Home / Authors / Mike Lessiter

Articles by Mike Lessiter

Sponsored Content: Successful Equipment Remarketing Strategies

Johnson Tractor — Student of Used

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 31, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Operations & Finance, Department Management
Tired of losing customers to wholesale auctions and farm sales during the lean years of 1982-86, Leo Johnson, partner, Johnson Tractor in Janesville, Wis., found survival in a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach. He was soon an active participant in anywhere used iron was being sold. "Buying and selling used equipment got us through," he says.
Read More
Lessiter
From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Day in the Life: What Does a Dealer Development Manager Do?

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 24, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues
One of the fun things about our coverage of the farm equipment business is discovering and sharing how each of the various cogs perform together in the larger “machine.” On each of the Dealership Minds special issues, we’ve had subscribers laugh about how they learned something they didn’t know about the role of a person they’d worked 10 yards away from for a decade, sometimes more.
Read More
2017 Equipment Dealers Assn. Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey

Few Surprises at the Top, But Changes Afoot Among the Challengers

For the 2nd time, Farm Equipment magazine analyzes EDA’s annual survey ranking ag equipment manufacturers on the criteria that equipment dealers say matters most.
By Mike Lessiter posted on July 15, 2017 | Posted in Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Data & Forecasts, Manufacturer News
In early June, the Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA) released the results of its annual Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey. Through this study, equipment dealers rated the companies whose products they represent on 11 key categories of dealership operations and support.
Read More
Lessiter

To The Point: Make Room for Creative Destruction

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 15, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Manufacturer News
Reflecting on the Dealership of the Year Alumni Group, and the manufacturer rankings, it’s clear that best in industry achievements don’t happen by accident. Rather, they get into the conversation of “best” through a refusal to be mediocre, or “good enough to get by.” One can argue a company can’t get there unless it first engages in honest self-reflection, with a well-polished mirror.
Read More
Lessiter
From the Desk of Mike Lessiter

Make Room for Creative Destruction

By Mike Lessiter posted on July 3, 2017 | Posted in Best Practices, Manufacturer & Dealer Issues, Manufacturer News
Reflecting on the Dealership of the Year Alumni Group, and the manufacturer rankings, it’s clear that best in industry achievements don’t happen by accident. Rather, they get into the conversation of “best” through a refusal to be mediocre, or “good enough to get by.” One can argue a company can’t get there unless it first engages in honest self-reflection, with a well-polished mirror.
Read More

Top Articles

Current Issue

View More

Must Read Free Eguides

Download these helpful knowledge building tools

View More

Farm Equipment Videos

View More
Top Directory Listings

Yetter Farm Equipment

Built on 90 years of expertise, Yetter Farm Equipment leads the agriculture industry in designing effective and innovative equipment for residue management, seedbed preparation, precision fertilizer placement, harvest attachments, strip-tillage, and more.
MonTag

Montag Mfg

Montag is the industry’s innovative leader for precise, accurate metering of fertilizer, seed and other nutrients. The Montag system has become the standard for deep banding of fertilizer. Montag is also pioneering the technology for cover crop seed application. The new Cover Crop+ is able to meter the smallest seed, and can be mounted to tillage implements, combines, plus Hagie sprayers and detasselers.

Machinery Scope

Machinery Scope

At Machinery Scope, we believe you deserve the best risk management solutions for your investments in heavy equipment. Since 2013, we have been proud to offer extended warranty, appraisals, and inspections. Machinery Scope is a family-owned business built on our experience in farming and equipment dealerships. We understand your business and provide a personalized and professional level of customer service. Machinery Scope has built a strong warranty product with our customers in mind, offering the same professional level of service from the time you get a quote, through the processing of a claim.
View More