Doug Neta holds a unique position at Vanderloop Equipment’s (VE) Lena, Wis., store. With 15 years at the company, Neta used his experience as a farmer and service technician to become a resoundingly personal store lead with his customers.
“Time goes by fast when you’re having fun,” says Neta. “You have a hard concept of time. They’ve been very good dealerships to work with, very good family.”
The Early Bird Gets the Worm
Rather than holding up his staff, Neta begins his day prior to the technicians to get a jump start on the tasks ahead.
“I’ve always liked to get in early, so usually I’ll get in here by 7 a.m.,” says Neta. “I’ll make sure that when our daily orders come in, that it is received in and dispersed where it needs to go, to help the technicians stay on task so when they get in at 7:30 a.m., they are able to maneuver through and get their tasks started.”
Doug Neta
Years with Organization: 15
Role: “I overlook the store to make sure that everything is in alignment with the company and day-to-day.”
Quotable: On working with the competition: “We’re in the same business, so we’re not over here trying to cut each other’s throat on our end; we work together. But, still, we’re trying to maneuver numbers away from them.”
Neta usually checks in with the technicians upon their arrival by going through that day’s workload, outstanding orders and a recap of the previous day.
“That’s my first 60-90 minutes of the day, and then it’s just an ebb and flow of what happens throughout the day: phone calls, fires, stuff like that,” says Neta. He spends much of his day taking calls from customers who want someone to come out and check on an issue or talk through an order. Although Neta handles sales, it’s a team effort.
“All of our people handle sales in regard to getting the pertinent information for new contacts,” he says, noting that forwarding the communications to the proper territory salesman is imperative.
“I’m a friend with everybody. I always try to be, no matter how your day is, you have to be as nice as you can. They don’t have to come here, so our goal is to make sure that they’re comfortable and happy…”
“We get the units in, get them cleaned and prepped for the technicians to do an inspection on them,” says Neta. “We give the customer an estimate on the repairs, and go one-on-one with the customer and show them where we’re at. They can pick and choose, but, most of the time, they’ll go off our repair recommendation.”
Neta runs a tight team of 5 who are all cross-departmental, trustworthy and can help each other out where needed.
“They’re all very knowledgeable,” he says. “They’ve all been in the industry for some time. So they all know the ending goal is to keep the customer moving and keep them satisfied.”
If an issue is left unresolved, the team holds itself accountable and think about ways to resolve the issue and accomplish the work the following day.
Success is Beyond Numbers
Following a brief customer phone call during this interview, it’s clear Neta is relaxed in his role.
“I’m a friend with everybody,” says Neta. “No matter how your day is, I try to be as nice as I can. They don’t have to come here, so our goal is to make sure that they’re comfortable and happy.”
This mentality means he doesn’t measure the success of his own performance in numbers.
“Every day is different. My day isn’t from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sometimes my day ends as late as 9 p.m. My satisfaction is that everything that happened that day at least has a closure, meaning that we may to say to a customer, ‘I apologize, but I cannot meet your need as of this moment.’ And ‘We will have to renegotiate where we’re at in the morning and have a conversation at that time,’” says Neta.
Dairy & Custom Cutters Part of A Diverse Customer Base
Mark Vanderloop estimates Vanderloop Equipment’s customer base to be about 40% dairy producers followed by custom harvester (40%), row-crop producers (15%) and co-ops 5%.
“Out of the Brillion and Lena stores, we’re about 80% dairy,” adds Robb Vanderloop. “In Beaver Dam it’s probably 60%; there’s more cash grain potential farther south.”
Up until recently, it was accurate to say as dairy goes, so did VE. Robb remembers those days well, when receivables would skyrocket when milk prices suffered. “Now, the larger dairies are financially sounder, with better equity and borrowing so these cycles aren’t as severe.
“We were down last year on the winter service because those guys said they could put it off another year. But they still need to get the crops off and still have to feed the cows, so it’s a necessity as much as a want to keep machines running.”
His technicians are measured on billable hours and efficiency, which is provided to them as a spreadsheet once a month to know exactly where they stand. Neta aims to have his techs reach a billable goal in the upper 90s, he says. Numbers are not an official measure though as he likes to simply push his team with positivity.
“The technicians have been doing such a phenomenal job that our repeat side of it has been slowed down because customers don’t have as many repairs the following year,” he says.
It’s a good problem to have. Although it’s stressful to see fewer repair calls for his staff to have work last winter, it’s reassuring it’s reassuring to know they’re keeping customers happy.
“All I tell them is to keep forward,” he says. “When they make a sale, I congratulate them. And I say, ‘Every day is another day. Keep moving forward.’ That’s the only pep talk I can give them.”
Neta holds brief meetings twice a week for his techs to clarify where the team is at and to ensure all are on the same page. They run through what is going well and what needs to be improved on with customers in specific situations.
“You never want anything bad to happen to your customer base,” says Neta. “But as far as the day-to-day, whatever comes we have to deal with.”
Relationships Drive Customer Satisfaction
Understanding customers comes naturally to Neta through years of building relationships in the stores’ communities. His years of knowledge contributes to customer communication in daily operations and to the success of the company — and having grown up in the area doesn’t hurt.
“Everybody in our store has a general good outlay of who our customers are through the area. Personal relationships, church, community events, stuff like that, schools. That helps because we’re part of the community.”
It’s a slow grind sometimes. Neta is working to switch a generational farm from Deere to Massey equipment, first getting the chance with parts and servicing — for now.
14 Kardex machines are in use across all 3 Vanderloop locations. They hold hundreds of parts and take up ⅓ of the space otherwise needed. Jeff Lazewski
Unique Parts Storage System Minimizes Square Footage, Maximizes Efficiency
Vanderloop Equipment’s (VE) top priority is keeping customers going, and that means ensuring the parts they need are on hand at all times. Keeping an adequate stockpile for a growing customer base, however, meant that its Brillion, Wis., facility was quickly running out of space. Owner and CFO Robb Vanderloop says the solution was found in an advanced parts storage system that expanded their inventory — without investing in a bigger building.
The German-based Kardex parts storage machines were purchased second-hand at $0.16 per pound, disassembled on-location in Florida and trucked up to Brillion for reassembly. Per carousel, Robb says there are around 700 parts locations, which save space and maximize efficiency.
“It’s added a great deal of storage space and at only one-third of the square footage we would’ve needed,” Robb says. “We now have 14 of these systems at each of our different locations.”
Because VE’s customers are among the most demanding — dairy farmers or custom harvesters — having the right parts in stock and easy access to them is crucial. “Feed quality is so important. You have a window of just hours to produce high-quality feed,” he says. “Ultimately, it’s the cows that pay for this. It’s for milk production.”
With money saved on an expansion project and current storage space maximized, VE can invest that capital into other areas. “We’re continually updating facilities and trying to make the working environment the best we can for the sales, parts and service personnel. We’re trying to keep up on everything and keep the dealership viable,” he says.
— Maclaren Krueger, Assistant Editor
“We’re going to do our best to work with them in whichever direction they want to go,” he says. “It’s going to take time.”
Neta aims to maintain an outstanding reputation at VE through staff that truly cares about the well–being of their customers.
“Typically, customers will see, one, the friendly atmosphere. Second, they’ll see the dedication the techs or sales staff have,” he says. “We’re not pushing; we’re just looking for them to get comfortable and understand that we’re here for them.”
Neta says when new customers join the forage harvester winter service program, they send technicians with the salesman to help foster that relationship.
“There are a lot of customers that I have no facial contact with, but they know my voice and they’ll say, ‘I thought you were a little short, chubby guy or something,’ which is probably true. It’s not a bad thing that they don’t need to see me, but then it’s nice to go out and visit when you can.”
Challenges Come in Different Sizes
Technology has changed the industry the most over the last couple years and requires stores to adapt quickly.
“I’m not on the cutting edge of the technology side of it. I can see what’s happening. I’m more of the one-on-one part of things, which is the basics of electrical hydraulics, the basics of everything functioning, which got me where I’m at,” says Neta. “We have very good techs. We have very good resources through Mark and his side of the group.”
The consolidation of dairy farms has particularly impacted VE’s business, having fewer but bigger customers with varying needs, but Neta says they continue to adapt. His staff is working well to foster relationships amidst generational changes, and fewer customers means a slimmer sales workforce but with a stronger personal touch.
“We still try to build that personal relationship, and we still try to find out what their needs are and meet their needs,” he says.
The Founding of Vanderloop Equipment
In Brillion, Wis., located just 100 yards from the Vanderloop family farmhouse on rural Dundas Road, stands the first store of what would later be 3 that make up Vanderloop Equipment (VE). The store is tucked away on farmland away from main highways; the only one not located on a main highway. Despite this, the Brillion store maintains the highest volume of the 3 locations.
When asked about the location, Robb Vanderloop, owner and CFO, says the store has been there for so long that the community knows where it is, so there’s no need to relocate. The legacy of the location supersedes the necessity of a highway-front relocation.
Robb says new lights were installed within the last 6 months and that the building has been upgraded several times. While it isn’t configured properly for the new equipment they’ve added to the mix, like combines and application equipment, it’s adequate for tractors and forage harvesters that represent the mix in the store.
The Brillion location was founded roughly 65 years ago by Robb’s grandfather and father, who started off by selling Shepard diesel tractors, which Robb describes as “ahead of their time.” When Shepard stopped producing tractors, they got a Massey Ferguson contract. According to Robb, the company’s brand heritage is Massey Ferguson.
— Audrey Woods, Editorial Assistant
“They want to keep their equipment moving forward. We don’t do anything on the milking side, but we do take care of the technology side on our end for the cropping, feeding of the cattle and stuff like that.”
Those friendly relationships extend past customers and into competitors, like their biggest adversary, John Deere. Despite being surrounded by Deere dealerships, VE maintain an understanding of all being in the same business to survive.
Focusing on Growth
“We need to grow so we can stay viable in our area,” says Neta, emphasizing their newer focus on tractors — second only to forage harvesters.
Despite manufacturers all reporting losses, Neta’s store revenues remains relatively even. With a customer base that is established but limited in spending, he says they’d rather spend on maintenance and parts.
“That portion should increase this year,” says Neta. “The wholegoods side may not increase, but you always have a potential for your wholegoods in a down year because the customer eventually gets to a point where it can’t be fixed anymore, and just has to buy.”
His sales staff understands its customer base and is kind and patient.
“They’re not pushy sales representatives, they’ll actually listen,” says Neta. “The customer has to state their problem, and they’ll help them resolve it. They’ll give answers through solutions. And a lot of times the solution is that the farmer has to buy.”
Neta says their biggest challenge will be the lack of help. He hopes to see the parts and labor sales grow every year, but he’ll have to make up for the losses of a technician and his all-around team-player, Amber, on maternity leave this fall.
Dealership Minds: Vanderloop Equipment Introduction
Dealership Minds: CFO & Co-Owner: Cashflow Rules The Day
Dealership Minds: Sales Manager & Co-Owner: Guiding Sales, Finding New Markets
Dealership Minds: Technology Sales & Co-Owner: Learning from the Past to Move Forward
Dealership Minds: Lena Store Lead: The Power of Personalization
Dealership Minds: Parts Department Lead: Customer Communication Key to Success in Parts
Dealership Minds: Beaver Dam Sales: Techs are ‘Game-Changer’ in New Wholegoods Sales
Dealership Minds: Service Department Manager: A True Passion for Customer Service
Dealership Minds: Service Department Lead: Service: Beyond Just Repairs
Dealership Minds: Parts Lead: Parts Department Brings New Challenges Every Day
Dealership Minds: Brillion Sales Reps: Building Relationships Beyond the Sale
