel any better, aluminum cans are also in high demand. However, this will not make you feel better because a can shortage means your beer maker may not have enough to go around. Along the same lines, soda compa-nies are also in need of cans but far worse is the shortage of carbon dioxide, which gives your Coke the fizz. In addition, families that had to cancel vacations due to Covid-19, did more things at home. One of those popular things was to invest in a swimming pool. And what do you do around your pool when it is completed, you add mulch and beautiful landscape around or near it. You guessed it, shortages of gardening soil, mulch, and firewood may slow the beautification work down. Moral of the story, stock up now while you can. We aren’t making any of this up. Constantly prepare yourself and your staff to have alternative solutions ready. If you don’t, you may find yourself with lower than normal sales. Please take this months poll and let us know what your seeing. We’ll share the results with you in the May newsletter.

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BECAUSE YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

Are You Having Supply Issues?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/55FF6HJ

Click on the link to take our April Poll

1.) How long have you been turning wrenches?

1 year or less 0

2-5 years 0

6-10 years 0

11-20 years 5.45%

Over 20 years 87.27%

Other 7.27%

More Poll Results and Comments on page 4-6

Comments From Question 1

• Since 1974

• 50 years still turning wrenches and a computer?

• Since I was 6 years old, so 60 years.

• Over 20 years for me, my son 1 year, he just came into the business after 1 year power sports program.

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2.) What are the biggest challenges for you?

Lack of training on new objects 18.18%

Lack of training on websites required to file warranty 3.64%

Industry changes are hard to understand 5.46%

Lithium training is inadequate 12.73%

EFI training is inadequate 9.09%

Not sure where to get the help I need 10.91%

Other 10.91%

Comments From Question 2

• Hiring help

• Training is always the key, problem is time to do the training, we always have work to do and stop working on customers repairs to do training is a tough decision, then training gets left behind again.

• Good employees wanting to work.

• Keeping up with the box store mowers. We are only working on brands we sell

• Finding qualified help

• Demands from OEM suppliers

• Finding someone to take overt the business

• Lack of qualified technicians to grow service department, are now turning work away.

• Not lack of training, not sure if I want to do it.

• Trying to keep up with all the service (less and less of us to do the repairs

• Trying to use the new parts look-up, DMS

• Being able to get the training and remember where to find the information in manuals or online

• Should not need to be trained on a warranty site. Should be straight forward

• The lack of communication from vendors when changing the websites and changing things and not sending out communication out to the customers

• Want to retire soon, so deciding how/when/what-business and building, parts inventory separate????

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3.) How much longer will you wrench?

Less than 1 year 5.45%

2-3 years 14.55%

4-5 more years 9.09%

6-10 more years 32.73%

Are you kidding, I am young and will do this at least 20 more years! 23.64%

Other 14.55%

Comments From Question 3

• As long as it is still fun and interesting to me.

• My wife is 11 years younger than me. I’m going to have to work right up until noon the day of my funeral!

• Selling business to another person

• Keep on going until we can’t go anymore!

• Will oversee repairs until I retire

• As long as I can get along with the customers

• I don’t get much time in the shop anymore but I will continue as long as the Good Lord allows me

• At age 66 it may end tomorrow who knows

4.) Is there anything you would like to see from Medart regarding training?

• Online accessible types of videos and training courses work great. I'm a one man shop and being able to complete training when my shop is not open is definitely a plus.

• Live training, not webinar bull ****. Hands on, not sitting in front of a computer in your bathrobe.

• We, as independent lawn equipment dealers are working and staying in business on such close profit margins on the machines that sell the most. As a business person, I became more aware of the amount of shipping costs and a substitute parts program other than OEM. Too much difference in price, but quality can be a concern

• Online library to go to in spare time to do at your own pace.

• Make things easier so that extensive training is not necessary. Especially when it comes to Kohler warranty.

• It will be nice to go back to in person service schools

• Can you train our customer they’re not always right?

• Service manuals for MTD products

• Require online training

• Monthly training events recorded that a technician can go on any time

• Continue the effort. All info is appreciated.

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Editors Notes: Thank you for taking the time to do the March newsletter poll. I am curious if anyone, seeing these results, had the same fear as I did for hav-ing qualified techs in the near future? For those techs taking the poll, 87.27% have been wrenching for over 20 years! To put that into a dif-ferent perspective, in the next 3 years 20% plan to retire or get out of the role of technician. In the next 10 years that number jumps to over 61%. I thought about your comments referencing the lack of qualified technicians and immediately saw a possible Armageddon in our indus-try! In the first question of this survey, no one checked that they had been a technician until it got to 11-20 years which was only 5.45%. I am honored that years ago I was asked to serve in an advisory role to Alexandria Technical College in Alexandria MN. This is one of the premiere programs for small engine technician training. In a typical year there are 30-35 students, maybe 10% would stay in our industry with others going to marine, diesel, motorcycle, and UTV/ATV shops. Those numbers are the same for other small engine programs too. Keep in mind this is a problem with the industry not the programs. As you know more than anyone, the pay lacks some luster when you are starting out. However, just yesterday a dealer friend said when he started turning wrenches a man told him that he would never get real rich but he would make good money. Money. That word doesn’t always equate to being happy. Being happy means doing something you love and if you make money doing it, all the better. One comment from the survey said it best, “as long as it is still fun and interesting to me”. It is clear that we have a split when it comes to live vs. webinar. As long as we have seasoned technicians, we will continue to have webinars and live seminars. Being able to have those recorded for a technician to go back and review makes the webinars valuable. For the live events, having the audience questions asked, and answered, in real time is a plus. Sharing information amongst your peers is priceless. Sorry, if you put a comment about anything other than training or training related, it was left out. I get it, there are still dealers upset about the change of ownership and some policies. If you can be patient with us, I am sure you’ll be pleased with some upcoming changes to DMS. Freight programs are not being discussed right now. However, you are extremely important to our business and we need to discuss all pain points. To start that conversation, talk to your Territory Manager. If that can’t create the solution, he/she will escalate it to their boss. Last week we sat in a week long virtual sales meeting. It was different and we all got a feel for what you go through when doing online train-ing. I can say that despite being a week long, there was interaction from the TM’s that sparked very good conversation. We may need to con-sider open conversations on the future service webinars. It would allow for the dialogue you get by attending a live session without the travel. Even when listening to a recorded version, there needs to be a link to ask a question. The answer should go out to the entire audience when it is answered. You will notice a small “sticker” that says “Best Of The Best”. That award sticker goes to the author of the comment that read “My wife is 11 years younger than me. I’m going to have to work right up until noon the day of my funeral!” I am giving you the top comment award as it is the best I have seen since doing the polls! Keep them coming, we all need some humor. The countdown to the busy season has started. May the powers of the lawn and garden leaders point you towards happiness and success. Thank you for your business and thank you for your comments.

4.) Is there anything you would like to see from Medart regarding training? Continued

• Wait until COVID is over and then we can decide Electric Equipment

• Keep Mark Geraets and Brian Jones on the payroll they are a wealth of information

• If you need to have training for filing a warranty, there is something wrong with the warranty site (not a fan of Kohler new system)

• More online training, it’s very convenient

• Live schools again, but not in spring.

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Medart Engine Holds Spring Sales Meeting

Spring is a great time to hold a sales meeting and each year we start out the season with product knowledge and demos. 2021 was a little different. We still had a full week worth of speakers but there were no demos. The meeting was held virtually and went off very well. You will be pleased to know your Territory Manager is up to date on some new product knowledge. We thank the factory representatives from Kohler, MTD, Troy-Bilt, Oregon, Hydro-Gear, Prizelawn, Liquitube, Ambrogio, and Efco. Some lines were taught by Medart personnel. Each year we have sales trainer Paul Reilly go through ways for us to be more valuable to you, our business partners. If you haven’t done a virtual meeting and are thinking about doing one, here are some tips to make the experience better. 1.) Have a non-alcoholic beverage of choice. 2.) Grab a snack. 3.) Turn the volume up so you can hear. 4.) Put a do not disturb sign on your door. 5.) Put on your thinking cap. 6.) Pay attention by not doing other things during the training. If you can do those things, you will have an outstanding webinar.

An Update On Our Transition To Medart Engine

Back in May of 2020, Medart Inc. purchased CPD from John Schaller. Since that time, we have been working hard to make the necessary changes to be one company. A buy-out of this magnitude is not an easy transition. There are no switches to flip to make everyone happy. We continue to make progress each and every day to make your buying ex-perience one that you want to come back to each and every time you need something. A new freight policy has been the topic of conversation with many of you as is the driver, the Spring Order Program. We want you to buy from us. We also want to have open conversations about some of our policies you question. 80% of you are fine with what changes have been implemented, 20% are not. In most every case that there has been an open conversation, we have come to a conclusion that suits both of us. However, if it is a one-sided conversation, nothing is accomplished. As more changes take place we will bring them to you via your Territory Manager or the newsletter. DMS 2.0 is a high priority and we have a team working on specific changes. Many of those suggestions came from you. Thank you as always for your business and your quest to make us better. Together, we are better.