It’s been just about a year since the 2018 Dealership Minds Summit wrapped up in Iowa City, which means we’ve been getting ready for this year’s Summit for nearly a year now. A year ago at the Summit, we talked about marketing’s role in filling the customer pipeline for the sales team and how to build out qualified leads using data. But the work doesn’t stop there. Having a database full of qualified leads doesn’t do you much good if sales doesn’t keep the momentum going and follows up on the leads — all of the leads.

This year’s Dealership Minds Summit — 360° Sales: Actionable Strategies for the Farm Equipment Dealer — focuses on sales management. Today, managing a sales team requires more than being a good salesperson; it requires being a coach and helping your team understand how the department works and how to make it better. “A lot of employees say, ‘we’re just told to sell more iron,’” says Trent Hummel, a former dealer and now a trainer with Western Equipment Dealers Assn.’s Dealer Institute. “Fair enough, that’s an objective. But what’s your target? What’s going to make your employees excited? Passion and emotion are contagious — if you set a target and it’s well-written, tracked and monitored, that will motivate others to execute it, and execute it well.”

We’ve assembled a great line up of speakers again this year from different regions and brands to share what’s working for them — and even what hasn’t worked out for them.

I’m excited to head down to Peoria in a couple weeks for the meeting. We’ve had attendees tell us how important it is to them to attend Dealership Minds Summit, that the education and networking opportunities keep them coming back. It has a similar impact on us too. Each year, we come back from the Summit reenergized and excited to go back to work for you guys. To dig up more stories to help address the challenges you face as dealers. We’ve got a couple of new things up our sleeves for this year’s Summit, that I hope you all enjoy. There’s still a limited number of seats available for the 2-day event. Will I see you there?

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