Dealer Calling all Korean tractor owners and dealers

[Maka]

Great. I just had a guy in my store who moved up from Missouri who had one as well. He loves it and said it never has given him any trouble. I told him I would help him with any thing I could, although not a Mahindra dealer but he buy implements from me. I like that tractor.

Thanks,
Maka

 

[dancce]

Where are all the Kioti guys, Korean manufactured Mahindras, Branson and others?

Maka

Maka,

I had posted about a similar situation, wherein a NH dealer had taken a tractor to a customer of mine to try out, and saw that he already had two Bransons that he had purchased from me----as well as another larger Branson I had taken for him to try.
This dealer went ballistic--according to my customer---and began telling him that I was not going to be in business much longer---and that he knows me---and that Branson was a fly-by- night, and parts availabilty was terrible , etc. , etc.
I told the customer that I was somewhat flattered---in that I must be causing this competitor some concern, if that is the only way he knew how to compete with me. He pretty much sealed his fate with this potential customer----in that he will not even be considered in the future.
(I will be taking this customer his 3rd Branson, sometime this week)

I know you are a fighter , too----and it is tempting to respond---especially when the attacks get personnal---but just keep doing what you are doing---and let the the other guy continue to dig his own grave. (Most potential buyers can read between the lines, and figure out what the truth really is.)

dancce

 

[DavesTractor]

Maka,

We had similar, but less caustic (and not in print), things said about us for a time. Then 2 Kubota dealers, one John Deere dealer and one NH dealer, all within 40 miles, went out of business in the last two years. These were decades old well established businesses. Meanwhile we move hundreds of Mahindras and Bransons a year through our facility.

It is difficult to respond to customers when they tell you the awful things said about you, one way we respond is saying "If they really knew us and really knew our tractors, they wouldn't say things like that." It is true for the most part and very inoffensive as you are not lashing back. At the same time, it clearly puts you on the high road. Of course if things really get nasty, you may have to fight back.

 

[JCar]

I have gone through the same thing here lately with the competition but it took them 3 years to wake up and wonder why their compact tractor sales have gone down. The first day the Branson's hit my lot we sold 2 and it been steady ever since. They have been very well accepted by municipalites, farmers, home owners etc... now the compition has decided they want in on it , I had a customer tell me the other day he went into John Deere and ask the salesman why he should buy his tractor, the salesmans only answer was because it's a John Deere. People tell me all the time the biggest turn off is when a salesperson only wants to tear down his competitor instead of building up his own product. So try not to play his game, you don't need to.

 

[Donnyj]

Hello Maka,
You know I own a Kioti and so far nothing bad to report. Of course I really believe all tractors today are well built. Some better than others. No doubt about that. Overall though I believe all of the major tractors are really nice. What I think is funny though is the dealers and owners {and some TBN members} of the well known tractor brands put down the Korean made tractors without ever trying one out. How do you form an opinion about a product without ever trying it out? Looking at a tractor on the lot or moving it around the lot does not qualify as being "knowledgeable" about tractors. So far the Kioti and I are getting along just fine. With a few extra greenbacks in the wallet to boot. See ya around!!

 

[DavesTractor]

Maka, anything new happening with your situation?

 

[DK35vince]

Maka,
So far I'd rate the reliability on my Kioti DK 35 as excellant.
It is a 2001 model, with around 840 hours.
I had an O-ring replaced on a loader tilt cylinder when the machine was new (warranty).
The tractor itself has never been back to the dealer, never had a warranty repair, and the only part I have replaced has been a tachometer cable ($8).

My neighbor owns a FarmTrac 360 DTC. He likes it..No problems with that machine so far either (I think he has around 400 or 500 hours on the FarmTrac).

 

[albmn10]

Maka, my dealer in the Upstate Ny area has been selling Kioti tractors for 22 years. He has customers in the 8000 hour mark. I asked him awhile back how many major problems he has had with the Kioti tractors (Daedong engines) and he told me he has had no major problems in over 600 tractor sales. He said the only problems he has had were minor issues..My dealer never bad mouthed the other dealers , and many of the other brand dealers i shopped at did just that. I had shopped all colors, and went with Kioti, its been flawless at 150 hrs so far. Id let your competitor hang himself with his own words, most shoppers will pick up on his tatics... Its best to be humble.. Good luck... Matt

 

[bluechip]

Maka,
In all the training I recieved in sales over the years, disparaging your competetion was always wrong. This guy is going to help your sales, not hurt them. He is letting the customer smell his fear. Maintain your integrity. promote your quality products and look for a bigger facility, maybe his!

We had a major brand dealer near us that would tell customers that all we sold was chinese junk... We are now in what was his facility on the freeway. The salesman for that dealer has asked for a job, naturally I wasn't intersed. He found one repping for an implement manufacturer. He will never know why I won't do business with him, as much as I'd like to tell him. I know he is an unprofessional salesman by his actions.

Customers in general don't like this sort of thing and many will want to check out these new Korean tractors to see what all the fuss is about!

 

[LC Brewing]

Maka -
Visited my folks up in N. Idaho this weekend and had a chance to stop in the dealership in Bonners. Sorry I missed you. Those are some nice looking machines you've got there (first time I'd seen a Montana up close).

Also had a chance to browse through the Nickel's Worth and had a chuckle with my dad (who works in Noxon, MT, and also gets the Kalispell paper) over the "ad war" between you and a nameless other dealer.

I must say, your advertisements do stand the higher ground. Kudos to you for being able to stand tall and make enough sales to show your low-browed competition that he has someone to worry about.

I've got to add that in my time researching and shopping tractors here in the past few months, I've been more than impressed by the build quality, fit, finish, and owner-reported reliability and loyalty for the Korean-built machines.