Farm Equipment ‘Thought Leader’ Series: Kelly Mathison
This episode of the "Thought Leader Series" features Kelly Mathison, a trainer, and consultant with the Western Equipment Dealers Assn.'s Dealer Institute. This 14-minute video covers what dealers should be doing in their parts and service departments to ensure they...
Your Dealership Show Room Through Your Customer’s Eyes
Equipment dealership showrooms have come a long way in the past 15 years. During the most recent “boom years,” many new facilities have been built with attention focused on the showroom and display areas. Kudos to dealers who have paid attention to the details to...
2019 Inventory Study – Combines/4WD Levels and Turns – Part 2
In part 1 of this series, we shared the 2019 WEDA Inventory Study findings of current comfort levels, dealership equipment turnover, number of used units in a series and, if new unit sales levels are sustainable. In part 2, we will dig into historical sales of...
Corporate accountability – Fact or Fiction?
Corporate accountability is a FACT when monitoring the technical performance of the dealership, but mostly FICTION when applied to people performance. The ironic fact is that people drive the success of a dealership so it just makes good sense to apply accountability...
Understanding Productivity and Efficiency
Service financial and performance tracking can be confusing for service managers and technicians. Some systems use different terminology, such as revenue recovery, charge-out efficiency, or service recovery that can also cause additional confusion. In this edition of...
2019 Inventory Study – Combines/4WD Levels and Turns – Part 1
WHAT ARE HEALTHY AND SENSIBLE annual North American combine/4WD replacement requirements? The large agriculture equipment industry is in a period of correction. Farm revenues are down. Historic crop pricing charts indicate more years of lower crop prices. Dealerships...
What would you do if you knew what customers want from you?
Everybody talks about customer service for the obvious reason that you need customer loyalty to support your dealership. The looming question is: Do you really know what customer service might mean? This article is going to introduce you to the psychological...
Can your dealership compete with Google, Amazon or YouTube?
Does the battle against these giants remind you of David and Goliath? Over the past number of years, parts and service managers who have attended our Dealer Institute courses have told me they have seen an increase in competition from the internet. Many see it as the...
Why let employees continually shoot themselves in the feet?
Employees have told me they would not shoot themselves in the feet tonight if they wanted to participate in and win a foot race in the morning. First, the act would result in physical pain that is not enjoyable, and second, it would interfere with running. Knowing...
My class of customers
IT’S BEEN TOUGH selling and it won’t be easier this winter. It doesn’t take much to upset the apple cart and every month it seems a truckload is turning upside down. We have to find sales. The traditional methods of how we target our A, B, and C customers are not...