Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/117695
MANAGEMENT by John Zoller & David Bowen, Zoller Consulting, Inc. Dougie Doorman Finds Dealer-FIT Dougie Doorman was frustrated. He had just returned from a visit with his accountant. The accountant had shown Dougie that his dealership was barely pro���table in spite of higher sales. Dougie decided to call his buddy, Mortimer Operator Man in Chicago. Dougie had met Mort at a recent IDAExpo��� and they decided to stay in touch to talk about their respective businesses. Dougie: ���Mort, how goes the door business?��� Mort: ���Not bad Dougie, how goes it for you?��� Dougie: ���Well, I am frustrated. Just left my accountant and found out last year wasn���t nearly as good as the year before, but my sales were up. This accountant of mine drives me a bit nuts. All he cares about is making sure I ���le my taxes for the year. You know, federal taxes, state taxes, sales tax and all the surrounding town permits and taxes. By the time we ���nish the taxes, there is no time to talk about what is wrong with my business.��� Mort: ���I feel for you buddy. I have found accountants to not be very helpful in terms of ���xing my business. They just tell me what happened. I don���t know an account that has ever hung a door. They really don���t understand the door business. However, there is an answer. Since you are a dealer member of the IDA, look into Dealer-FIT.��� Dougie: ���Dealer-FIT? What is that?��� Mort: ���Dealer-FIT is an IDA dealer member service. It is a cost-of-doing-business report, but only for IDA member garage door dealers. Last year over 250 dealers participated. The ���nal report is a compilation of results from all participants. To make it relevant, the report is divided into groups according to size and by type of business.��� 68 International Door & Operator Industry��� Dougie: ���I am not sure about giving my con���dential information to these people.��� Mort: ���Dougie, that is not a problem. The ���rm that facilitates the survey is well known in the industry and there is a con���dentiality agreement signed by the facilitator that is the ���rst item of the online survey. Furthermore, when they enter your data into their program, the information is subsequently destroyed. Your information just helps to create averages when combined with the information of the other participants.��� Dougie: ���That sounds okay. How do I get into this DealerFIT thing?��� Mort: ���Just log on the facilitator���s website, www.zollerconsultinginc.com or go to the IDA website, www.doors.org. Click on the Dealer-FIT survey tab and start the survey. The survey covers a lot of subjects, but it only took me 30 minutes to ���ll it out. The fact that it is online is pretty handy. They even had a ���park it��� feature so if you get interrupted while you are ���lling out this survey you can stop and park it and then, when you have the time, bring it up again to ���nish it. You don���t lose the work you have already done when you park it. You just hit the bookmark and continue. Really, it is pretty cool.��� Dougie: ���Is that all there is?��� Mort: ���No, there is one more thing. You need to send in your income statement and balance sheet for the past year to the facilitators. After all, the Dealer-FIT Report is a compilation of ���nancial, operational and managerial characteristics of the garage door dealer. The facilitators prefer you send your ���nancial data, the income statement and balance sheet to them by email and in a PDF format. If you are not comfortable with your computer, you can have your accountant send it. If sent electronically, send it to john@zollerconsultinginc.com or you can mail it to Zoller Consulting, Inc., 1553 Cleveland Road, Wooster, OH 44691. If you have any questions, call John Zoller at 330-262-8500.��� Continued on page 70