Good morning, and welcome to today's webinar. Our speaker today is Bobbi Lanyon from AIGA Safety. Before I turn it over to Bobbi, I'd like to let those of you who are live with us that you may submit questions during the webinar via the Q&A tab at the bottom of the screen. This webinar will also be recorded so that you may watch or rewatch on your demand at your convenience. With that, I'll turn it over to Bobbi. Good morning, everyone. As Katrina was so gracious, my name is Bobbi Lanyon. We're in the Lehigh Valley. It's a little cloudy and everything today. This is a very interactive format. If you have questions, please feel free to interrupt. I prefer that, or either you can also text the questions to that cell phone number that's on the screen. A little bit about us, we are a company that manufactures safety equipment for mobile machinery. What that means is we started out about 22 years ago with the first hydraulic access system for dozers, graders, scrapers, haul trucks. Five and a half years ago, we moved everything to the US. I've been here 20 years. Now we fabricate and produce everything in America. We're a family-owned business. We really believe in promoting life and productivity. That's why we manage, manufacture, and distribute cutting-edge, simple safety equipment for mobile machinery. Our big why is so that family members can go home each day, can be around the dinner table together, so that also we can help companies. We just believe in being a partner with companies that run equipment so that we can maximize the safety while we do not believe in slowing down productivity. We want to maintain or increase operational efficiency in the field and in the shop. A couple of, sorry, I'm a little technically challenged. Some clients that we serve, we have the leading safety practice for motor graders for Newmont, Rio Tinto. We supply BHP and FMG. These are mining companies that are around the world. Stateside, we have leading safety practice for CRH North Americas and some other mines there, D2 or Gold. That is now, that's gone through a bunch of different hands. That's Agnico Eagle. Today, we want to talk about how dealers influence the safety of their customers. This is something that we sell some of our product lines through a dealer network that we actually started through the AED members a couple of years ago. This is something that we've taken our products that really work in the mining industry and we've brought them down to what we would call medium, small construction equipment, road construction, site development, that kind of stuff. One thing that we've really wanted to do was to help our dealers make a difference in the safety of their customers because products are just products. You can buy products from anywhere. We want to talk about how a dealer can create an added value proposition to any customer by becoming a partner to them in the realm of safety. As I've traveled throughout the country and we work with a bunch of different companies, a common thread that I've noticed is that safety is confusing. I believe it's unnecessarily expensive and that contractors, both small and medium, struggle to give appropriate time and energy to safety. I've seen business owners, GMs, maintenance managers try to balance this profitability of a company with trying to install and implement safety products and procedures. Really what it comes down to is everything from toolbox talks to morning calisthenics to daily harness inspections and expensive video cameras, GPS tracking. It just becomes a really confusing space for pretty much everyone. It would be easy if there was a standardized SOP, but there's just not. With guys like Rio Tinto Bauxite to Montmerry Aggregates to a Pennsylvania anthracite coal, it's so different. One thing I have noticed is that all these companies recognize that safety is important and they give kudos to the creed, but yet because implementing safety is seemingly such a daunting and confusing task, to find a practical balance that also keeps production levels profitable, safety becomes the afterthought. My belief is that there's a void of confidence solutions in the marketplace. I think that positions a local dealer, a regional dealer to step in and become a resource for that customer. As a business owner myself, we've always got a million things to do. I often say no to a lot of potential opportunities just because we have so much going on with what our current business strategy is experiencing, our growth strategy. As a local dealer, I want you guys to realize a few of the following. This is some of the things that have come up in conversations with me is that you have to have a certified safety professional. I think that's a misconception. You have to have all the answers. We know that's not true. You have to invest significant capital. Money's not cheap as it used to be. You have to invest time to create content and things like that. If these are things that you have thought through, that these may be some speed bumps, some hurdles that you're like, I don't know how to find a CSP, first of all. With all the customers that we have and all the varying applications and sites and contractors and that kind of stuff, we don't have all the answers. A lot of my capital, I might be in a building project, I might have my capital all tied up in equipment. These are things that I want you to just think through, well, maybe there's another way. If these are the misconceptions that you may have, the reality of becoming a valued resource to a customer is that you can achieve a coveted position with your customers without significant resources, without significant allocations of time. Because first of all, I'm sure that in your region, there is a company that would love to partner with your dealership to provide some added value to a company. There are safety consultants everywhere. It doesn't mean that they're all good, but it can provide some insight and it may be someone that you would consider kind of bringing into your fold so that you can bring their time and their resources in under your umbrella as an added value. Secondly, there are subscription services that you can white label, you can put your name on it and share it with your customers, again, positioning yourself as a resource for your customer. And when it comes to products, we'll talk a little bit more about it later, holding significant inventory is a thing of the past. I mean, we've all kind of seen that consolidation of supply chain where even certain OEMs are saying, no, we're going to keep it in our warehouse and we'll ship it overnight or second day or something like that so that you don't have to hold it in your warehouse. But the goal is to create partnerships that you can leverage to be the resource for your customers. So we've talked about some misconceptions, we've talked about what the reality of what this is, I want to talk a little bit about what a desired outcome is. And again, what we're talking about is how can the dealer promote safety and become a influence, safety of your customers. So the desired outcome, as you are the dealer that you would want to achieve by becoming a safety influence for your customer, is that, you know, we all know that companies become more productive and you can, with safety, increase safety and safe confidence, safety confidence. When safety confidence is elevated, companies do become more productive. We don't want this to be just a transactional relationship. This is not about just selling another product or just selling another service, because anytime we have just a transactional relationship, that customer will go away at any time. They have no loyalty, they have no reason to come to you when they need something. So the desired outcome is not so much about increasing sales on another SKU or additional product line, which is just a transactional relationship. The desired outcome is to become the trusted resource. Like if you have a contractor with a, with a bunch of equipment running around and something happens, you want, you want them to come to you as the trusted resource. Where if they have a near miss or they have a reported violation or they just have a problem they need fixing, the desired goal is that they call your sales rep, your customer rep, and then they rely on you to point them in a direction that will help them. So, so the desired outcome companies, when safety is improved and they have that resource, they become more productive. And so that customer sees their local dealer as someone who's really interested in them becoming more productive. Your position as a company, as a trusted resource for safety problems, I already mentioned that. Some of the side benefits. So we are in a, we are in a business relationship. And so does this, does this building a trust relationship come with any side benefits? One, yeah, it gives your sales reps another tool in their tool belt, if you will, to talk to deepening their relationship with the customer and more people with their customers organization. So it's not just the maintenance manager. Now that sales rep can can talk to the safety manager. They can talk to a VP. They can talk to training coordinators, site managers. So it allows them to to have more of an influence in your customer, which is something that because people move through companies all the time. So, you know, an operator right now might end up being a site manager. He might end up being a maintenance manager. So the sooner you can become a trusted partner with that individual. That's a good time that that'll just kind of keep growing as that person moves through the company or even moves to another company. For the for the dealerships that have showrooms, it keeps foot traffic in the store longer. And when you have foot traffic in the store for longer, naturally impulse buying happens. So things move off the shelf. Just as a side note, foot traffic in the store shows a level of comfort that the customer has with the dealer. And that's a really good thing. And then it gives sales reps another tool, creates another line of revenue. So if you do have if you do choose to implement a few products that are targeted to safety implementation, it does create that additional line of revenue. Any questions at this moment in time, any any comments? No, we'll keep moving. All right. So how do you get to the coveted position of trusted by the customer in regards of safety and not just a supplier of filters and oil? First things first is you have to want to do it. You if you see no value in safety and you just see it as a line of revenue, then don't expect your staff or customers to believe in it either. So, however, I would caution the segment of service and customer service and product line. It's only going to grow from our experience. The US is about five to seven years behind Europe in terms of safety, safety practices, safety standards, federally mandated procedures. And it's even further, I would say, 10 to 15 years behind Australia. Where, like, for example, you can't buy an ATV in Australia unless it is fitted with a crush protection device for rollovers. It's not a it's not a rollover protection. It's a crush protection because it doesn't have seatbelts. But you can't buy an ATV now without this big thing sticking up the back of at the back of the ATV. Dozers, motor graders, they have to have retractable access systems. We do we do a lot of work in Australia because we have the only access system for dozers that fully comply with ISO guidelines. So, but that's not the case as it is here in the US, but we're noticing that it's coming. We're seeing it more from Canada and it's slowly starting to make an impact into the US, but we still have a few years. So position yourself now as that trusted resource is a very proactive thing to do. I would recommend you take a look at your customers in regards to revenue versus potential revenue. I like to look at them in segments like the top 15, middle 20, lowest 15, and think to myself, okay, if these segment of customers in the lower 15%, if I build into them and I can help them think through how to be more productive, more safe, and just build into their lives as a leader, someone who can think about how to build into their employees, how would that respond? And would that be a potential catalyst to move them up the revenue chain? So an analysis of yourself and of your customers. Consider if there's another company or competitor in your area that's already in the space of providing this kind of resource, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're probably not going to find one because this is a pretty new concept. Not new, but it's just kind of out there. I mean, we live in it, right? So we kind of see it day to day, but what we are finding is that we're so busy that it would be great if there was dealers that could kind of even just take some of the relationship building from us as a manufacturer. So, yeah, so consider if there's a company and competitor, you mark a position for safety and then find a partner. Find a partner that would be a good partner, not a leech. This is why I say in-market versus out-of-market. Sometimes an out-of-market partner is a good option because they're not in a position to kind of go around you and to the main contact of the customer. In all honesty, this is probably the biggest risk in this kind of a strategic move of bringing a partner in. But the goal of this partner is really to be a resource for you when it comes to safety strategies, when it comes to training, when it comes to safety products, when it comes to problem solving, when it comes to providing content like newsletters or white-labeled stuff. Sometimes in-market, if they're too familiar and they're in the market, then they can kind of go around. But the goal is we want the customers coming back to us as a local dealership to have that extra point of contact. So find a content partner. Because it's such safety and safety implementation is such a growing topic, you can find a content provider that can do a weekly or a monthly or a bi-weekly article on safety, whether it's building homes or foundations or land clearing or whatever it is. Find someone that is already putting out that content and is willing to let you white-label it. Maybe it's a subscription, excuse me. Train your staff to bring it up in conversation. Let your staff talk to your staff about it. Let them know about the service and resource that you want to become. And then you go from there and have your staff talk about who you guys want to become in the area with your customers. I'm always pretty open about it. I'm like, look, we want to own the safety space in mobile equipment. Like that's our vision. So what can we do to help you? You know what I mean? Like, what are your pain points? If you need some input, where do you think this input would need to be? Lead by example. Talk about the safety upgrades, your products you're implementing. Talk about the philosophy of all, good and bad. Share the stories, the good, the bad, the ugly. Because that's what we all relate with. Part of that will breed vulnerability and vulnerability always gives birth to trust. And the goal is that we genuinely want to be a company that earns and keeps the trust of our customers. So on a side note, in my conversations with business owners about these subjects, it comes down to two common objections. We're so busy, you know, we're so busy. We just don't have the bandwidth for it. So, right. So that's why you need to find a partner that can help you. Liability, you know, giving advice. I understand this, especially as a manufacturer of safety products. But when you stand back and have a look at what you're doing, you're already in the equipment business. You know, we're already, you know, we've got ladders that, you know, retract, you know, on D10s, D11s or, you know, large motor graders or estimators and stuff like that. You know, we're working with road construction equipment. We're already in a high risk business. So we assume massive amounts of liability before we get out of bed in the morning. So I would like to suggest that this intentional move to promote safety conversation, promote safety services. It's no different than it is. The move is no different than the effort to make sure that all the filters, oils, hoses, they're all in working order so an engine doesn't blow up. You know, so anytime you have a conversation about safety, you know, that's a positive thing. I've had conversations with captive groups and captive insurance groups where they've talked about doing, you know, implementing a safety strategy or a safety product fleet-wide and the captive group actually rewards that. So, yeah, so if there was a perfect way, then that would, you know, we'd all be doing it, but unfortunately there's no perfect way. So, yeah, so there you go. So as a dealership resource partner, the most effective way is to lead. All right, so examples of what being a resource is not. It's not just putting up a bunch of, you know, stuff and selling it. I see this all too often where it's like, hey, yeah, we're gonna sell safety stuff. We're all about safety, rah, rah, rah. You know, but then that, you know, people go online and they can buy, you know, t-shirts and masks and hard hats and stuff on Amazon Business. It's such a low margin product industry that it just, you know, you're just gonna look like everybody else. So, but the goal of this, of influencing safety to your customers is not simply just to sell a product on a wall. It's not simply just another transaction. So unless you're buying direct from an importer or distributor, the margins are gonna be super low. So now, could this move mean that you do carry some product? Yeah, absolutely. However, I would recommend that it wouldn't be something that they can also get on Amazon or Grainger or, you know, through a uniform service or something like that. So, a few examples of maybe what it can be, how it should be. So once you've done a little digging into some customers and talked about it with them and again, just make it casual, like, hey, you know, as a dealership, we, you know, something that we see in the market is that there's not a lot of people with practical safety resources. Like what is that, how do you think that could be a service to you, Mr. Customer? So once you kind of gather all that in, you can put together a bit of a plan. But some things that we think a resource can be is that you can be a resource with OSHA, MSHA, ISO regulations. So you can, again, that partner, that third party partner, they can provide that for you. An insurance company, an insurance agent would be, should be able to help you with this as well. Like what are the OSHA regulations? And, you know, hey, you're remembering this. Additional equipment, operator training. Everyone has to do training and they pay for it. So why not host the training? Why not host it at your place or host it at a customer's place? You know, pay for the OSHA refreshes, you know, and then get them a high-vis shirt that says I got refreshed at, you know, at some place and then list, you know, part 46 or whatever training they did on it. So, you know, be creative with it. But again, it all comes back to the local dealership and having everything kind of go around you guys. So provide information on new safety items. Find that partner, find a partner that'll feed you with new products, articles, trends that you can white label and pass out to your customers. And that sales reps can have to hand out too. Because again, it's that another touch point. Here is a conceptual prototype. Oh, here's one other thing, put a discount. Because everyone has to do, you know, refresher trainings, discount it, discount it 20 bucks. You know, you're going to make that back, you know, when they come to buy stuff on you, service items from you as well. But the value of you having them on your site at your location for a refresher is just huge. You know, they'll buy, you know, they'll just come back to you because you're building into them. It's like customers that do something that raised the bar. You know, people love it when their dealership talks about them. In a previous life, I worked in business development for a media company and we had a rental equipment company. And what we did for that, we'd end up choosing to do television and Facebook and we kind of put it all together and conglomerated a really big campaign. We actually took video of their customers. It had nothing to do, we didn't, there was one piece of footage at the end of the rental facility. But it was all about the customer who rented from and what their experience was. It was their testimony. It was their logo on screen. They got to talk about, I'm Joe Blow and, you know, I trim trees and I rent stuff from this rental company. And it was great because people in the community then talked about, talked to that customer. Oh, I saw you, yada, yada, yada. And oh, you buy it from so-and-so, you rent it from so-and-so. And it just, they grew. I mean, they grew like crazy. So that's just a little success story of what this kind of resource can be to the customers. But a prototype that we have done with a dealer of ours up in the Pennsylvania anthracite area is just a standout display. It does have product, but it's interactive. These are different products that these companies still use, but they're not just the regular Joe Schmo wheel chocks, or they're not just the regular beacons, or they're not just the regular ladders. They're different. This place where we put this display, you can see it's got televisions that promote interesting information about OSHA, about being safe, and it scrolls in with products, and how to use wheel chocks properly, and that kind of stuff. This location doesn't typically have a lot of foot traffic, but I was talking about it in a previous video, but I was talking about it with the owner a few years ago, and they were talking about how they really wanted to become more indispensable to their customers. And we hashed this idea out for them, and it's engaging. And when customers come in, they talk about it. They're like, hey, can I see that? Like, let me scratch and sniff it. And in this situation, the sales outcome was that the dealer didn't know how many of their customers needed replacement steps for their rigid frame mining trucks. So after this conversation, this kind of display, this kind of resource, means that this dealer's selling 20 ladders a month. He keeps half dozen on the shelf, and replaces them every two to three weeks. So it's just a classic example that your dealership can, and I really, really do believe this, your dealership can be the catalyst for meaningful life-saving improvements in your community. And I believe that you can do it relatively for free. I think that it's very much an attitudinal decision to go forward with it. And at the end of the day, we are in business. So it should impact the bottom line. But the motivation is that you are helping your customers and your rental customers, your fleet customers, you're helping them become a better company. So that's it. That's how dealers influence the safety of customers. So there's my email address. And if there is any questions or comments, now would be a great time to bring those. Katrina, are you there? Yes, I'm here. All right. Well, that's it. Katrina, is there anything else that we need to go over? No, I think that's all then. Thank you for everyone who attended the webinar today. And I will be sending out an email for the link to view at your leisure. Everyone have a great day. Thank you.

webinar

dealers

safety

customers

trust

resources

sales