Farm Equipment

July/August 2012 cover

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July/August 2012

Volume: 50
Edition: 06

Dealership of the Year 2012

PLUS: Don't Become a Disaster Statistic, Precision Hay & Forage Tools, Volume Bonuses and more

  • Table of Contents

    Table of Contents

    Dealership of the Year 2012: Johnson Tractor

    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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    Dealership of the Year: Kennedy Implement

    No one is discounting the for- tunate set of circumstances that resulted in Kennedy Implement nearly doubling (+98.5%) its revenues between 2010 and 2011, least of all Mark and Kent Buchholz. On the other hand, credit for managing those circumstances to best advantage falls directly on the shoulders of owner Mark with more than a little support from his son Kent and nine other deal- ership employees.
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    Don't Become a Statistic

    Let's talk about the weather, bad weather. Last year, the U.S. had a record 14 weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damages. Now, let's talk business, closed businesses. More than 43% of businesses won't reopen their doors after a disaster, according to Scott Owens, managing director of BluTinuity LLC, a disaster planning and management consulting company. And, for those that open, 29% will fail within two years, he says.
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    Lessons Learned from the Greensburg Tornado

    On May 4, 2007 an EF-5 tornado wiped out the town of Greensburg, Kan., including BTI-Greensburg, the John Deere dealership. Just two years later, the dealership opened its doors to a new facility that set new standards for sustainable facilities. Along the way, the BTI leadership team rebuilt and expanded and helped Greensburg become an internationally recognized "green"? community.
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    Are Bale Wrappers a Good Choice for Your Customers?

    During the 12 months between May 2011 and May 2012, the average all hay price received by U.S. farmers rose by nearly 17% to $199 per ton, according to USDA. The average price of alfalfa during the same period increased by 15% to $215 a ton. During the 2011 calendar year, the average price of alfalfa escalated from about $120 per ton in January to $195 by December.
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    Technology for Profit

    Building an Interconnected, Knowledge-Based Dealership

    Whether we like it or not, change is here when we talk about business technology. In your dealership, the adoption and use of new technology is moving literally at the speed of sound. The products you sell and service are more technologically sophisticated, which means that the way you sell and service them must at least match that level of sophistication.
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    Business of Selling

    Cash Difference Compensation Plan = Low Margins

    In a survey conducted several years ago on how equipment dealers compensated their sales personnel, it was revealed that 30% of the dealers paid their sales personnel on the basis of salary while 28% of the dealers paid their sales force on the basis of "cash difference." While salaried sales compensation was the basis of last month's column, this column will explore the nuances associated with paying sales personnel on the basis of the cash difference that is "drawn"? on each transaction.
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  • Featured Articles

    Featured Articles

    Don't Become a Statistic

    Let's talk about the weather, bad weather. Last year, the U.S. had a record 14 weather and climate disasters that each caused at least $1 billion in damages. Now, let's talk business, closed businesses. More than 43% of businesses won't reopen their doors after a disaster, according to Scott Owens, managing director of BluTinuity LLC, a disaster planning and management consulting company. And, for those that open, 29% will fail within two years, he says.
    Read More

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