Complete Outdoor Power Equipment Dealer Software

The only dealership management system made by OPE dealers, for OPE dealers.

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30+ years of industry experience

2500+ dealers

96% of dealers have never switched from Ideal

Automate Your OPE Dealership Operations

Dealerships are busy places. Ideal helps you control the chaos.

Lessen the impact of supply chain disruptions

  • Purchase parts for less by sourcing them from other dealers in your area
  • Locate used and hard-to-find parts
  • Liquidate old stock by making it available to other dealerships
Learn more about Parts Locator

Don’t leave parts revenue on the table

  • Never miss a manufacturer price list update
  • Know with confidence that your profit margins are being met
Learn more about our Manufacturer Price Lists

Safeguard your system against cyberattacks

  • Protect your data within a highly secure environment, maintained by a team of network security experts
  • Significantly reduce the time and money it takes to maintain your business system by letting Ideal handle it for you
Learn more about Ideal Cloud

Put an end to phone tag at your dealership

  • Communicate with customers using text messaging
  • Send targeted promotions that work
  • Offer text-to-pay convenience
Learn more about TargetCRM

See a Demo

Take our online product tour to see first-hand how Ideal can help you run your dealership more efficiently.

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Get a Quote

Find out which payment option fits your budget best: Traditional Purchase or Financing.

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Outdoor Power Equipment Business Software Frequently Asked Questions

What three numbers, by department, do I need to be looking at the inside of my dealership? 

Service:

  • Recovery Rate for Department = Total Billed Hours / Total Paid Hours 
  • Tech Efficiency = Billed Hours / Actual Time Clocked On the Work Order
  • Average Completion Time for Shop = Total Completed Work Orders / Total Actual Time
  •  

Parts:

  • Fill Rate Out of Stocking Inventory = Total Parts Sold – Lost Sales, Special Orders, and Emergency Orders / Total Parts Sold Goal: 85 percent to 90 percent
  • Average Transaction Time = Start-to-Finish Time with a Counter Customer
  • Parts Margins

Sales:

  • Average Sales per Salesperson = Total Sales / Number of Salespeople
  • Touches per Salesperson = Minimum of Twenty per Day
  • Closing Ratio = Customer Quotes / Sales Transactions

 Where should I start after I put software in my dealership?  

Don’t try to change everything at once! Determine where you want to start with the changes in your dealership. While you will be training on all aspects of the dealership with the software eventually, you need to dive head-first into one part and become a master of it.

How should I respond to the current inventory situation? 

  1. Hold those margins: Don’t only hold the margins, but raise the margins on your units. Most of the dealers we are working with are adding an extra 3-5% margin onto their units in stock.
  2.  
  3. Let your customers know that you may not get more: One of the most powerful things you can do to maintain customer loyalty is be honest about the current situation. Letting them know that if they are thinking about getting a unit, now is the time to decide.

  4. Maximize parts and service: Having a conversation with customers about doing annual or bi-annual maintenance on their units to keep them in peak performance is more critical than ever. This keeps them up and running and allows you to have fantastic revenue.

How much money should I be spending on marketing?

When we think about marketing, most dealers fall into one of two categories: the 3% category or the 5% category. 3% or 5% of ALL revenue you generate should be going towards marketing. If you opened your dealership in the last five years or brought on a new major line in the previous five years, you will be in the 5% category. If you opened your business more than five years ago and haven’t brought on a new major line or moved locations in that time, you will be in the 3% category.  

Will you be able to convert the data from my current system into Ideal?

Depending on how current and accurate your data is, if you can run a report and export it into an Excel spreadsheet, we may be able to import your data into Ideal. Often, one of the main reasons someone looks for a new business system is because they can’t trust the data in their current system. If the data is no good in your old system, the last thing you want to do is bring it into your new system.

How can I increase my profit margins to make up for the rise of inflation?

Make small markups (1-3%) on parts sold through the service department for unit repairs. Meanwhile, encourage the sales department to upsell special order addons when selling a unit.

Is it worth having integration with a credit card provider and who do you use?

  • We are currently integrating with GravityPayments, which used to be known as ChargeItPro. They are a leader in the industry & very well known.
  • Perks of integrating within your DMS are fewer clerical errors when your staff is doing end-of-day, monthly reconciliations, and more.
  • There is no charge for a conversation to see what rates they can offer you and possibly beat what you are getting now from your current service provider.
  • Sure, we always want to help and shop locally but at the end of the day when it comes down to business, credit card charges aren’t going anywhere, and we need to make sure it’s as affordable as possible to keep margins maximized.