Dealer Kubota dealer turns ugly.

[crazyal]

I can't understand how anyone could defend a dealer who acts like an informed customer is a bad thing. I would have laughed as I walked out the door. His whole livelyhood is selling equipment to you, some might expect the same prices as dealers thousands of miles away, a simple "I can't compete with that price but I'll be more than happy to service and supply any needs you have for your new tractor" is the answer he should have given.

I work hard for my money. When I spend it I want to feel I'm getting the best deal possible. By best deal I don't mean cheapest, for me it's a fair price from a dealer who stands behind his products and a feeling that when I walk out that door and I have a problem he will still be there. I may be difficult because I've done reasearch on the internet but the opposite would be me coming in and repeatedly asking questions then leaving to go to another dealer to see if they give the same answers/ opinions or buying a piece of equipment that wasn't right possibly from faulty dealer advise.

There are lots of perks that only local dealers can offer. Free or discounted 50 hour service, discounts on parts, offering to open his shop off hours to sell parts in case of an emergancy. A good dealer should know this not get defensive. A good dealer should know that everybody who walks in the door can make the difference between a thriving business. A good dealer should know that a bad reputation, justified or not, is bad for business. A good dealer should make every customer feel valued.

My advise to you is don't give up on him because of one bad esperience. If you don't then one bad day could mean both of you loose. If he really feels that way then I would find a new place to spend my money.

 

[Northland]

At the least I'd deal with someone else at the dealership. I don't apprecaite or accept abuse from any business I patronize.

I have been in sales and marketing with telecom companies (including AT&T) for over twenty years. We all have bad days but sales people can't take it out on clients.

While I like my Michigan based Kubota dealer I have learned more about tractors and implements from the guys here then I would have by visiting dealers every day for a month.

 

[SkyPup]

LOL, if it wasn't for TBN, Kubota online, and the internet, our Kubota dealer would not have made 1/2 the amount of sales to us.

Why you ask?

Simply because we had no idea of what we needed or wanted until AFTER we had researched it here.

For instance, I never would have known how great a T'N'T setup is for road grading with a backblade. I never would have know how great a QA is compared to the stock FEL. I never would have known how great the electric solenoid front remote was to operate the grapple. etc, etc. etc.

In other words, learning and knowledge about Kubota's is what brought me to the dealer in the first place!

If I had arrived to hear him rant about how stoopid I am for researching my needs on the internet, I could have easily be driving GREEN instead of ORANGE, however, our dealer isn't that stoopid!!!!

 

[MarkV]

Internet savy customers can be the most difficult people that we see. Often they are very uninformed even though they think otherwise. Opinions get developed because of a thread feed by 2-3 people, pricing is found from years ago, specs are misunderstood and people often have no concept how large a machine is because they've only ever seen pictures. Instead of having someone who knows the equipment educate them, they take it on themselves and miss the most important points.

I think Neil hit the nail on the head. I see misinformation here on our forum all the time. People with little experience get enthusiastic and present themselves as experts, intentionally or unintentionally, and then ego will not let them back off from their stated position. Human nature makes all of us want to feel we made the best choice when we bought our tractors. I think some are still trying to convince themselves of their choice after purchase and we get things like, ‘every color but this one is junk’, ‘anything larger than this is a waste of money’,’ my specs are better than you specs’ and the classic gear vs. HST.

The reality is that no one has spent enough hours on all the different tractors out there nor worked in all the different conditions out there to be the authority. It is all just your opinion verses my opinion.

MarkV

 

[SkyPup]

Bottom line is that consumers are not experts in much of anything and don't have to be, but they still are the purchasers, without whom no sales is going to happen.

Which is why the original ignorant salesman in this argument is the loser......the consumer is ALWAYS RIGHT, at least right up to they've paid for their purchase!

 

[BAYOUBENGAL]

Knowledge is power and the internet has empowered a new generation of consumer. Think about how you buy cars now. You walk on the lot with the cost (less dealer holdback) of the product you are buying. You know what options and what colors are available. In the past many dealers cared about your needs were as long as they had it in stock. Now they know you get exactly what you want and that you have many options on where to buy it. The internet has given consumers knowledge. The airline I work for (Delta) chose to embrace technology early on. Not to long ago two people sitting next to each other on an airplane may have paid a hugely different price for their seat - and not question it. While some variation still exist, it is much smaller, and people do question it. Part of that is the result of internet knowldge. Bottom line, our pricing power has declined and we had to adjust. This contributed to some of the airline woes of the post 911 era. Instead of battling it we went out and bought Priceline.com.

But two pieces to this puzzle must co-exist:

1. As consumers we must respect the investment our dealer networks have. We must confirm our information with reliable sources. Give the dealer an opportunity to address your issues. I think (hold your spears) that it is smart to be educated and use that information to make an informed decision. But don't beat your dealer silly with it. If you expect him to be there for you, you must support him. My mentality is don't buy anything long distance that you need local support for. That being said it doesn't have to be your local local dealer. I bought my 3030 from a great dealer about an hour away over a dealer 6 miles away because he earned it. My local guy was inattentive, and short on effort., a charactersitic I assumed would bleed over into his service. As a reserve military officer I value attention to detail. He didn't have it. But don't go 4 states over to save 300 bucks. Let him make a reasonable profit to ensure he will be there for you, but don't let him cover his monthly overhead on you alone. With some effort you can learn what a logical price is.

2. The dealers must embrace technology. Face the fact that your business environment has changed. Respectfully address your customers issues and objections. We just want to be educated and we consider you a key piece of that education process. BUT WE NO LONGER CONSIDER YOU THE ONLY PIECE. Get online. We want your input. I'm not real smart, but I'm not real stupid either. You have a financial interest in my decision making and I'm smart enough to know that can affect the information I get from you. I'm not saying you are dis-honest. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't be at your dealership. But it's like dealing with the Kremlin - Trust, But VERIFY.

 

[RayMunising]

Amen. Well stated bayoubengal.

 

[Riptide23]

As a consumer, it continually puzzles me how a salesman cannot know everything there is to know about his product. I mean, what does the guy do during his slow time? Cripe, get on the 'net, read some forums, go over to your competition and check out their products!! I am not in sales, but I can garantee that if I were relying on my knowledge to put bread on the table, there wouldn't too many customers that could throw me a curve ball. And if they did, I would be thanking them for enlightening me, instead of taking it as an affront to my knowledge...

I've been subject to it too many times, from electronics to tractors, to boats, to cars. I think some salespeople sometimes forget that parting with my hard-earned cash is not down lightly, and research is to be expected.

To the dealers on this forum, I appreciate all your inputs, and would reward you with at least a visit, were you in my sales territory...

Pat

 

[RFB]

Dealers that fear a customer's ability to perform independent research is similar to politicians who fear talk-radio and blogs. They have lost some of the information flow control, and now have to perform more work to stay up to speed. The politicians never had to read the bills, and dealers could be lazy about new equipment tech advances.

I never had problems per se with my dealer, but he was uninformed about two large (for me) attachments (a BH and a snowplow) and their interface with my proposed tractor purchase. If not for this site, I would not have the tractor brand, model, equippage, and accessories that I do.

I received more knowledge from Mr. Messick and Mr. Wallace through the internet than I did from my dealer by phone of face-to-face.

May these dealers want the "fairness doctrine".

 

[rbargeron]

50 years ago, shop keepers were considered to be a couple rungs higher on the ladder than their customers. In most things, the "shop keeper" is now huge, corporate, and remote. But in some small niches, like retail machinery sales (cars, tractors) some of the less-enlightened shop keepers still think they have the upper hand - in information and pricing discretion. These people's feathers get ruffled when a customer calls that into question. Most of them are adjusting to having informed customers - but some still revert to denial. The dealer who knows his product well and works hard to know the market and his customer's needs will always do just fine. The rest will struggle.