Best Practices - Articles

Conversations in Ag

Research: Can It Be a Dealership’s Business?

An on-farm researcher and iron dealership agronomist share what areas of opportunity exist for machinery dealers to prove out methods of independent seed and chemical sales.

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 23, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Niche Equipment Markets

Marion Calmer and Mark Truster sat down during the National No-Tillage Conference to discuss the natural intersection — and blurred lines — between agronomic research and equipment sales, along with opportunities for today's evolving machinery dealer to reduce the risk of assumption based investments by farm customers.

Conversations in Ag

Two Sides Examine 2-Step Distribution

Mark Tibbets of General Implement Distributors and Craig Harthoorn of H&S Manufacturing, sat down during the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Assn. fall meeting to discuss the 2-step distribution model, which has become less common in today’s marketplace. The two executives agree the best manufacturer-distributor relationships work because of honest communication, especially throughout competition and crises.

By Darren Foster posted on December 22, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Niche Equipment Markets

Mark Tibbets of General Implement Distributors and Craig Harthoorn of H&S Manufacturing, sat down during the Equipment Marketing & Distribution Assn. fall meeting to discuss the 2-step distribution model, which has become less common in today’s marketplace. The two executives agree the best manufacturer-distributor relationships work because of honest communication, especially throughout competition and crises.

Conversations in Ag

Early Experience & Advantage in European Brands

Recorded during a 3-hour bus ride between LeMans and Paris, France, two dealer representatives explain the how’s & whys of their decisions to get early starts in selling and servicing European farm machinery and technology such as Claas, Horsch and JCB.

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 21, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Niche Equipment Markets

Recorded during a 3-hour bus ride between LeMans and Paris, France, two dealer representatives explain the how’s & whys of their decisions to get early starts in selling and servicing European farm machinery and technology such as Claas, Horsch and JCB.

Conversations in Ag

2 Industries, 1 Problem: Recruiting Technicians

Former teacher Richard Dugan and Ryan Goertzen, a former college president and current vice president of maintenance workforce development for AAR Corp., a global aerospace company based in Chicago with 60 locations worldwide, sat down during the Equipment Dealers Assn. 2019 Workforce Development Summit in Louisville, Ky., to compare notes on their challenges — and successes — in hiring technicians.

By Kim Schmidt posted on December 20, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Former teacher Richard Dugan and Ryan Goertzen, a former college president and current vice president of maintenance workforce development for AAR Corp., a global aerospace company based in Chicago with 60 locations worldwide, sat down during the Equipment Dealers Assn. 2019 Workforce Development Summit in Louisville, Ky., to compare notes on their challenges — and successes — in hiring technicians.

Conversations in Ag

Women Add a Different Perspective to the Sales Process

Anne Salemo and Kathryn Hesebeck have more in common than they first thought sitting down together in Johnson Tractor’s Janesville, Wis., store. Both women came into the farm equipment industry under the wings of their fathers into the family business and both are mothers in a male dominated business. Salemo, CEO of Charter Software, and Hesebeck, a third generation salesperson for Johnson Tractor, a 4-store Case IH dealership, discuss the advantages of being a woman in the dealership business and transitioning a business from one generation to the next.

By Kim Schmidt posted on December 19, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Dealer Succession

Anne Salemo, CEO of Charter Software, and Kathryn Hesebeck, a third generation salesperson for Johnson Tractor, discuss the advantages of being a woman in the dealership business and transitioning a business from one generation to the next.

Conversations in Ag

Commercial Vehicle Business vs. Ag Equipment

For the first time, Farm Equipment brought a farm equipment dealer — Dan Scheuers — to an automotive dealer for a candid discussion of the 2 worlds.

By Kim Schmidt posted on December 18, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

For the first time, Farm Equipment brought a farm equipment dealer — Dan Scheuers — to an automotive dealer for a candid discussion of the 2 worlds.

Special Report

Conversations in Ag

Farm Equipment editors sat down with individuals touching various aspects of agriculture — among them dealers, farmers, manufacturers, economists and consultants — to moderate conversations about the biggest issues impacting the farm equipment industry.

By Farm Equipment Staff Report posted on December 18, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Niche Equipment Markets

Farm Equipment editors first tackled the Conversations in Ag issue in the June 2018 edition of the magazine. This time around, the project took us across 7 states and 3 countries — covering a total of 15,333 miles — and paired 33 different individuals together to talk.

To the Point: Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

By Kim Schmidt posted on December 17, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Every piece of content we create for Farm Equipment involves “Conversations in Ag,” but for the second time now our team embarked on a special project that involved coordinating conversations with a variety of individuals from across all aspects of the ag industry.

To the Point

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

By Kim Schmidt posted on December 17, 2019 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Every piece of content we create for Farm Equipment involves “Conversations in Ag,” but for the second time now our team embarked on a special project that involved coordinating conversations with a variety of individuals from across all aspects of the ag industry.

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