In the December 2014 installment of Farm Equipment's webinar series, we were joined by Trent Hummel with Jerkins Creative Consulting to discuss how to adapt a sales approach for today's market.

The sales environment in the current market for farm equipment is dramatically different than it was just a year or two ago when even “order takers” thrived. With ag equipment being a much tougher sell, salespeople must become disciplined “marketers” who must have written objectives, goals and targets to shoot for. This aggressive approach to sales includes: 

– Digging up deals: how to call on everyone with a plan, especially those who are able to buy;
– Building deeper relationships: managing key accounts better than ever before;
– Achieving healthy gross margins: ensure profitability for your dealership
– Targeting trades: to whom and for what.

Trent is a fourth-generation equipment dealer from Milk River, Alberta, where his father and uncle owned the Roydale Case IH store. Having been raised in the dealership environment, he gained an overall understanding of the aspects of a successful agriculture store. He and his cousin acquired their own store in Red Deer, Alberta. They grew it to be in the top three in Canada for market share and in the top 10% of North America for profitability. In 2010, the dealership was sold to Rocky Mountain Equipment.

Today, Hummel plays a key role in JCC’s single-point business solutions for dealers, manufacturers and trade associations in the U.S. and Canada. With drive and passion,…