Let’s face it: Today’s world can easily cause information overload. When equipment dealers develop marketing strategies, they’re still categorizing media as traditional and digital.

A large industry is evolving that is attempting to collect and analyze data to predict and expand future sales. It’s not just in the car business, but in almost every major industry. That’s because technology now exists to anonymously track the Internet habits of millions of customers. By combining this with what is already known about the average buying habits of consumers and utilizing CRM tools, targeted marketing programs can be sent to likely customers early in the purchasing process.

When it comes to online equipment dealers, you either have to fight ‘em or join ‘em.

Central Equipment serves 3 distinct markets between the horse farms, commercial lawn and turf contractors and homeowners. Our sales are split is about 40% small agriculture, which is mostly horse farms, and 25% homeowners and 35% commercial users. This means we need to market differently to each one.

Hustler dealers are now facing the big box threat. Excel Industries, the manufacturer of Hustler mowers, recently told dealers they will now offer the Raptor and Raptor SD for online sales at participating Home Depot and Lowes stores, with the Raptor 60 SD in stores.

If you run a small or medium-sized business these days and you're hip to the cloud, you probably use QuickBooks Online (QBO) for your financial accounting. And if you're anything like me, you've run into problems.

As part of their ongoing support of the nation's beef producers, New Holland is partnering with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) to produce a series of educational program segments focusing on a topic critical to successfully managing a cattle operation hay production.

An integrated plan of print and electronic advertising means a better return on investment of your marketing dollars.

When the final count for 2010 is complete, the amount of harvested corn could be an all time record; and at a minimum, the recent harvest should rank in the top five years of harvested corn with the other top five years coming from the preceding four years. With five years of record production, one would expect supplies to be high, and demand to be slowing. But just the opposite is occurring.

Editor/Publisher Mike Lessiter introduces the unique Dealership Minds interview series with Birkey's Farm Stores.