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Mike Lessiter

Mike Lessiter

A second-generation ag journalist, Mike Lessiter has been Editor/Publisher of Farm Equipment since 2004. He has covered business-to-business operations, manufacturing and marketing topics since 1992. He has also served in several capacities with the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn., Assn. of Equipment Manufacturers and is a frequent industry speaker. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he was named president of Lessiter Publications Inc. in 2007.

Contact: mlessiter@lessitermedia.com

Articles

ARTICLES

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From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Not All Customers Are Created Equal

By Mike Lessiter posted on December 11, 2017
Give one up to the competition. That disrupter-type customer is more valuable to have in your competitor’s camp than your own. Let brand X deal with that customer and give up their time, energy and mental strain.
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Traditionalists or Change Agents: What Kind of Farm Customers Do You Want?

By Mike Lessiter posted on November 13, 2017
I was in Houston last week for the annual Joint Convention of the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Assn. and Equipment Marketing & Distribution Assn. The sessions concluded with a panel of 3 farm operators who were brought in to share what their world is like. The farmers candidly answered an array of questions, from right to repair legislation, to what they’re willing do to access equipment not carried by their mainline dealer, to their own investments in farm shops and technicians, and how they approached debt and capital spending.
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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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Lessiter

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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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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