July 7, 2023
Dylan Silvestri
Hello, everyone. I’m Dylan Silvestri, general manager with Iron Mountain Equipment Rentals in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, and a member of the ARA of Canada Task Force. I’m pleased to be part of this advisory team made up of Canadian members. Our goal is to further the American Rental Association’s (ARA) presence across Canada, and I trust, midway through 2023, that we have made inroads through offerings like events, webinars, the new business insurance program and more.
It’s definitely a hectic time of year, and our phones can ring off the hook with customers looking to book rentals. While this is good, please remember that a bad phone interaction can make or break a rental. This is the time to ensure your staff is in top shape with their telephone skills.
Fortunately, ARA has introduced a new benefit that can help your business shine when it comes to phone interactions. I encourage you to utilize Listenforce, an ARA partner that trains and coaches your team in developing the core skill sets of connecting, listening, acknowledging, recommending and closing the rental.
By using advanced artificial intelligence software, Listenforce can evaluate calls, provide detailed indicators of performance and coach your team to meet their goals. ARA members who use this program receive:
- Secret shopper calls (up to five per location).
- Call samples and coachable calls reports.
- Skills analysis and training.
- Educational and reference materials that are housed on ARA’s RentalU educational platform for easy member access.
All ARA members are eligible for a free call analysis. After the initial consultation, members can receive the in-depth sales training at a 20 percent discount. Check it out by clicking here.
ARA also hosted a “Coaching Your Team to Higher Sales” online Lunch and Learn on June 14 that included details on the Listenforce program. If you didn’t make it, you can access a recording here.
Tony Conant (second from right) and Josh Nickell (right) at Tri-City Equipment
I want to thank ARA CEO Tony Conant and Josh Nickell, ARA vice president, equipment rental segment, who recently traveled to Canada and took the time to tour several terrific equipment rental member operations in Ontario: Cooper Equipment Rentals, Tri-City Equipment, A & B Rental Centre, GTA Equipment Rentals, TheRentalGuys.Ca, LiftCo Lift Equipment, Riverside Rentals, Stephenson’s Rental Services and Canlift. And thanks to those companies for their hospitality!
In closing, I want to give a shout-out to a couple of industry up-and-comers from Canada who have received scholarships through the ARA Foundation and its affiliate programs for the 2023-2024 school year:
- Jager Jensen, Scotty’s Rentals & Landscaping, Rocky View County, Alberta, who received an ARA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship worth US$3,500 and the ARA Region 10 Dorothy Wellnitz Scholarship worth US$1,500 for a total of US$5,000.
- Trinity Jensen, also from Scotty’s Rentals & Landscaping, who received the ARA Region 10 Doug Mitchell Scholarship worth US$1,500.
Best wishes for a safe and profitable remainder of our summer.
Dylan Silvestri
General manager, Iron Mountain Equipment Rentals
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
604-464-7999
dylans@imrentals.ca
