“Subject matter experts are the new rainmakers.” That’s the No. 1 business trend for 2017, according to a Forbes.com columnist. That’s what I intended to write about because it speaks of so much potential for rural lifestyle dealerships, which are loaded with experts.
From cashflow to ordering and managing inventory, intelligently forecasting equipment sales are critical for dealers’ financial planning. Unlike dealerships catering to production farming that can use commodity pricing as a signpost for industry trends, for those specializing in rural lifestyle markets economic indicators are not so clear cut.
Rural equipment dealers forecast another good year for overall and aftermarket sales, according to Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s 2017 Dealer Business Trends & Outlook survey, the magazine’s 9th annual. Despite the economic and social turbulence of an election year, these optimistic forecasts follow a very strong year for growth in 2016. Eighty-four percent of dealers think 2017 will be as good as or better than 2016 for total revenue and more than 90% think aftermarket revenue will also be as good as or better than last year. This compares with last year’s survey in which more than 88% of dealers expected 2016 to be as good as or better than 2015 for total revenue and more than 90% expected aftermarket revenue to be as good as or better than 2015.
Williams Tractor of Fayetteville, Ark., shares strategies regarding margins, rental, marketing and more in the first installment of the 2017 ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
One of the biggest decisions facing dealerships revolves around setting fair equipment margins. If high profit is the goal, sales may be lost to competitors, but aggressive pricing could lead some to feel they could have done better.
Rural Lifestyle Dealer offers this round-up of leading dealership management systems as part of our new “Innovations” series. The summaries feature information provided by Basic Software Systems, CDK Global Heavy Equipment, Charter Software, c-Systems Software, HBS Systems, nizeX and Red Wing Software.
The automotive market is known for its innovation and, often, what happens in the car business will trickle down to the ag equipment business because of the many similarities between the two.
What’s on your mind? What keeps you up at night? What is right or wrong with the rural equipment industry? In this new series, “Dealers Sound Off,” dealers bring up issues related to those questions and our goal is to generate ideas from other dealers who may be facing the same issues.
Over the course of a year, you’ll see thousands of bits of information. Which of these stories, videos, news posts and other content rose to the surface as being most important, as ranked by you, our dealer-readers?
This is a good time of year to reflect on changes you would like to see take place in your dealership. One area I would encourage you to consider is your employee compensation program.
Williams Tractor of Fayetteville, Ark., shares strategies regarding margins, rental, marketing and more in the first installment of the 2017 ‘Season-to-Season’ series.
One of the biggest decisions facing dealerships revolves around setting fair equipment margins. If high profit is the goal, sales may be lost to competitors, but aggressive pricing could lead some to feel they could have done better.
Over the course of a year, you’ll see thousands of bits of information. Which of these stories, videos, news posts and other content rose to the surface as being most important, as ranked by you, our dealer-readers?
Rural equipment dealers forecast another good year for overall and aftermarket sales, according to Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s 2017 Dealer Business Trends & Outlook survey, the magazine’s 9th annual. Despite the economic and social turbulence of an election year, these optimistic forecasts follow a very strong year for growth in 2016. Eighty-four percent of dealers think 2017 will be as good as or better than 2016 for total revenue and more than 90% think aftermarket revenue will also be as good as or better than last year. This compares with last year’s survey in which more than 88% of dealers expected 2016 to be as good as or better than 2015 for total revenue and more than 90% expected aftermarket revenue to be as good as or better than 2015.
Yanmar America is the North American headquarters of Yanmar Holdings. Ranked #1 in Product
Quality for five years in a row by the Equipment Dealers Association, Yanmar provides innovative
solutions for Rural Lifestyle and Industrial Equipment customers.
Yanmar was the world’s first manufacturer to develop a practical small diesel engine in 1933 and
has continued to push the boundaries of innovation and technology ever since. As a manufacturer of
diesel engines, compact tractors and utility task vehicles, construction machinery, and industrial
equipment, Yanmar's products are sold in over 130 countries.
At Yanmar America, we are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality products
and services, backed by a strong team of professionals who share our dedication to excellence. We
look forward to the opportunity to work with you in achieving your goals.
Virginia Beach-based STIHL Inc., produces a full line of high-quality, handheld outdoor power equipment including blowers, trimmers, brushcutters, and multi-task tools, as well as the number one selling brand of chainsaws worldwide. STIHL Inc. manufactures over 260 model variations of handheld outdoor power equipment for sale in the U.S. and around the world.