Kansas Golf and Turf: Selling Specialty Equipment

Jeff McDonough recently traveled 160 miles to do an on-site equipment demonstration of a Ventrac mower. That trip led to a sale and the practice has paid off other times as well.

“They have to be qualified buyers before we travel that far, but there have been very few on-site demonstrations where the Ventrac didn’t perform the way customers expected it,” says McDonough, who handles sales for Kansas Golf and Turf at its Lenexa, Kan., location. The dealership’s headquarters is in Wichita, Kan., and they carry more than 68 product lines including Ariens, Billy Goat, E-Z-GO, Exmark, Gravely, Hustler, Jacobsen and Ventrac.

The dealership serves commercial landscapers, municipalities, golf courses and others. McDonough says those segments are looking for specialty equipment from brands like Jacobsen and Ventrac. He says the Ventrac stands apart in its ability to handle steep slopes and the Tough Cut mower deck is the most popular attachment. He says the Ventrac is quiet and user-friendly, so customers don’t seem to be as intimidated as they are when first operating zero-turn mowers.

Those capabilities are what sold Michael Woolf and Russ and Cynthia DeTrempe on the Ventrac. They are neighbors and large property owners near Hartsburg, Mo., who have bought several pieces of equipment together.

“This co-owning of equipment is a very unusual arrangement, but they don’t worry about who uses it the most or how it is being used. They get along as well as anybody I have ever met,” says McDonough.

Woolf and the DeTrempes researched Ventrac videos online before calling the dealership, which is common for many of McDonough’s customers. He still takes time to learn about their properties and operations to make sure he is presenting the best solutions.

McDonough says he is watching developments in battery-powered equipment, particularly for golf courses and municipalities. He sees growing opportunities in the golf segment. “A couple of years ago, the golf industry was suffering. The market was saturated and some golf courses closed and the market is coming back,” he says. (Photo Courtesy Of: Kansas Golf & Turf)