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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

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.
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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.
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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."
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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.


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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.
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