Dealers Sound Off: “What Would You Ask John Deere’s New CEO?”

“As a 42-year Deere dealer, terminated Jan. 18, 2018, I would like to ask Mr. John C. May how he plans to get back to the basics of what built the Deere name? That was your small mom-and-pop dealers who took care of their local customers, on a first name basis.”

View more responses here:  www.RuralLifestyleDealer.com/JDCEO.

Mobile Apps & More: See How ‘Social’Selling Works

A recent RLD Podcast features a conversation with Derek Alexander of Wright Implement, Owensboro, Ky. Alexander is finding success through “social” selling strategies and has developed his own mobile app, digital business card and Facebook page. He is also available after hours through automated text messaging. Those tools help him drive urgency toward a purchase while being more accessible to his customers. Alexander has also taken the initiative to establish a Facebook group for rural equipment salespeople to share ideas.

Tune in: www.RuralLifestyleDealer.com/SocialSelling.

Sydenstricker Implement, Wm. Nobbe & Co. Merge

Two family-owned, full-service John Deere dealer groups headquartered in Mexico, Mo., and Waterloo, Ill., recently announced plans to merge their businesses. Sydenstricker Implement Co. and Wm. Nobbe & Co. have partnered to form Sydenstricker-Nobbe Partners and anticipate officially beginning joint operation of 26 Missouri and Illinois dealerships in January 2020.

Be featured in “Dealers in Motion.” Send in your announcements to Managing Editor Lynn Woolf, lwoolf@lessitermedia.com.

How Interstate Equipment Dealt with a Fatal Accident

Lee Rogness, owner and manager of Interstate Equipment of Fergus Falls, Minn., shares his story in the hopes of helping fellow dealers cope with crises and plan for unknown crises. “Several years ago on a Friday afternoon, one of our employees was killed while working on a repair for a customer. The death had a profound effect on our employees. We struggled as we grieved with his young family. In spite of all the bad that was associated with the event we were, over time, able to move forward while honoring our employee’s memory and family ... and supporting each other in the workplace.”

Read more, www.RuralLifestyleDealer.com/InterstateEquipment. 

Big Dog Celebrates 10th Anniversary

BigDog Mower Co., a brand of Excel Industries, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Its timeline includes a launch, stagnation and an evolution to its current status as a premium-plus zero-turn mower brand carried by nearly 500 dealers in the U.S. Chad Lane, vice president of strategic marketing and business development, shares the challenges they faced, admitting that early on, they didn’t offer a compelling reason for customers to purchase a BigDog mower. Lane says they could have chosen to scrap the line altogether and focus on the flagship Hustler Turf line. “We still felt that developing a second brand was valid and there was still a tremendous amount of potential despite our struggles,” he says.

Read more at: www.RuralLifestyleDealer.com/BigDog.