As we were putting the finishing touches on this issue, I had a visit scheduled to meet Tom Ballweg and Sheila Jaeckel at No-Till Farmer’s Conservation Ag Fellow Tony Peirick’s farm along with No-Till Farmer Managing Editor Mackane Vogel. 

Peirick has been a customer of Ballweg Implement since 2016 when the dealership helped facilitate a full conversion from red to green. He’s been a good customer ever since. But, not all customers are. This was my second visit with Ballweg for this year’s Boots on the Ground series, and it was the second time we talked about “clear speak,” something he uses with employees and customers alike. 

As Ballweg explains it, clear speak is — much like it sounds — stating clearly what the expectations are. For him, those expectations are that customers are going to treat Ballweg employees with respect. If they don’t, Ballweg is clear with them. “It’s easier for me to get a new customer than a new employee,” he says. 

And of course the expectation is that Ballweg employees will treat the customers and each other the same way. 

Ballweg trains the staff — particularly those working the parts counter — to know the difference between yelling and being yelled at. “When someone hits their hand with a hammer, they yell,” he says. “That sounds a lot different than when someone is yelling at you.”

And while he recognizes that it’s likely customers aren’t actually angry with the dealership staff, just directing their frustration at them, it’s inexcusable behavior as far as he’s concerned. It’s a message that is shared with customers constantly — from demos to John Deere Days to everything in between. Each time the customers hear it, so does the staff. That can go a long way in maintaining a solid culture in the dealership where customers want to do business and employees want to work. 

Ballweg is certainly not the first dealer — or manufacturer for that matter — to talk to us about firing customers. Although, he might be among the first to talk about how he makes the point abundantly clear with customers and potential customers. Holding on to customers who are unreasonable, rude or even abusive to your team doesn’t help anyone. The problem customer is likely to remain unhappy no matter what your staff does to bend to their needs. Your other customers might not get the attention they deserve. And most importantly it’s a killer for staff morale, which just feeds the bad experience cycle. 

Top Concerns 

It’s no surprise Ballweg says it’s easier to replace a customer than an employee. Labor (recruiting, retaining, etc.) was in the top 5 concerns listed by dealer management on this year’s Farm Equipment Dealer 100 list. Other issues in the top 5 included commodity prices, used equipment, interest rates and the ag economy … no real surprise there. Recruiting, training and retaining technicians came in as a separate concern than general employees. 

We’ll have more from my visit with Ballweg and Jaeckel in the July/August issue for the second installment of this year’s Boots on the Ground series. 

In the forever wise words of Kenny Rogers, you got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em and know when to walk away.