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Turning Around a Struggling
Equipment Rental Business

When I first started working with this equipment rental company, they were sitting at an 8% operating profit. On the surface, the company was busy with the phones ringing, equipment going out daily, and the staff putting in long and dedicated hours. But underneath, the business was stuck. Profits were razor thin, customers were frustrated by delays and breakdowns, and the team felt like they were always reacting to problems instead of running ahead of them.

The root issues weren’t a mystery. Equipment was breaking down more often than it should. Preventive maintenance wasn’t getting done consistently. Salespeople were hesitant, often acting more like order-takers than problem-solvers. Damage to equipment went unbilled, quietly eroding margins. And between the maintenance and sales teams, communication often broke down which created finger-pointing, frustration, and unhappy customers.

Building the Foundation

The first step was to put systems in place that created clarity and accountability.

Preventive maintenance became non-negotiable. The team moved from 85% completion to 100%. That shift may sound small, but the ripple effect was massive: equipment lasted longer, breakdowns nearly disappeared, and customers could count on machines being ready when promised. Better yet, all of the future more catastrophic maintenance issues were never incurred, immediately benefitted the bottom line.
Damage turned into dollars. Before, if a piece of equipment came back with damage, it often went unbilled. I worked with the team to implement a process to document, track, and bill damage consistently. In the first year alone, unbilled damage dropped by 70%. That single change added tens of thousands back into the bottom line.
Inventory shifted toward profitability. We took a hard look at the equipment. Low-margin rentals were quietly draining resources, while higher-demand, higher-value equipment wasn’t being utilized as effectively. By shedding the low-margin assets and doubling down on the most profitable ones, every rental started working harder for the business and time and money wasn’t being invested into wasteful assets.

Empowering the Team

Processes alone don’t create transformation, it primarily comes down to the people. That’s why training and communication became central to the turnaround.

Salespeople found their confidence. Through training and coaching, they learned how to provide a stellar customer experience, how to navigate the biggest challenges they experienced through a written process, and how to be creative problem solvers for their customers. This helped them move beyond “Do you want this or not?” conversations. Instead, they became comfortable offering alternatives, guiding customers toward the best fit, and keeping utilization rates high through confident availability forecasting.
Maintenance and sales started working together. Instead of finger-pointing, the two departments created a communication loop. Sales had visibility into repair timelines and ETAs, while maintenance had accountability for hitting those targets and being provided equipment in a timely manner. That alignment built trust internally and reliability externally.

The Results

The transformation didn’t happen overnight, but it stuck.

Operating profit climbed from 8% to 45%-50%, and it stayed there.
Equipment breakdowns dropped dramatically, cutting costs and improving customer satisfaction.
Unbilled damage fell by 70%, putting real money back into the business.
The fleet became more profitable, with higher utilization across the board.
Employees reported feeling more capable, confident, and supported.

The company’s turnaround was remarkable and they did it all without hiring an additional person. While the team initially felt overworked, it eventually became a place where the systems supported the people, and the people delivered results that customers could trust, without all of those frustrations being present.