Eightpoint
Member
I recently stumbled across the thread below related to how two dealerships (Corriher and Tarheel Tractor) pursued an expansion of their business by virtue of selling their wares on the internet only to have a manufacturer purportedly discourage the practice to appease other dealers. This thread was back in the fall of 2007 and it caused me to ponder whether the various stakeholders in this debate (manufacturers, dealers and consumers) have changed their view over the last 16 months on how business via the internet should or should not be conducted in the tractor equipment industry given all that is going on in the economy and the continued build-out/acceptance of the internet as a place to shop.
My own point of view - I hope to be in the market for a new tractor in the coming months. I have a couple of ok dealers nearby but price is certainly a consideration and if a dealer I find on the internet can save me a couple thousand dollars then things would get interesting. I understand the argument to help the local guy not only from a the viewpoint of having someone local to service my tractor but also to help the local economy. On the flip side if the local guy is either not willing or unable to adapt to the ever changing world and is therefore no longer competitive in the larger marketplace then why should I subsidize their endeavor by paying a premium and taking away resources (in the form of $$) from my family?
I understand that there is no right answer for everyone but was curious on where others (manufacturers, dealers and consumers) were on this dilemma. So - anyone have any thoughts they wish to share on the subject?
Corriher/Tarheel Thread
My own point of view - I hope to be in the market for a new tractor in the coming months. I have a couple of ok dealers nearby but price is certainly a consideration and if a dealer I find on the internet can save me a couple thousand dollars then things would get interesting. I understand the argument to help the local guy not only from a the viewpoint of having someone local to service my tractor but also to help the local economy. On the flip side if the local guy is either not willing or unable to adapt to the ever changing world and is therefore no longer competitive in the larger marketplace then why should I subsidize their endeavor by paying a premium and taking away resources (in the form of $$) from my family?
I understand that there is no right answer for everyone but was curious on where others (manufacturers, dealers and consumers) were on this dilemma. So - anyone have any thoughts they wish to share on the subject?
Corriher/Tarheel Thread