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

[Jstpssng]

I am looking for a skid steer attachment and found one online at a dealer in Arkansas. I emailed them from the equipment website and got no response. After 2 days, I called and was out on hold for 15 minutes then I hung up. I called again the next day and was told the salesman was on the phone. I said I would call back later, which I never did.
I would say there was a 10% chance that I would buy this attachment, but it would have been nice to at least get a price.

That's always been a beef of mine. Price is an important consideration any time that I make a major purchase. If they don't want me "tire kicking", make the price easily available... and I' don't mean "What is the payment?"

 

[RandyT]

Just went through this very thing with my nephew who is going to purchase a mini stand on skid steer for his business. Contacted Bobcat for a quote and never got a response, but had talked to a dealer previously so already had a ballpark price. Contacted Vermeer by email twice, and after two phone calls to the local Vermeer dealer to try to talk to a salesman never got a response from the salesman or received a quote. Contacted Kubota and had a phone call from the dealer within a couple hours. Contacted the local Ditch Witch dealer at 4pm in the evening and got a response from the salesman at 8pm that night, with the response that he would get us a quote the next day. By 1pm got an emailed quote. Ditch Witch is closer than Kubota and the price is more within his budget so will be making a trip to the dealer next week to finalize the details and put down a deposit for a later shipment date with an ETA in May or June.

 

[m1garand762]

When I bought my tractor I was a cash buyer. My local dealer quoted me msrp and would not budge. I went home got on the phone and made some phone calls. I took the best deal back to him and said meet it or beat it. I went on a road trip to pick my machine up about 2 weeks later. I did the same thing when I ordered the backhoe for it. Some dealers make enough money and don’t want to take care of a customer that drives by there lot every day to and from work and has spent a ton of money on parts and other things there over the years. I won’t even give him a small parts sale now I will drive the next closest dealer or order parts and filters online just to spite him

 

[hornett22]

Guess I'm old school. Even though I'm only 52. I call on the phone or physically show up and I want to talk to a person. If you want to text or email me a detail or document that's fine but I still want to talk to a live person and put eyes and hands on what I'm buying.

I don't care for what technology is doing to society.

 

[JDZ735M]

Lots of older peopl don’t accept changes, and never will.

They eventually age out of the system, as we all do, and change and new ideas and ways of doing business happen anyway.

Change is inevitable, and clinging to old ways won’t stop it.

I doubt their resistance is about "stopping" anything except for their participation in it. And, if that works for them and their customers, what is it really to me or you? Every store cannot cater to every customer. They just need to cater to the customers they have who want to do business with them the way they want business done.

 

[mikester]

I'm not surprised.

I can imagine so many tire kickers, out of market people just looking to see if prices a little different than local dealers, people who are not really serious just playing around, etc....

Would hope if someone was serious they would pick up the phone and call or better yet come down, take a look, kick the tires and if serious start talking price.

I have sold lots of stuff on Kijiji (a very common online market place here) and I would say 100% of all texts/e-mails never buy, many are scammers and extreme low ballers. The serious ones and least take the time to call and come on down to see are the ones that tend to buy.

new stuff maybe no inspection needed but at least a call for a big ticket item.

my 2 cents from a "aged" consumer.

There's a cost to internet spam and scammers.

The moment you put in some sort of "contact me" on your website the flood gates seem to open and your INBOX/SPAMBOX quickly fills with emails for boner pills, russian girlfriends, sunglasses deals, and african princes wanting to hide money in your bank account.

Legitimate contacts are easy to miss, especially when users contact you with disposable email addresses like yummymummy123 at hotmail dot com.

 

[dodge man]

I purchased my last tractor surfing dealer websites. I was looking used and saw the prices on line. Nothing turns me off more than “call for price”. This goes for tractors, attachments, cars, trucks etc. I ended up buying new from John Deere when the Kubota dealer didn’t return my call for the cost to add a loader to a used machine.

Im 59 years old a realize the importance of internet and e mails. I could sit down a respond to 30 email inquiries in less than an hour. Just maybe 1 out of a 100 leads to sales but that’s better than none. For people younger than me it seems like they demand internet and e mail service.

 

[npalen]

Seems like "the customer is always right" no longer applies.

 

[Hay Dude]

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.

Leaving a round baler outside for months isn't smart or your part. In fact, in most owners manuals it is recommended to shed your baler whenever possible.
Oh well, your depreciation and loss, not mine.

 

[Hay Dude]

Then your dealer would have lost my sale. Just bought a tractor that started with a series of emails and ended with a 50 hp. tractor in my barn.

Exactly.
I have purchased several pieces via internet sale.
If internet sales was just “tire kicking” then why would dealers spend millions and millions of precious dollars on internet advertising??? Dealers arent that stupid.

“Tire kicking”….man what an annoying old phrase that is. Like people would kick a tire to help them make a purchase decision.
All it does is make your foot hurt.