Your Association offers many important services for managing your dealership. Take advantage of them and reap the benefits for your business!
As a member of the Minnesota-South Dakota Equipment Dealers Association (MSDEDA), your firm is also a member of the North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA).
Legislative Activities
Representation in St. Paul, MN;
Pierre, SD; and
Washington, D.C.
Information & Education
Monthly Publications
Training Seminars
Educational Programs
Regulatory Updates
Safety Programs<
Management Aids
Management Bulletins
Cost of Doing Business Study
Wage & Benefits Surveys
20 Groups
IRON Solutions - Trade-In Guides and Internet Products
RCI - Regulatory Compliance Products
Toolchex
Legal Information
Special Services
Business Forms & Supplies
Incentive Items
Industry Relations
Meetings
Convention
Agri-Business Relations
Manufacturer/Supplier Relations
Insurance Programs
Group Insurance Programs
Business Continuation
Safety Promotion
Workers Compensation
Property and Liability Insurance
Financial Services
Visa/Mastercard Program
NAEDA Financial - Retail
Textron Financial/Agricultural Finance - Inventory
YOUR TRADE ASSOCIATION
The Minnesota-South Dakota Equipment Dealers Association is your trade association. People in the equipment dealer business are communicating, sharing ideas and experiences, and joining in voluntary efforts to accomplish together what they cannot alone.
The MSDEDA is affiliated with 17 other state and regional associations to make up the North American Equipment Dealers Association with headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.
Through MSDEDA and NAEDA a wide array of educations activities, programs, supplies and services are available.
OPE Dealer Council
Outdoor Power Equipment dealers enjoy all of the benefits of membership in the Minnesota- South Dakota Equipment Dealers Association and NAEDA as all other regular members. In addition, OPE members are represented by the OPE Dealer Council, a division of NAEDA. The council works on your behalf to improve manufacturer relations and legislations and regulation on the Federal level
The OPE Dealer Council is made up of dealers who advise NAEDA and its board and the affiliates on issues related to the outdoor power equipment (OPE) industry. The council also is a sponsor of dealer educational seminars at the annual International Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment - Exposition (EXPO) in Louisville, Ky.
The OPE Dealer Council provides a forum through which the service needs of OPE dealers can communicate to NAEDA staff, the NAEDA Board of Directors and the industry at large.
Some highlights of recent programs and activities of the OPE Dealer Council.
OPE Service Technician Skills/Knowledge Test
The North American Equipment Dealers Association offers the OPE Service Technician Skills/Knowledge Test under a license agreement with Ohio State University. This test is designed to help outdoor power equipment dealers identify qualified individuals who apply for jobs as service technicians. The test may be downloaded free of charge to members in the members section of either the MSDEDA or NAEDA website.
Outdoor Power Customer Plus Program
The North American Equipment Dealers Association (NAEDA) and its OPE Dealer Council have prepared these guidelines, which contain the standards and procedures for dealers interested in being accredited through the Outdoor Power Customer Plus Program.
No universal dealership standards currently exist in the OPE industry. To most people, a full service OPE dealer may look exactly like any other dealer. Consumers have no measurable standards by which to judge from whom they should buy equipment and/or obtain parts and service.
This program and its standards are designed to identify a full-service dealer who makes a significant investment in facilities, wholegoods, parts, employees, training, tools, business systems, and advertising. The standards in this self-evaluation are used to affirm to consumers that a dealership meets and operates under measurable standards of recognized performance.
Currently the program contains guidelines and a self-evaluation form for dealers to score their dealerships to gauge whether they would qualify as a Customer Plus dealer. The OPE Dealer Council will seek additional information about the program from dealers to determine if there is sufficient interest to move the program from a self-evaluation plan to a full accreditation program. The Customer Plus Program can be downloaded free of charge to members in the members section of either the MSDEDA or NAEDA website
Safety & Risk Management:
MSDEDA and NAEDA have worked closely with Federated Insurance Companies for many years. As a result of this long-term partnership, MSDEDA and NAEDA members have access to experts who work with dealers in handling their insurance needs:
Auto insurance
Business insurance
Health and life insurance
Property and casualty insurance and risk-management solutions
Business succession and planning
But most importantly our relationship with Federated gives us access to dedicated loss control specialists who work with dealers on programs to reduce business losses and are regular contributors to NAEDA Equipment Dealer magazine. With effective loss control programs, dealers will realize lower insurance premiums and more profit for their dealerships.
OPE Internet Sales
The OPE Dealer Council has surveyed manufacturers regarding their Internet policies and usage. The council is convinced Internet sales policies and subsequent sales have an effect on dealers, an issue that warrants further research by council subcommittees.
Advertising and Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages Subcommittee is one of four OPE Dealer Council groups working on various industry issues. The goal of the subcommittee is to reduce and reorganize the number of outdoor power equipment categories in the Yellow Pages and similar information directories. To date, the subcommittee received confirmation from AT&T that it would make the Outdoor Power Equipment Sales and Service heading available in its phone directories. AT&T further agreed to insert "see also" references under key directory headings to direct consumers to the new Outdoor Power Equipment Sales and Service heading. Prior to the subcommittee's efforts, AT&T did not include Outdoor Power Equipment Sales and Service as a heading. The subcommittee is currently working with other major phone directory publishers to adopt the Outdoor Power Equipment Sales and Service heading in their books.
Bar Coding / Parts Look-up, Ordering, Pricing and Tracking
This subcommittee will design a plan to encourage manufacturers to provide dealers with bar coding options to help streamline how dealers receive and control wholegoods and parts inventories. Additionally, the committee will outline a plan to encourage manufacturers to establish a Web-based tracking system for looking up parts, ordering and pricing.
Manufacturer Direct Sales / Internet Sales
This subcommittee will outline recommendations on direct sales by manufacturers and distributors to consumers. In addition, this subcommittee may recommend a procedure to manufacturers to establish guidelines to determine the competence of a new dealer and/or the need for a new dealership in the territory of an existing dealer(s).
Training
This subcommittee will review major manufacturers' training programs and those of the Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC). After a review of all the classes and requirements, the committee wishes to establish a basic competency level in various fields, e.g., gas and diesel engines, transmissions, electrical and hydraulics, as well as include EETC certification standards as part of the basic competency requirement.