With each new product launch and update, farm equipment is becoming more sophisticated. As the equipment you’re selling becomes more complex, so does your approach to selling it.

Grain prices are up. Yields in many areas are above average. Ag credit conditions are up. And, dealers report early orders are up and they are seeing good demand for equipment. But there are still some concerns — challenges getting equipment from the OEMs and concerns over taxes, regulation and trade following the election. Let’s look at some of the positives first.

In Ag Equipment Intelligence’s latest Dealer Sentiments & Business Conditions survey, a net 16% of dealers reported being more optimistic in September compared to August. Now that Election Day is upon us, that could swing the opposite direction depending on the results.

Over the last few years when we’ve focused on workforce development — particularly recruiting and training technicians — as a fair amount of focus has been on getting to kids at a younger age or to kids that don’t live on the farm to expose them to the opportunities that exist in agriculture. What if we met those kids where they are already engaged — video games.

Through the second quarter of 2020, Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME), Canada’s largest Case IH dealership group, has reduced its used equipment inventory by C$40 million since the fourth quarter of 2019.

From less new equipment inventory to display in the showroom to charging stations and drone stations — the features of the farm equipment dealership could look different 10 years down the road.

Having watched the Jetsons as a kid, I was sure by now I would have a flying car and a robot who did all my housework. I’m still waiting on my flying car, but with Roombas and iMow, we do have the robots to do some of our household chores (but without the sassiness of Rosie).

It’s hard to say if this has been the slowest year ever, or the fastest. It’s definitely been the weirdest. Now that we’re into the second half of the year, it seems like a good time for a status check. How does your used equipment inventory look compared to the start of the year?

Employees are the dealership's most valued assets — your employees drive the financial success of the dealership. In this webinar, learn how to improve employee engagement by implementing some of the best management practices that drive high employee engagement. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]