We’ve all seen and heard about the widespread devastation caused by the recent hurricanes in the southern U.S. Images and stories covering the immediate impact was startling, but the aftermath is perhaps even more astonishing.
A recent poll Rural Lifestyle Dealer ran addressed the topic of greeting customers and, while there was a clear-cut winner, it actually raised more questions than answers for me.
Farm equipment sales history is replete with hills and valleys and we certainly are in a valley now. Traditionally, the range between the hilltop and the valley floor is about 20% in terms of unit sales.
We’ve talked about earning customer and brand loyalty in this space at various times over the past 10 years or so. But, like any good message, it’s worth repeating to remind retailers, like yourself, that you need to work at it.
When it comes to the future trade-ins, I’m not so much concerned about trying to find a home for the $100,000 combine. What I’m more concerned about is that first and second trade that are $350,000 or $280,000 machines.
While Harvey and Katrina are different disasters, we’re looking into what last week’s storm may mean for replacement of destroyed equipment and the tractors and loaders that will be needed for cleanup activities.
As a retailer, you must have inventory. But do you know the costs of holding machines and parts in stock? In my experience, most farm equipment dealers don’t know the hidden costs of carrying inventory — the number can be difficult to determine and most guesses are way too low.
More automation, improved operator comfort and upgraded feeding and durability on front end systems marks 2018’s new-model year headlines for combine technology.
Inventory management has become extremely important for larger dealer groups with tens of millions of dollars in inventory and millions of dollars at risk. But even for smaller dealerships where the dollars at stake are smaller, inventory management is still vital.
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 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.
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.