June 2021

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

To the Point: Is There Life Beyond Deere?

By Kim Schmidt posted on May 26, 2021 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Tennessee lost its last single-store John Deere dealer in March, but it didn’t lose a dealer. Clifford Pugh, owner of Tri-County Equipment in Crossville, Tenn., announced recently that Deere informed him in March 2020 that they would be terminating his contract on Sept. 2, 2020 because of lower than expected market share performance.

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Business Technology Special Report

Does Your Dealership Have the Right Technology Tools in its Arsenal?

From cyber security to parts inventory, fleet management and more, technology plays an important role in your dealership’s modern efficiency, customer satisfaction and data protection.

By Farm Equipment Staff Report posted on May 27, 2021 | Posted in Operations & Finance

When talking about technology, the conversations tend to focus on precision farming systems installed on the machines equipment dealers sell and service.

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Business Technology Special Report

Finding the Parts Inventory System That’s Right for You

Shoppa’s Farm Supply’s Aftermarket Manager and Parts Inventory Managers break down how they chose their current system and recommend how other dealers make the decision.

By Ben Thorpe posted on May 27, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Department Management

Technology in the parts department plays an integral role in the efficiency of a dealership’s aftermarket services. Considering how crucial the ability to quickly and easily understand parts inventory is, the search for the right parts inventory system can be daunting.
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Business Technology Special Report

Increased Cyber Threats Require Dealers to Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Knowledge of current government regulations and up-to-date data security plans are key to ensuring that customer and manufacturer data is protected.

By Libby Wawzenek posted on May 28, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance

As agricultural products and services have become more technologically oriented in the past decade, customers’ expectations and concerns about privacy and data security have also evolved.

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Business Technology Special Report

Assess Risk, Value to Avoid Costly Consequences of Cyber Attacks

Assuming your dealership is too small to target or invulnerable to threats is risky business when it comes to cyber security.

By Jack Zemlicka posted on May 28, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

It’s increasingly common for dealers to be on the receiving end of a phishing or ransomware scam, often resulting in a concerned call to an IT security company to limit damage to the dealership’s reputation and finances.
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Business Technology Special Report

Taking CRM to the Next Level

When used consistently, a customer relationship management system can help improve lead generation, feed marketing automation and increase sales.

By Kim Schmidt posted on May 29, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Dealership Marketing

Customer relationship management — or CRM — software isn’t new and has been covered in the pages of Farm Equipment several times over the years. But the benefits bear repeating, and the system is only as good as the information you put into it — garbage in, garbage out as the saying goes.
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Business Technology Special Report

Fleet Management Data Offers Bottom-Line Boosting Opportunities

Digitally tracking vehicles and machinery has come a long way from a ‘location-only’ tool to a data collection system to boost service department efficiency, as well as sales and business opportunities.

By Dan Crummett posted on May 29, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance

For years farm equipment dealers have been streamlining their service departments with digital systems for monitoring work orders and service fleets, but with today’s move to increasingly-integrated software, many dealerships are seeing similar efficiencies emerging at the parts counter and in the sales department.

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Business Technology Special Report

4 Changes Dealerships Must Make to Stay Connected to Customers

Customer 2.0 is here and is a mobile customer, who has different communications expectations.

By Jordan Gaal posted on May 30, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices, Dealership Marketing

Life looks a lot different, even as the world starts to return to “normal.” Customers and employees have a new expectation for connecting with dealerships and their employers.

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Leadership Lessons: 7 Step Customer Service Process — Creating the Right Culture & Attitudes

By Daniel Surprenant and Bill Hoeg posted on May 30, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices

Successful businesses of the future will need to rely on solid customer service processes. In an industry where relationships still matter, being customer centric is more important than ever with a focus that has the customer’s best interests in mind.

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Ahead of the Curve: Is Rental Equipment the Key to Your Dealership’s Expansion?

By Dan Crummett posted on May 31, 2021 | Posted in Operations & Finance

Fleet management software firm official sees steady uptick in farm equipment dealerships embracing the rental business to expand their business and ultimately drive new sales.
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Ask the Expert: How the Ag Economy is Impacting the Used Equipment Market

By Casey Seymour posted on May 31, 2021 | Posted in Used Equipment Remarketing

As the ag equipment industry trudges toward a 2012 like economy, I find myself asking, “Did we learn anything from the last go-around?”
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Featured Articles

Featured Articles

To the Point: Is There Life Beyond Deere?

By Kim Schmidt posted on May 26, 2021 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues

Tennessee lost its last single-store John Deere dealer in March, but it didn’t lose a dealer. Clifford Pugh, owner of Tri-County Equipment in Crossville, Tenn., announced recently that Deere informed him in March 2020 that they would be terminating his contract on Sept. 2, 2020 because of lower than expected market share performance.

Read More

Business Technology Special Report

Does Your Dealership Have the Right Technology Tools in its Arsenal?

From cyber security to parts inventory, fleet management and more, technology plays an important role in your dealership’s modern efficiency, customer satisfaction and data protection.

By Farm Equipment Staff Report posted on May 27, 2021 | Posted in Operations & Finance

When talking about technology, the conversations tend to focus on precision farming systems installed on the machines equipment dealers sell and service.

Read More

Leadership Lessons: 7 Step Customer Service Process — Creating the Right Culture & Attitudes

By Daniel Surprenant and Bill Hoeg posted on May 30, 2021 | Posted in Best Practices

Successful businesses of the future will need to rely on solid customer service processes. In an industry where relationships still matter, being customer centric is more important than ever with a focus that has the customer’s best interests in mind.

Read More
Digital Edition

Digital Edition

Farm Equipment June 2021 Digital Edition

June 3, 2021

Read each issue of Farm Equipment on your tablet and desktop computer.
Read Digital Edition
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Online Extras

Online Extras

Online Extras: June 2021 Issue

June 3, 2021

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

Data and Technology in the Dealership: Managing Risk and Customer Expectations in a Changing Legal Environment

[Webinar] Masters of Emotion: The Success of Cybercrime

Creating an Efficient Sales Process Requires Focus on People, Processes, Technology & Training

Dealers' Perspective: Evolving CRM Systems

[Webinar] Growing Lifetime Value: Maximizing Customer Loyalty

No Sales Left Behind: Using Tech to Boost Your Sales Team

[Webinar] Engaging with Customer 2.0

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