The Leadership Lessons theme for 2023 is how to build stable and sustainable dealerships that adapt to accelerating change. The advisors at Machinery Advisors Consortium (MAC) think it vital for dealership leaders to prepare for times of turbulence.
Sell tractors, fix them, collect the money and innovate.
Farm equipment dealerships are not considered the most innovative industry, although remarkable innovations occur there on nearly a daily basis.
“We sell tractors. We fix them. We collect the money.”
This was the insight I received from a seasoned iron peddler upon my first visit to an equipment dealership more than 20 years ago. Simple and action-oriented, his statement summed up the fundamentals of equipment distribution.
Rapid changes create both risk and opportunity. Your dealership is impacted by big changes in technology, the workforce and higher expectations of your customers, employees and suppliers.
It is vital to understand the changing generations of both your customers and — most importantly — your employees. Not appreciating the generational differences may lose you both customers and employees. Knowing the values, virtues and capabilities of each generation will help you retain both.
Can fishing help you appreciate the value of customer retention? If you’re “just fishin’,” catch and release is OK. But if you want to eat or sell the fish you catch, you want to do the things that hook the biggest fish.
The customer is king! The customer is always right! The customer pays all our paychecks! You’ve heard these things and you’ve probably said them many times. I know I have. So, how can I possibly hate customer satisfaction?
The fifth spoke in the upper right completes the Good to Great Flywheel — “Building your dealership brand with all segments” by employing a robust marketing process.
How your entire dealership hears and serves the customer is at the core of the 4th spoke of the flywheel. Dealerships that are built with balance and whose people are trusted to deliver and serve consistently will retain those customers and attract more new customers.
The Dealership of 2030 will leverage technology to improve productivity while increasing contact with customers and prospects over broader areas and market segments.
Western Farm Show hosts live low-stress cattle demonstrations, seminars from top experts in the industry, health and safety screenings, hosts hundreds of FFA students, and honors Military and First Responders to complete the events taking place throughout the 3 days of the show.
Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
At Montag Mfg., we specialize in fertilizer equipment. Our complete fertilizer application system will help you start reaping the benefits of deep band fertilizer.
Machinery Scope offers premier risk management tools for farm equipment. We provide timely, personalized, and flexible solutions to protect more farm equipment investments than anyone in the industry. We add value and peace of mind when you are buying, selling, or managing your farm equipment by offering extended warranty plans.