Ideal Invited as Business Management Software Provider for High-Performance Service Department Pavilion at Upcoming GIE+Expo

Cedar Rapids, IA – September 1, 2010 – Ideal Computer Systems, the leading provider of business management software for Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, has once again been invited by Bob Clements International to be the official software provider for their High-Performance Service Department pavilion at this year’s GIE+Expo. The expo takes place October 28-30, in Louisville, KY.

This year’s High-Performance Service Department will focus on inventory control, teaching dealers how to discover “hidden treasures” in their parts department. Ideal representatives will be on-hand to help educate dealers on ways industry-specific software can help them gain control of their inventory as well as all other areas of their business including service, customer management, sales & invoicing, accounting, purchasing, and reporting.

“I thought the High Performance Service Department was a big success last year and we look forward to tackling inventory control in the High Performance Pavilion this year,” said Dennis Haefner, president of Ideal Computer Systems. “It is an honor to be chosen to participate again as the Business Management Software company in the pavilion.”

Bob Clements International, regarded as one of the top consulting firms for OPE dealers, is once again heading the event. New to this year’s pavilion will be dealer panel discussions led by Clements and featuring pavilion sponsors. Joining Ideal as pavilion sponsors are ARI, Ariens, Briggs & Stratton, Cub Cadet, Heftee, Husqvarna, Hustler Turf Equipment, Kohler, Schriller Grounds Care, Stens, and Stihl.

“We are trying to provide an environment at the GIE+Expo that shows dealers what the possibilities are for their Parts Department,” said Bob Clements, president of Bob Clements International. “Having a good business management system along with the right organization and good processes will catapult their dealership to new heights in profitability.”

In addition to the High-Performance Service pavilion, dealers may also view Ideal’s software and speak with company representatives in booth #5004 at the GIE+Expo.

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About Ideal Computer Systems, Inc.:

Ideal Computer Systems is recognized as the leading provider of business management software for Outdoor Power Equipment dealers. With 25 years of proven experience, Ideal has helped thousands of OPE dealers manage their business more efficiently while boosting profits. To learn more about Ideal, visit www.idealcomputersystems.com

About Bob Clements International, Inc.:

Bob Clements International is a consulting firm that specializes in the development of high-performance dealerships. The organization works hands on with dealerships throughout North America, helping them attain the personal freedom and financial wealth all owners strive to achieve. You can learn more about Bob Clements International by visiting www.bobclements.com

What Does A Dealer In the Outdoor Power Equipment Industry Expect?

Ideal Computer Systems sat down with Rod Schutzman for an eye-opening interview with a successful OPE dealer that gives insight into what manufacturer reps’ clients really think of them- and why.

Rod is the owner and general manager of Midway Outdoor Equipment in Hiawatha, Iowa. He has been in this industry basically all my life, but has been involved with managing his business since about 1986.

Ideal: What upcoming changes do you see for the industry?

Rod: There are a lot of changes going on in the industry. There’s more competition, I don’t know that that’s really new, but it’s more prevalent now because of shrinking margins. Business owners have to really concentrate on the service end to generate more service dollars, generating more parts business, and maybe becoming a little less dependent on whole goods sales and being very competitive in whole good sales.

Other changes I see in the industry are utilizing more and more of the new technology, the types of things that Ideal is offering in their business management systems in terms of generating reports and just having the tools necessary to manage the business.

Ideal: As a dealer, how many different reps do you work with?

Rod: There’s basically one for almost every manufacturer, plus additional parts suppliers. There’s probably 10-12 that we primarily deal with on a regular basis.

Ideal: By regular basis, what do you mean by that? On average, how often do you meet or talk with these reps?

Rod: That varies, most of them of every 30-90 days.

Ideal: We had a conversation recently in which you mentioned that reps tend to fall into one of three categories: nuisance, friend or ally. Describe each one. How does each one differ from the other?

Rod: A nuisance would be someone comes in and wants to talk about everything except business, who doesn’t know the answers to questions or doesn’t at least try to find the answers, and doesn’t follow up. They don’t add much value; they simply come in and take up time.

A friend is someone you like and enjoy spending time with but may still not be the most helpful in terms of representing a line or helping you in business in general.

An ally is involved in our business, they help us grow our business, help us manage our inventory, and assist with a lot of different issues. The people who do those things are going to be a lot more successful with dealers.

The other thing that’s really important that a successful rep does is to call ahead, to be respectful of my time and let us know that he’s going to be coming in at least a day or two in advance. Or if he’s running late give us a phone call and let us know. I think that sometimes they forget that being in a retail environment we have to manage our time to handle business operations and it’s not convenient to have someone drop in unexpectedly.
There may specific problems or questions I have and I haven’t had a chance to gather those thoughts for our meeting.

In my mind one of the main duties of reps is to make sure that we have the latest promotional programs. It’s important because if a dealer carries multiple lines it can become very confusing to keep-up-to-date with the latest programs, promotional pricing, and retail financing because those programs tend to change almost monthly.

During our busiest months, if a rep is physically here it’s very nice to have them set up some equipment, fill in our missing spots on the floor, and make sure that our price tags and hang tags are current.

It’s a good idea for the rep to check our stock levels and help us identify as a supplier to us if they have issues or problems as far as their stocks or supplies. Help us manage our inventory, especially if there’s a supply problem. Also, if we’ve got some old stock that we’re having problems moving help us move it.

Reps can help with problems in sales, invoicing from suppliers, warranty or service issues. The reps won’t always have those answers, but if they can at least get us to the right people and then follow up to make sure that they were resolved. They are our main point of contact and it’s easier for them to follow up than anyone else.

Ideal: If you could give reps one piece of advice, what would it be?

Rod: Well that would be a two part answer for me. Value my time and follow up.

Question of the month: As a manufacturer or distributor rep what is your biggest obstacle to professional success?

In order to get a feel for the issues that OPE Reps face, Ideal posed the following question:

“As a manufacturer or distributor rep what is your biggest obstacle to professional success”?

The responses demonstrated a wide range of concerns …

“The lack of a one stop shop, a complete knowledge bank for industry information like parts look-ups.”

“The apprehension that dealers have in the economy.  People fixed a lot of tired equipment last year and dealers are still ordering accordingly”

“The resistance within the industry to change.”

“The amount of competition that has sprung up over the past few years”.

“Dealers not being able to get financing.”

“Fewer dealers and therefore less opportunity.”

“Organization.  I didn’t grow up with computers so I’ve had to learn over the past few years how to keep everything organized and integrated with my computer and phone.”

“I wouldn’t say that it’s the economy, it’s actually doing fairly well in our industry (OPE).  I’d say it’s competition, it always has been.”

“Dealerships having a hard time retaining good people.  They tend to lose them due to lack of pay, lack of training, or just better opportunities”.

“Retail financing”.

“A lack of good customer service from dealers”.

“Dealers that don’t use their computers effectively.  Too many are computer illiterate and many won’t even check their email for weeks”.

“The biggest obstacle for me is always the weather”.

“The financial well-being of my dealers.  Things aren’t as bad as last year, but it isn’t getting a lot better yet”.

“Half the time my job is like cat herding because everyone has their own little issues that need to be dealt with”.

NEWEST Version of Ideal Business Software Provides Outdoor Power Equipment Dealers with the Latest in Cutting-Edge Technology

Cedar Rapids, IA – April 1, 2010 – Ideal Computer Systems, the leading provider of business management software for Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, is pleased to announce the release of Ideal 7.0 – its most powerful software to date.  Included in this new version is the ability to Schedule Appointments, view Key Performance Indicators on a mobile device, and finance deals with a fully-integrated F&I (Finance and Insurance) package.

“We’ve taken the leading business management software in our industry and just made it even better with the release of Ideal 7.0,” said Dennis Haefner, president of Ideal Computer Systems.  “With the ability to schedule all of your daily appointments and view daily metrics on a mobile device, we’ve immediately saved drastic amounts of time and improved efficiency for the dealer.”

But utilizing some of the new features included in Ideal 7.0, dealers will be able to…

-  Streamline their process for scheduling Work Orders, pickups, and deliveries.

-  Plan automated routes for pick ups and deliveries.

-  Keep tabs on key performance indicators of their business via mobile device from any location.

And much more!

In addition, Ideal 7.0 now includes an optional, fully-integrated F&I package – perfect for any OPE dealer that wants to finance their own unit sales.  The F&I package is loaded with money-making features including an exclusive Menu Selling Option feature that allows dealers to provide several different plans and payment options for their customers to work with.

“For anyone who uses F&I, or is looking to introduce it to their business, our new F&I module is an excellent fit,” said Haefner.  “We spent several months working with F&I specialists to make sure this package was the very best for dealer success.”

For more information about Ideal 7.0, you can request a free demo and information kit today by calling 800-737-1620 or visiting www.idealcomputersystems.com

Ideal Announces Enhanced Integration with CODIS-Enabled Distributors

Cedar Rapids, IA – March 30, 2010 – Ideal Computer Systems, the leading provider of business management software for Outdoor Power Equipment dealers, is pleased to announce its enhanced integration with CODIS purchase ordering.

Ideal’s interface allows dealers to send electronic purchase orders to any distributor that uses CODIS. After the order is placed, the dealer will receive a response detailing the status of each line item. In addition, the dealer can also check availability on parts directly from Ideal’s Purchase Order screen, saving time and eliminating the need to go outside of the software.

“We’ve had an interface to CODIS for many years, but the new capabilities that we have been able to add through CODIS’s enhanced interface is a significant step forward,” said Dennis Haefner, president of Ideal Computer Systems.

Distributors that are CODIS-enabled include AES Lawn Parts, Atlantic Power, Central Power Systems, Engine Warehouse, Gardner, General Power Equipment, Gardner-Connell, Magneto Power, Medart Engine, MWE, PES, Power Source Canada, Preferred Power, RBI, and SEDCO.

For more information about Ideal and its CODIS interface, you can request a free demo and information kit today by calling 800-737-1620 or visiting www.idealcomputersystems.com

Ideal now has F & I!

• Control your full sale process by being able to handle the financing yourself.

• Quickly and easily print standard forms including title & registration, odometer statement, disclosures, insurance, warranties, etc. – and customize forms to your specific needs.

• Easily print the correct forms with Ideal’s form prompting feature.

• Provide a one-stop shopping option for your customers, so they don’t have to go through separate channels to buy a unit.

• Offer your customers more competitive loan rates based off the relationships you form with lenders.

• Get more deals approved based off the relationships you form with lenders.

• Conveniently swap Buyer and Co-Buyer with the click of a button.

• Add multiple units to a single deal.

• Easily accept a trade-in of a unit previously purchased by selecting it from the customer history rather than having to re-enter all of the data.

• Streamline your sales process because your entire transaction is integrated into your Customer History, Accounts Receivable, and optional Accounts Payable and General Ledger modules.

And much more!

Ideal’s new F & I package also features a Menu Selling Option that will easily help improve your customer service! With this great new feature, you’ll have the ability to show customers all of their different payment options on a unit from one location. Simply preview the Menu, and you can show the Cash Option, Finance Options (for three different term lengths), and Lease Option all on one screen!

If you would like to experience Ideal’s new F & I package, along with other great features in Ideal, contact Ideal today at 800-737-1620.