Co-op and MDF
Your manufacturer already set aside marketing money for you. Most dealers never claim it.
It accrues on what you buy. It has rules, deadlines and paperwork nobody at your shop has time for, so it expires quietly at year end. Claiming it is a filing job, not a sales job, and it is our job, not yours.
What co-op and MDF actually are
Two different pots of money. Most dealers use the words interchangeably, which is part of why they never get either one.
Co-op funds
Co-op money accrues as a percentage of what you purchase from the manufacturer. You earned it by buying units. It sits in an account with your name on it, and it is yours to claim against approved marketing spend. It is not a favor and it is not a discount. It is a reimbursement you already paid for, and in most programs it expires on a set date whether you use it or not.
MDF (market development funds)
MDF is discretionary. The manufacturer grants it for a specific program they want run, usually a launch, a season push, a territory they want covered, or a dealer they want to grow. You do not accrue it by buying. You ask for it, you propose the program, and they decide. It comes with tighter strings on what it can be spent on and what proof they want back.
The short version
Co-op is money you earned and have to claim. MDF is money you have to ask for. Knowing which one you are working with changes who you talk to and what you submit.
Why the money goes unclaimed
It is never because a dealer does not want free money. It is because every step below is somebody's part-time job and nobody owns it.
Deadlines nobody is tracking
Claims have submission windows measured in days after the campaign runs, not months. Miss the window and the spend was just spend.
Pre-approval requirements
Most programs want the creative and the media plan approved before it runs. Run it first, and the claim is dead on arrival no matter how well it performed.
Proof-of-performance paperwork
Invoices, tear sheets, screenshots, ad platform reports, call and spend data, all matched to the approved plan. It is a filing job, and it is nobody's job at your shop.
Brand compliance rules on creative
Logo lockups, clear space, required disclaimers, approved product photography, approved language. One wrong asset and the whole claim gets denied.
Funds that expire
Accrued dollars generally do not roll forever. Many programs zero out at year end. Money you earned in March is gone in January and nobody sends a warning.
How it works by manufacturer
Programs change every year, so we do not publish percentages, caps or portal rules we have not confirmed against your current dealer documentation. Here is how each one generally works and what we will need from you.
Generac
Generac dealer marketing support generally runs through the dealer portal, tied to your dealer level and your purchase history, with pre-approval on creative and a claim submitted after the campaign runs.
What we need from you: your dealer agreement, your program terms or portal access, and your dealer number.
Kohler
Kohler generator dealer programs generally combine accrued co-op with brand-controlled creative standards and approved asset libraries, claimed against documented spend.
What we need from you: your dealer agreement, your program terms or portal access, and your dealer number.
Cummins
Cummins dealer and distributor marketing support generally runs through your distributor relationship, which means the approval path and the paperwork can differ by territory.
What we need from you: your dealer agreement, your program terms or portal access, and your dealer number.
Briggs & Stratton
Briggs & Stratton dealer marketing support generally works off program enrollment and approved campaign types, with proof of performance required to release funds.
What we need from you: your dealer agreement, your program terms or portal access, and your dealer number.
Why there are no numbers on this page
A wrong percentage or an outdated cap would cost us more credibility than it would ever earn. We confirm the current terms against your own documentation, dealer by dealer, and then tell you the real number for your account.
What we do vs. what you do
This is the whole pitch. One of these columns is long on purpose.
Our column
- Read your dealer agreement and program terms so we know what actually qualifies.
- Build creative to brand standards: approved logos, disclaimers, imagery and language.
- Submit for pre-approval before anything runs, and hold the campaign until it clears.
- Run the campaign and track spend line by line against the approved plan.
- Pull the reporting: platform invoices, screenshots, call data, spend summaries.
- Assemble the proof-of-performance packet in the format your program wants.
- Track every deadline and file the claim inside the window.
- Handle the follow-up if the program comes back with questions.
Your column
- Give us portal access.
- Sign what needs your signature.
That is the list. If we are asking you for more than that, we are doing our job wrong.
Brand compliance is why claims bounce
Claims rarely get denied because the campaign was bad. They get denied because an asset broke a rule in a brand guide nobody read.
Logo usage
Wrong lockup, wrong color, not enough clear space, stretched or recolored. This is the single most common denial and it is entirely avoidable.
Required disclaimers
Warranty language, financing terms, installation qualifiers. If the required line is missing or reworded, the asset is non-compliant.
Approved imagery
Product photography usually has to come from the manufacturer's asset library. A stock photo of the wrong unit can sink an otherwise clean claim.
Approved messaging
Performance claims, comparison language and pricing callouts are usually restricted. We write inside the lines on purpose.
The differentiator
We build to brand standards from the first draft so the claim does not bounce. The freelancer down the road builds whatever looks good, and you find out it was non-compliant after the money is spent.
What it does to your monthly cost
Nobody can tell you your reimbursement rate without reading your agreement. So plug in your own number and see what it does.
Worked example only. Not a quote, not a promise.
Say your Prime Power program runs $3,500 a month, and say your program reimburses X% of qualifying marketing spend. Your effective monthly cost is:
$3,500 − ($3,500 × X%) = your real number
If X = 25%
$2,625 / mo
If X = 50%
$1,750 / mo
If X = 75%
$875 / mo
Those percentages are illustrative math, not your program's terms. Only part of a program is usually reimbursable, and reimbursement arrives after the claim clears, so budget the full amount and treat the money as coming back later.
Want the install math instead of the invoice math? The calculator shows what a month of booked assessments has to be worth to pay for the program before a dollar of co-op comes back.
Straight answers
Send us your dealer agreement and we'll tell you what you're sitting on.
No strategy session, no pitch deck. Send the agreement and your program terms, we read them, and we tell you what you have available and what it would take to claim it. If the answer is nothing, we will say so. Call (346) 487-3777 or send it over.