Why It’s Time to Stop Treating Rental Like a Side Business 

I’ve had hundreds of conversations with dealers over the past few years, and there’s a pattern I keep seeing: rental operations stuck in neutral. Manual processes. Inconsistent rates across branches. Revenue walking out the back door because nobody has visibility into what’s actually happening. 

Then there are dealers like Steve DeVoe at RPM Machinery and Preston McGhee at James River Equipment—rental leaders who’ve made the leap from treating rental as a “nice to have” to running it as a genuine profit engine. 

Last week, my colleague Ross Johnson—Director of Sales and Marketing for Integrated Rental—and I sat down with both of them for a webinar on dealer rental strategies. It was the perfect collaboration, bringing together IntelliDealer and Integrated Rental expertise now that we’re officially part of the VitalEdge family. 

The Shift: From Rent-to-Rent to Revenue Driver 

Steve put it perfectly: “It started as a rent-to-rent business—the best way to get people in our machines. But as machine prices continued to increase, borrowing rates went up, and we were able to see the revenue streams we could produce from rental.” 

The numbers tell the story. Steve noted that in 2005, rental was about a $23 billion industry. The American Rental Association is projecting it to hit $82.6 billion this year. That’s not incremental growth—that’s a fundamental market shift. 

Preston echoed this evolution: “The dealership mentality when it came to rental was it was a way to sell machines—a had-to, not a want-to. That’s transitioned over the last 4 to 5 years to a leader in our sales strategy.” 

Ross highlighted what we’re seeing across our dealer base: “We work with several dealers that rental makes up the majority of the profit as a dealership.” And unlike equipment sales that can take weeks or months to close, rental demand is immediate. Preston emphasized: “In the rental world, you have about 2 hours from initial conversation to completion.” 

That speed requirement changes everything. 

The Hidden Cost of Manual Processes 

Before implementing Integrated Rental, both dealerships were running on spreadsheets. Preston was candid: “When you’re doing things manually, you don’t realize the revenue that’s walking out the back door. No matter how good you think your manual operations are, there is money walking out the back door every day.” 

The challenges were consistent: 

• Zero visibility into equipment availability across locations 

• 24 different ways to write a rental contract across branches 

• No standardization for damage collection 

• 10+ days to turn equipment rental-ready (goal: 48 hours) 

Steve described the impact: “The visibility we had to our business and inventory was very unreliable. And I think that projected out to our customer base as far as what we were able and capable of doing.” 

When your sales team doesn’t trust your data, they can’t sell confidently. When customers get different experiences at different branches, you’re creating confusion, not loyalty. 

What Changes with Purpose-Built Rental Software 

Ross framed the goal perfectly: “A rental system is really to drive greater financialization on the same investment. If we’re driving more revenue without buying tractors, then we’re doing something right.” 

Speed and consistency: Steve’s team went from manual Excel quotes to mobile quoting in the field. “When IR released that mobile app, it was a game changer. The customer gets a form that’s consistent across all of our locations. It’s professional, neat, clean, and quick.” 

Margin protection without micromanagement: Steve explained: “There’s stops we can put in there, but if there’s a stop for rate, that request comes through to me within seconds. It doesn’t slow us down—it’s instant.” Preston added: “When we get to the IR platform, we’re going to have instant market data right there with availability, so our people in the field can make good decisions at that moment.” 

Damage capture that actually gets paid: Steve noted: “If you don’t reach out within 24 hours of customer damage, the chances of you getting that paid are drastically dwindling.” The system now automatically captures before-and-after photos at multiple touchpoints. Preston’s goal: “A quote in their hand within 48 hours and a PO in 5 days.” 

Service workflow automation: Equipment returns automatically generate work orders in VitalEdge. Preston highlighted: “Before IR, we have no visibility to how long it takes to get a piece of equipment from call-off to rental-ready. Sometimes it’s 10 days. Our goal is 48 hours.” 

The Unexpected Win: Support and Confidence 

Ross asked what the most unexpected gain had been. Steve’s answer: “The support from Integrated Rental, to be honest. If you don’t have the support from the product, then it’s not gonna help us.” 

Preston agreed: “We looked at several different rental management softwares, and at the end of the day, it came back to the support that Elise and Ross and their team provided us.” 

Beyond support, team adoption improved dramatically once people had tools they could trust. Steve said: “Our sales team now has more confidence in what we’re putting out there. When the salesman trusts it, they’re able to push it.” 

Where Dealers Win Against National Rental Companies 

Both Steve and Preston are confident dealerships have inherent advantages—but only if they execute well. 

Preston laid it out: “How many field techs do we have compared to the national rental centers? Probably 5 or 10 times more. We have the ability to fully support that customer’s business at a level the nationals simply can’t.” 

Steve agreed: “The quality equipment we’re able to put out, the age of our fleet is much younger than most rental houses. The service we’re able to provide—there are things we’re able to do that rental houses are not able to do.” 

But those advantages only matter if your operational execution matches your service capability. If you can’t respond in 2 hours, if your rates are inconsistent, if you can’t track damage—you lose the competitive edge. 

Looking Ahead 

Preston’s optimistic: “With some of the consolidation in the nationals, there’s a lot of opportunity for us to take market share if we’re strategic and have a good plan.” 

Steve summed up the rental mindset perfectly: “Rental’s always excited me. It’s ever-changing, it’s evolving. The moment you think you got it figured out, something new happens.” 

The Bottom Line 

If you’re still running rental on spreadsheets, you’re not just behind on technology—you’re leaving money on the table every single day. 

The dealers who win in rental aren’t the ones with the biggest fleets. They’re the ones with the best systems, the clearest processes, and the confidence to execute at the speed their customers demand. 

Ross and I are excited about what this integration means for our dealers—more resources to develop products faster, better support, and a seamless experience between IntelliDealer and Integrated Rental. 

Watch the full webinar on demand to hear the complete conversation with Steve and Preston, including real-world examples of how they’re driving rental profitability and operational consistency. You’ll also get Ross’s insights on where the rental market is heading and how dealers can position themselves to compete.

Want to explore how IntelliDealer and Integrated Rental can transform your rental operation? Let’s talk.