Learning Without Scars
As a third-generation educator, it is easy to say that teaching and training are in the blood for Ron Slee. From his beginnings as a coach, through his time at McGill University, Ron developed a foundation for the work he does today. From working within dealerships, to operating a consulting company, creating a training business and running twenty groups, Ron has been directly involved in this Industry since 1969. Ron has been known as the industry expert for years, and has brought this expertise to bear through his training programs. Today, Ron provides specialized, job function based internet based subject specific classes, job function skills assessments, as well virtual seminars and webinars. These courses are designed for manufacturers and their dealers, as well as independent businesses in the construction equipment, light industrial, on-highway, engine, and agricultural industries through Learning Without Scars (www.LearningWithoutScars.com). This platform is a continuation of the work begun by Quest, Learning Centers which was established in 1996. This training is aimed at improving dealer parts and service operations through qualified people that are knowledgeable in using operational metrics and current market and operational best practice methods.
Episodes
Busy doesn’t mean profitable, and “we sold a ton” doesn’t pay the bills. We’re joined by John Dowling, author of Service by the Boxes, to unpack why so many equipment dealerships grind through full shop schedules, nonstop parts traffic, and big whole-goods numbers, then look up at year-end and wonder where the money went. John’s blunt diagnosis is an “invisible threat”...
Your best learning doesn’t happen when you’re calm and confident. It happens when you’re stuck, under pressure, and finally willing to say, “I don’t know.” That’s where this candid conversation goes with David Griffith and Caroline Slee-Poulos as we pass the baton to the next generation of “Learning Without Scars” and dig into what actually changes behavior at sc...
Profit talk usually gets framed as cold math, but we’ve learned it’s often the fastest way to uncover what a business truly values. We’re joined by Jonny Havey, founder of eLearning Partners and a former PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant and CPA, to dig into the hidden “profit leaks” that drain organizations even when revenue looks fine and the team feels busy. We pull apart why leaders...
If your sales plan still depends on a rep’s memory and a “black book,” you’re not just risking missed deals, you’re building randomness into your margins. We sit down with Nick Mavrick to make the case for a more disciplined approach: give salespeople a vetted weekly list of buyers with a real probability of action, then run that list through a measurable, closed loop sales funnel. When...
Change is hitting the equipment industry from two directions at once, and it’s leaving a lot of smart people stuck. On one side, equipment rental has moved from a “nice add-on” to a primary way customers acquire machines. On the other, artificial intelligence is accelerating faster than cloud, mobile, or SaaS ever did. We sit down with Matt Harris of Texada to talk through what that collision means...
AI is moving fast enough to feel like magic, but in equipment dealerships that “magic” can just as easily turn into expensive confusion. We sit down with Mets Kramer to get specific about what AI will change in the capital goods space and why the winners won’t be the teams with the fanciest chatbot, but the ones who actually understand parts, service, sales, warranty, and how a dealership makes mon...
The fastest way to lose the next generation of technicians is to make the job feel rigged. We sit down with longtime automotive leader Jim Centorbi to talk about what’s really happening in the workforce, why so many young people avoid the trades, and how outdated systems inside the dealership are pushing good talent away.
We get specific about technician compensation and the flat rate pay model: what it...
If you’ve ever planned territory coverage or “market share” off UCC filings and still felt confused, you’re not alone, and you might not be the problem. We sit down with Nick Mavrick of Built Data to question a 60-year industry habit: treating UCC filings as the source of truth for construction equipment demand. Nick explains how UCC data can overweight the smallest firms and create a distort...
Ever wonder why hiring costs keep rising while performance stalls? We sit down with HR leader turned fractional consultant Seth McColley to unpack how founder-led companies in construction, manufacturing, and distribution can get senior HR capability without a full-time hire. Seth shares practical plays that save money fast—like replacing pricey recruiter fees with smart sourcing—and shows how to build a...
What if your dealership stopped reacting to problems and started predicting opportunity? We sat down with Mets and Nick, the team behind a from-scratch dealer management platform, to trace how a human-centered CRM evolved into a scalable DMS and where AI now multiplies the impact. The throughline is simple and bold: technology should fit the business, not the other way around—and clean signals beat crowded scr...
Two veterans compare notes across decades and land on a surprising culprit: speed. We’ve made decks faster, calls shorter, and data denser—yet clear thinking, discovery, and trust are harder to find. So we unpack how to win in a world that moves this quickly without letting the work get shallow.
We start with an honest look at craft. Flip charts forced logic; slides can hide it. That same trade-of...
If 3 percent of your customers drive 60 percent of your revenue, how much of your budget do they actually get? We open the hood on the equipment industry’s quiet math—where rental term length dictates margin, customer concentration drives fragility, and blended sales-rental models bleed value. With Nick Mavrick, we connect dots from Wayne Huizenga’s roll-ups and Blockbuster’s rental logic to ...
What if the fastest path to growth isn’t “more leads,” but fewer, better customers you serve so well they never leave? We dive into the uncomfortable truth most teams avoid: value is concentrated, churn is predictable, and the difference between winners and strugglers is a focused list, clean data, and relentless follow-through.
Nick Mavrick of Built Data joins us to unpack how behavioral da...
What if the key to workplace productivity isn't another productivity app or time management system, but something far more elemental – laughter? Kevin Hubschmann, founder of laugh.events, reveals how strategic comedy breaks are revolutionizing corporate culture and employee well-being.
The concept is beautifully simple yet scientifically sound: 15-minute comedy sessions that function as cognitive reset ...
What happens when you combine 40 years of dealership experience with cutting-edge artificial intelligence? Troy Ottmer returns to share how he's becoming "an augmented individual with an expanded toolbox," using AI to amplify his industry knowledge rather than replace it.
Troy reveals his methodical approach to consulting—always examining the data before jumping to conclusions or AI-generated solutions....
What happens when you strip commerce down to its essence? In this thought-provoking conversation between industry veterans, we explore the fundamental truth that all business boils down to two people exchanging value—and everything else is just overhead.
Steve Clegg opens with a powerful framework: the economy only functions through human exchange, yet we've built towering hierarchies of "rent-seekers" ...
Technological revolutions come and go, but the fourth industrial revolution – powered by artificial intelligence – promises to transform business in ways we're only beginning to comprehend. In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore how organizations can harness AI's potential through value-based implementation strategies with Venkat Lakshminarayanan, author of "AI-Driven Value Management."
The talent crisis in heavy equipment has reached a critical point. In this eye-opening conversation, recruiting veteran Jay Lucas reveals why technicians remain the industry's Achilles heel and how leadership failures are exacerbating the problem.
Drawing from 30 years of experience and thousands of candidate interviews, Lucas offers a rare glimpse into why people leave equipment dealerships and what separate...
The economic revolution we've been waiting for isn't just coming—it's already here. In this eye-opening conversation, Steve Clegg brings decades of financial expertise to explain how artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are fundamentally restructuring global commerce by eliminating the layers of middlemen that have traditionally absorbed 20-30% of transaction value.
Clegg's journey through interna...
Troy Ottmer brings forty years of dealership experience to a forward-looking conversation about artificial intelligence and its profound impact on the equipment industry. Drawing from his unconventional career path—spanning automotive, medium-duty, construction equipment, agricultural machinery, forestry, and recycling sectors—Troy shares how he's leveraged AI to transform traditional business operations...
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