[Author: Tom Junge, 07.2016 | Keywords: Iowa Field Notes, Equipment Values, Change] Not too many years ago (maybe 5 or 6 years), dealers used the “Official Trade-In Guide” to determine the value of equipment. Depending on the condition of the equipment, dealers primarily used Retail Price or Trade Premium. When the ag industry boomed, trade-in guide values struggled to keep pace with rising equipment prices. As new tools became available online, dealers switched to what I call “TractorHouse Pricing.” Dealers would go to TractorHouse and look up the average retail price for a specific piece of equipment with the goal… Read More »
[Author: Cindy Feldman, 07.16 | Keywords: Marketing, Change] It was Neale Donald Walsch who said: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And it cannot be more true if you think about the correlation of where the equipment industry is right now. Most often, people live their lives in their comfort zones—afraid to change, afraid to step out, afraid of the unknown and where they know all the rules—but then there’s the rest of us who take those steps, who embrace change and who leap into the unknown…for the human potential knows no bounds. Remember, what makes you… Read More »
[Author: Tom Junge, 05.2016 | Keywords: Iowa Field Notes, Change] During my visits with dealers, many have brought up the old saying ìbad habits are learned in good times.î Dealers are starting to recognize that they have developed bad habits or ignored good business practices during the robust years of the ag economy. Many are now working on bringing back the good habits or restructuring their business for todayís economy. Here is what some dealers are doing… Addressing Blanket Liens – As financial conditions worsen for farmers, dealers have become concerned about blanket liens. Some now require salesmen to acquire information… Read More »
