Home / Authors / Mike Lessiter

Articles by Mike Lessiter

It's All in the Execution

By Mike Lessiter posted on March 13, 2013 | Posted in Data & Forecasts
While each of the speakers at the Dealership Minds Summit provided food-for-thought, Boyd Hofmann's presentation reinforced that the best ideas in the world won't work without the right processes and systems and follow-up mechanisms. Hofmann is vice president and general sales manager of JayDee Ag Tech, 9-store John Deere dealer group based in Saskatchewan that is focused on the large producer business. Its structure includes 3 regional sales managers and 21 ag territory managers, along with a support staff of 5 that is dedicated to settlements and sales assistance.
Read More

Dealers Shed Light on Mystery of Marketing

By Mike Lessiter posted on March 13, 2013 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance
When the Farm Equipment staff spoke with dealers about topics they wanted for the first-ever Dealership Minds Summit, marketing topped nearly everyone's list. Because dealers know well that a better mousetrap and the world beating a path to your door is patently false. More important than ever, dealers must promote themselves with the same fervor that their OEM promotes its color, while employing new technology and customer intelligence tools.
Read More

To The Point: Rediscovering the 'Lost Files' of Dealer Networks

By Mike Lessiter posted on January 1, 2013 | Posted in Manufacturer News
Late last night, Dave Kanicki and I rolled back into town after attending a retirement party for Birkey's Farm Store CEO/President Ron Birkey. Time has flown since we profiled him in our second edition after acquiring Farm Equipment, and the event's slide-shows, videos and anecdotes reinforced how fast our industry changes, at times almost blind to the naked eye. So, looking back as a means of looking forward is on the brain today.
Read More

Dealership of the Year 2012: Johnson Tractor

By Mike Lessiter posted on June 14, 2012 | Posted in Dealers on the Move
Spend some time at either of Johnson Tractor's two Case IH dealerships (Janesville, Wis., or Rochelle, Ill.), and you'll quickly surmise that the 2012 Dealership of the Year is indeed a "dealer's dealer."? Leo and Eric Johnson are as "blue-collar"? in approach as any dealer-principals you'll find these days, yet they still approach their three-site operation from a very high "thought level."
Read More

To The Point: Precision Farming: Go/No-Go Decisions

By Mike Lessiter posted on April 1, 2012 | Posted in Operations & Finance

Ever since our farmer subscribers (mostly from our 41-year-old No-Till Farmer publication) heard we publish a magazine for equipment dealers, they have shown an eagerness to talk "dealer" matters. At the last 8 National No-Tillage Conferences we hold each January, farmers have cornered me to talk and, more often than not, get something off their chest.


Read More

A New Company Emerges from Dark Days

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 20, 2011 | Posted in Manufacturer News
Calmer Corn Heads founder Marion Calmer had not one, but two, sets of "dark days" before making the decision to hang out his own shingle. On two occasions, he had contracts inked with major-lines, expecting to see his single-chain corn head mass-produced by the majors.
Read More

Top Articles

Current Issue

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Farm Equipment Videos

Big Dealer Consolidation Continues in 2024

Big Dealer Consolidation Continues in 2024

In this episode of On the Record, brought to you by Weasler Engineering, we break down the key takeaways from Ag Equipment Intelligence's newly released 2024 Big Dealer Report. In the Technology Corner, Noah Newman shows us how cover crop planting could be done autonomously. Also in this episode, CNH Industrial reports a drop in ag sales, AGCO combine and application equipment sales are down year-over-year and a UK New Holland factory strike could impact North America.

View More
Top Directory Listings

Yetter Farm Equipment

Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
MonTag

Montag Mfg

Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.

Machinery-Scope-Finance-Scope.png

Finance Scope

Finance Scope is able to provide the best financing opportunities for equipment dealers and customers through a diverse mix of lending companies under one single platform. Our large group of lenders, allows for competitive rates regardless of credit scores. Additionally, dealers and customers have access to the industry’s best expertise surrounding finance and lease structures, for all purposes, within the agricultural and construction industries. We provide all of this into one online platform to provide our customers with the best available tailored finance solution for their equipment.
View More