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Articles by Mike Lessiter

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Comparing Compensation Programs: Focus on What You Want

AgriVision (John Deere) and Livingston Machinery (AGCO) detail the compensation programs they’ve developed to keep attention on used equipment — and the actions they most want to drive.
By Mike Lessiter posted on October 14, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Used Equipment Remarketing, Operations & Finance, Department Management
Used equipment experts agree that there’s no silver bullet when it comes to a compensation plan. There are numerous variables, personalities and ways of doing business and no single program is a panacea. But like most things, as a manager, you get to choose which behaviors you most want to drive, and also the set of challenges that go along with them.
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To the Point

Victors of Next-Gen Technology?

By Mike Lessiter posted on October 14, 2017 | Posted in Product Innovations & Introductions
Welcome to our first “Remarketing” themed edition. After nearly a year of to-the-shoulders immersion in used equipment (perhaps nostril-level for conference lead Kim Schmidt), we’re proud to see the Dealership Minds Summit, and this issue, come together. Our two national conferences in Omaha in August showed our audiences’ energy, a “let’s get after it” attitude and a sincere willingness to share what they know. Thanks to all who participated in this sold-out gathering.
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To the Point: Victors of Next-Gen Technology?

By Mike Lessiter posted on October 14, 2017 | Posted in Product Innovations & Introductions

Welcome to our first “Remarketing” themed edition. After nearly a year of to-the-shoulders immersion in used equipment (perhaps nostril-level for conference lead Kim Schmidt), we’re proud to see the Dealership Minds Summit, and this issue, come together. Our two national conferences in Omaha in August showed our audiences’ energy, a “let’s get after it” attitude and a sincere willingness to share what they know. Thanks to all who participated in this sold-out gathering.


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used equipment
Sponsored Content: Successful Equipment Remarketing Strategies

Thinking 'Small' Pays When It Comes to Moving Used Inventory

Small-store leaders within Farm Equipment’s Dealership of the Year Alumni Group share the actions they’re relying on to guide them through the choppy waters of reducing equipment backlogs.
By Dave Kanicki, Mike Lessiter, and Mike Wiles posted on August 25, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Used Equipment Remarketing
A dealer responding to Ag Equipment Intelligence’s November 2015 Dealer Sentiments survey summarized the industry’s current dilemma: “There was a lot of positive activity during the month, but a lot of people passed on making purchases when they saw what their used equipment was valued at. Used pricing is too soft to convert people to make new machine purchases.”
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Sponsored Content: Successful Equipment Remarketing Strategies

Johnson Tractor — Student of Used

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 31, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance, Department Management
Tired of losing customers to wholesale auctions and farm sales during the lean years of 1982-86, Leo Johnson, partner, Johnson Tractor in Janesville, Wis., found survival in a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. He was soon an active participant in anywhere used iron was being sold. "Buying and selling used equipment got us through," he says.
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From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Day in the Life: What Does a Dealer Development Manager Do?

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 24, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues
One of the fun things about our coverage of the farm equipment business is discovering and sharing how each of the various cogs perform together in the larger “machine.” On each of the Dealership Minds special issues, we’ve had subscribers laugh about how they learned something they didn’t know about the role of a person they’d worked 10 yards away from for a decade, sometimes more.
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2017 Equipment Dealers Assn. Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey

Few Surprises at the Top, But Changes Afoot Among the Challengers

For the 2nd time, Farm Equipment magazine analyzes EDA’s annual survey ranking ag equipment manufacturers on the criteria that equipment dealers say matters most.
By Mike Lessiter posted on July 15, 2017 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Data & Forecasts, Manufacturer News
In early June, the Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) released the results of its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey. Through this study, equipment dealers rated the companies whose products they represent on 11 key categories of dealership operations and support.
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