Industry News

It's All in the Execution

While each of the speakers at the Dealership Minds Summit provided food-for-thought, Boyd Hofmann's presentation reinforced that the best ideas in the world won't work without the right processes and systems and follow-up mechanisms. Hofmann is vice president and general sales manager of JayDee Ag Tech, 9-store John Deere dealer group based in Saskatchewan that is focused on the large producer business. Its structure includes 3 regional sales managers and 21 ag territory managers, along with a support staff of 5 that is dedicated to settlements and sales assistance.
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Build Marketing Basics First

Marketing may be the most misused word in business today. Tim Young, general manager of Regina, Sask.-based Young's Equipment, says it's critical to have a specific understanding of marketing when business authors keep rewriting definitions to sell textbooks. Young favors the following definition: "The process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives."
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3 Slam-Dunk Action Items

Campbell asked for dealers who could say every one of their employees knew what they'd be promoting the following month. Imagine the sound of crickets. "That's a struggle, to get everybody focused in the dealership on the target and what you're going to be promoting," says Campbell. He recalls the day at Birkey's when each store was doing its own thing, often with the parts department running a different promotion than the store, and service
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Winter Farm Shows Unveil Latest Technology

The agriculture industry in North America is going strong, and equipment manufacturers responded with a number of new introductions at this year's winter farm shows. The new product launches centered around ways to help improve production and efficiency, with a heavy focus on precision farming advancements. New Tier 4i compliant engines were another big theme of the two shows, held in January and February.
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Versatility of Hay Rakes Continues to Evolve

"If money were no object, what I tell people who come into the dealership with questions about which rake is best for producing quality hay is they need about three different rakes to have the right one on any given day," says Ryan Parker of Parker & Sons Equipment in Claypool, Ind. In addition to operating a shortline equipment dealership, Parker says his family also produces a lot of hay. "I know there have been days when I've got a rake in the field and wish I had another one or different one."
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Use 'Smart Software' in Your Marketing

The focus of this month's column is on two different "Smart Software"? applications developed to help your dealership increase sales by improving the visibility of your product and services, and providing a quicker and lower cost of acquisition and capturing prospects' interests.
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'Really' Using Your Data Assets

Discussing all the industry valuation tools and guides available, Rocky Mountain Equipment's Laird Munro shared an example of a dealer taking in combine on trade. "The guide says $270,000, so we value it at $270,000. This makes this magical assumption that there's an endless pool of customers who figured out the value. If we have 19 identical combines, the value of the 20th unit is not $270,000 unless we know how many customers are on the other end to buy it.
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KZValve Receives John Deere Supplier Innovation Award

KZValve, a Manufacturer of Motorized Valves and Controls, announced today its selection as a recipient of a John Deere supplier innovation award for 2012. The award is presented to a select group of suppliers who have demonstrated innovation in a product or service they provide to John Deere.
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