Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows

   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #71  
As a customer:
Rule #1 is never beg anyone to take my money.
Rule #2 is never believe a salesman, know your stuff before you get that far. If you don't know, how do you know that they know? Ya Know? :)
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #72  
"Price on request" is the low rent equivalent of "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" which is pretty low rent to start with.

Point is, I (usually) CAN afford "it", and I refuse to play games with sales droids. I don't need to impress anonymous nincompoops who I will never see again anyway, and I certainly don't need to do it by making a bad deal for myself.

My favorite is the "contest close" - If you buy this (rusty, dented, smoking, flood damaged and probably stolen Dodge Neon) today, I can win a trip to Hawaii!

Counter offer - I'll sign today on the following conditions - *I* win the trip to Hawaii, *YOU* get the payment book, and *I* get to take your teenage daughter with me - but I gotta see her in a Bikini first.

(I think the word is out - nobody has tried the contest close on me lately . . . )

Best Regards,

Mike/Florida
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #73  
"Price on request" is the low rent equivalent of "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" which is pretty low rent to start with.

Point is, I (usually) CAN afford "it", and I refuse to play games with sales droids. I don't need to impress anonymous nincompoops who I will never see again anyway, and I certainly don't need to do it by making a bad deal for myself.

My favorite is the "contest close" - If you buy this (rusty, dented, smoking, flood damaged and probably stolen Dodge Neon) today, I can win a trip to Hawaii!

Counter offer - I'll sign today on the following conditions - *I* win the trip to Hawaii, *YOU* get the payment book, and *I* get to take your teenage daughter with me - but I gotta see her in a Bikini first.

(I think the word is out - nobody has tried the contest close on me lately . . . )

Best Regards,

Mike/Florida
I figure "price on request" is just code for "we'll decide how much to charge once we see how much we can screw you over". Not playing that game.
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #74  
Going through this right now while shopping for another big ticket item, not a tractor. Dealerships with no price on their products will get an email from me at best. This is there invitation to earn my business. If they don't respond quickly because they think I am wasting their time or a tire kicker then they simply don't get my business. Sales is like fishing. You don't catch a fish every time you cast the line and you don't sell something every time you get an inquiry. But you sure as hell won't sell anything to me if you don't respond.
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #75  
The whole haggling approach to buying big ticket items is incredibly annoying and anxiety producing. "Let me go talk to the manager." Really? This is one of the things some car companies figured out - Saturn did it, and Tesla does this as well. I guess if we had a culture that haggled on everything, as is common in some countries, this would feel more natural, but to combine the difficulty of spending large amounts of money with that of playing a game where you're not sure of all the rules makes the entire process distasteful.
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #76  
Us "old guys" invented the internet!!

I never understood why "old people" don't quickly embrace the new technology stuff.
I’m likely older than you. The fact is, though, many older people are resistant to change. It’s pretty evident if you spend a little time perusing some of the threads on this forum.
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #77  
Yes - market speed (if that's the right term) changes with the scope and speed of the media available to facilitate it. Today markets have become more and more fluid due to the immediate availability of so much product and price info.

(BTW I'm 64, and most peers that I know seem pretty tuned into online info, etc., too.)
My wife was talking about how her 96 year old (!) aunt hops on the Internet to order things or figure out how to set up new gadgets.

My own mother, though, was afraid to turn the computer on when she was 70. Scared her to death (not literally).
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #78  
I believe there is no question that the dealers must demonstrate good customer service and that means being responsive to emails. In 2003, I was looking for a new Ford F250, but I was looking for a particular truck. The local dealer did not have one and after about 2 months, I stated looking on the web. A dealer 5 hours away had what I was looking for. I sent him an email asking for a good price. That night, I saw the price he was asking. I sent him another email telling him I would be there that Friday to pick up the truck. I went Friday and bought the truck and I never spoke to anyone on the phone, nor had I visited that dealer before.
Another customer service related story. I went to a NAPA
store to buy a fuel filter for a JD 2020. I told the parts man what I wanted. He replied "Do you have a part number?" I said "No, but I looked it up on the web and it showed you have one. Sorry I didn't write down the part number. It was at that time the he began sighing and making faces like he didn't like what I was asking. I told him 'You don't look to enthused about this." He replied, "Well its just that you don't have a part number." I said "That's why you have all those parts manuals in front of you and a computer." He said, "Yea, but these books haven't been updated and you know, my good customers bring me a part number." I interrupted him and said "Oh, so its about good and bad customers. I don't think you know what the hell you are doing. I think I will go elsewhere." and I left. When do you think I am going back to that store, and I buy lots of parts?

W
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #79  
I research online, then come in for a test drive and closing the deal. I suspect there are many more like me. If a dealer does not have a website, I will not even know he exists.
 
   / Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows #80  
In my view (and my dealers view), anything net related is tire kicking or shopping for a low ball price. I seel my depreciated out equipment on Tractor House all the time and I never have them list my email address on the ad, just a phone number (landline) and set my price firm and I've never had any tire kickers but I have had unhappy potential buyers because my philosophy is, the first one to lay down a substantial CASH deposit, gets the item. I operate on the 'Early Bird Gets The Worm' principle. Always have.

I don't negotiate with low ball buyers either. It is what it is and I've already researched the asking price so don't bother me with some low ball bs, cause I'm not listening. I end those calls quickly and efficiently, I hang up on them.

Far as my dealer goes, he has a laptop and a printer which he only uses to consumate deals and he don't have a website either or an email address and don't want one. He does just fine without the 'electronic Highway' bothering him and yes, he's my age 71 and yes, he sells and services more units than an other dealer around here. In fact Kubota rates him as a 5 star dealer. We do everything on the landline or he drops by and sits in the kitchen and we has out the details. No glitz no pomp, just good old school way of handling a sale.

If you walked in his store, you'd probably be shocked as it don't look like any modern dealer. Looks more like some one's garage that anything else but in his case what you see and what it is are 2 distinctly different things and most everyone around here knows it and deals with him as well.

His shop is always busy too and not just with Kubota's. He works on everything, green included. I'm glad I'm considered a good customer for getting something serviced and not being , probably entails a long wait, if he even accepts doing the repair.

Case in point, I bought a brand new Kubota Premium round baler (net-twine) from him last fall, signed all the papers on it and had Kubota finance the balance and it's still sitting in his lot and has been all winter, even though I own it and am making payments on it. Saves me having to insure it for one and I'm in no hurry to take possession anyway and he's used it to show potential buyers the features on it. He even toted it to the local fair las fall as part of his display. New equipment is scarce today so I have no issue with any of it. Interestingly Kubota did, the called me and asked me how the new bailer was performing last fall and were completely taken back when I told them I didn't have it and where it actually was. I basically told them it was none of their business so long as the loan was current, which it is. Guess they called him as well and he told them we have an agreement and it was none of their concern anyway. All on a handshake how we do stuff out here in Flyover Country and I'm all good with it. he sells more than enough new Kubota's big and small for them not to make unnecessary waves. Smart on their part.
Not that you or your dealer would care, but i would find a dealer that at least pretends to want my business…
 

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