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...
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...
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...
IN THE SPRING issue of Western Equipment Dealer, I wrote about “5 Key Areas that Separate Average and Great Dealerships.” After a dealer friend read the article, he asked what odd or funny things have trainers for WEDA’s Dealer Institute experienced in dealerships....
Gordon Ramsay of the television show Kitchen Nightmares exposes some of the worst restaurant practices, leadership skills, and building conditions. Unfortunately, many dealerships are cooking up and serving as many unproductive activities and images as those seen on...
Last fall at a national dealers’ meeting, a manufacturer announced that its dealer network would be reimbursed for warranty service travel expenses. The reimbursement will be for service truck fees or mileage when a technician is traveling to a warranty service job....
HAVING BEEN PRIVY to many dealers’ thoughts and beliefs about peer groups, I thought it was time to chime in on the pros and cons of being in a group. In my role as a consultant and trainer, which includes facilitating peer groups, it is apparent there is a...
“Are you nuts?” That was the reaction I received when I proposed the idea of selling our equipment dealership. My partners, all in their thirties, were shocked. By their reaction, it was obvious that they were not clear on the reasons behind the suggestion....
“I just don’t know what to do.” This is a common comment from the calls we are receiving. These calls come from department managers, salespeople, branch managers, dealer principals – every position in the store. The underlying message – they are just lost on what to...
Well, I did it again. I got worked up and shot off my mouth. Let me explain as I apologize. At the Omaha Dealer Minds Summit in August, our panel discussed various wholegoods commission structures, which are driving used equipment sales and increasing turns. We were...
HAVE YOU EVER promoted your most skilled parts person to manager only to find out the employee lacked management abilities? Of all the questions whispered in my ears, the most common is: “I am now a manager. What is expected of me?” Along with the parts counter...
What’s your answer? The three “Gets” are questions dealers should always be asking themselves. For many, these challenging times have presented ample opportunity to ponder on the answers to Get Big, Get Better or Get Out. Are you a rural lifestyle or large ag or...
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