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2015 Dealership of the Year Video Series: Ritchie Implement

Benefits of Living Close for 24/7 Service

July 16, 2015 | Posted in Department Management
Several members of the Ritchie family live in close proximity to the Cobb, Wis., location, of Ritchie Implement. In this video, Tony Ritchie, sales and management with Ritchie Implement (3-store dealer in Wis.), talks about the benefits of living so close and the ability to provide excellent customer service.
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2015 Dealership of the Year Video Series: Salem Farm Supply

Benefits of Making Sales a Salaried Position

July 16, 2015 | Posted in Department Management
Bill Martel, general manager of Salem Farm Supply (Salem, N.Y), and Carole Lewis, president of Salem Farm Supply, explains the dealership's compensation package for the sales team. The entire team has been salaried for a long time and they've found it encourages the team to work together to get the job done.
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Dr. Jim Weber
Business of Selling

Ensuring Territorial Coverage

By Dr. Jim Weber posted on June 11, 2015 | Posted in Department Management
Two of the most important responsibilities of an equipment salesperson are to maintain relationships with existing customers while simultaneously securing new customers. One of the primary responsibilities of the dealer/sales manager, therefore, is to see that those responsibilities are done efficiently and effectively.
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Cost of Doing Business: Why Ag Parts Sales Differ from Other Industries

June 11, 2015 | Posted in Data & Forecasts, Department Management

While some farm equipment dealers have managed to attain 100%-plus parts and service absorption rates, the industry as a whole only achieves about a 62% rate, according to the 2014 Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Cost of Doing Business study. The industry’s benchmark for absorption is 80%-plus. At the same time, ag equipment dealers are often compared to construction equipment and other dealers who handle heavy equipment and typically achieve higher absorption rates.


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Cost of Doing Business: How Far Have We Really Come?

Tracking financial and operational measures shows how dealers have or have not improved their business performance over the years.
By Dave Kanicki posted on June 11, 2015 | Posted in Operations & Finance, Department Management
Any farm equipment dealer who's been around more than a few years knows how dramatically this business has changed. For one thing, everything about agriculture seems to have gotten bigger: bigger dealers with bigger sales territories; bigger customers with bigger demands; bigger and more expensive equipment; bigger top and bottom lines.

Jump to Part 1 Jump to Part 2 Jump to Part 3


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Cost of Doing Business: What the Numbers Can Tell Us

Comparing Cost of Doing Business numbers to a hypothetical dealership demonstrates how to pinpoint trouble spots in our financials.
By Mike Wiles posted on June 11, 2015 | Posted in Operations & Finance, Department Management
In this part of the special report, the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. (WEDA) provided an analysis of finances and operations of a hypothetical dealership named Brookfield Farm Equipment, or BFE, using the 2014 Cost of Doing Business study for comparison purposes. This particular dealer would fall in the larger group of dealers with more than $75 million in annual sales.
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A&I Products

Since 1980, A&I Products has become a leading manufacturer and wholesale distributor of aftermarket replacement parts for the agricultural, turf, and industrial equipment markets. A&I Products' experience and expertise has greatly contributed to the company's reputation as a top supplier of quality, reasonably priced parts. Founded with roots as a small machine shop and repair facility, the company made the transition by manufacturing new parts to replace those that were identified as commonly needing repair. Throughout the 1980s, the company quickly garnered a reputation for offering quality parts at a reasonable price.

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At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.
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