Constructive Feedback from Former Potential JD Customer

[MMagis]

Why did you even waste the time to reply? I wrote this post because I am in the business of customer satisfaction. I sell technology that does automatically search for sentiment on JD (or any company) for that matter. Companies focus on blogs and forums as they are the best indicator of customer sentiment and what customers are talking about. They may even have 'ghost' members that read these individually.

I replied because I was baffled why someone would write such a letter, but rather than send it to the John Deere Corp, posted it on some internet forum. I'll be honest, I was not familiar with such software. However, rather than posting this here and just "hoping" JD uses such technology, why don't you take the guess work and send it to them? Seems pretty straight forward to me.

 

[Kubota 2350]

I think it's the luck of the draw, when I started looking I went to Kubota cause it was the closest dealer, guy really didn't have time for me, next stopped at the Case dealer, no salesmen to be found, when I ask, the guy said their around here somewhere, I waited for 5 to 10 minutes and left.
Then on to the Deere dealer, ask to see a salesman and was at his desk, and then out in the tractor I had asked about, sitting in the cab with the engine running.

So it's all a matter of where and when you happen to show up, I think they all want to sell you a tractor, some more than others.

 

[slaveToHorses]

I am also in western Oregon and as another poster comments, we used to have a bunch of JD dealership in the area. They had different emphasis and I never had issues finding someone to talk to. Now they are all one big company. The stores are more fancy but they lost the personal connection.
I used to actually know my sales guy and we would hang out if he wasn't busy. He would show me pictures of his latest restoration project.
Nothing like that any more.

 

[1MOA]

If you want to see JD's corporate emphasis look at any issue of the Furrow magazine. I get it since we have bought 3 tractors from them I guess. Every issue has adds for high end tractors and the associated electronics.
I admit I like most of the articles but the reality is they have put lots of money into those lines so that is what they ( and by association , their dealers are pushed to sell)
I will say the sales people have either been non existent but in all honesty every purchase I have ever done I already knew what I wanted and what I wanted to pay for it so the dynamic "sale" was not there.
I will say that the JD web page for info on their tractors is abysmal with no way to look at the tractor specifications between similar models unless you want to start another separate search and the implement search is even worse and the comparison ther eis even more important.

 

[TheMan419]

That sounds like a crappy dealer, not JD's fault. I too looked at JD. Ended up with New Holland for my CUT.

The JD dealer was ok. I did not feel like a crumb, but for my needs the NH was better.

Also the NH dealer "felt" better to me. The salesman was attentive. I went in on Saturday to sign the papers and a couple of the service guys where there. They seemed pretty attentive and able to answer my questions. I think that is a lot more important than what color the tractor is.

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

After doing some more research it is clear JD is all about volume and there are no more 'small' dealerships. All the dealerships are parts of larger organizations that are by no means small with a single location. This is not the case with Kubota or the other brands. JD has much more control and historically has seemed to force itself upon the dealer and should do something about it. Start to care about its customer the first time they walk through the door of any JD dealership.

Just curious how many single store Kubota dealers and the other brands you refer to would still be that way if they had as large of a product line up as John Deere, CNH, or Agco. Those are really the 3 big ag oems for NA and they all have Lots of multi store groups. I think comparing those two companies in that regard in incorrect, to support precision farming, etc, etc, requires a vast knowledge network. I am also curios how many Kubota dealers (as well as those others you mentioned) have a separate IS department to handle guidance, yield mapping, irrigation controls, etc etc like the above mentioned 3 do? I could be wrong here but I believe that CNH boasts the largest single owned dealer network.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Just curious how many single store Kubota dealers and the other brands you refer to would still be that way if they had as large of a product line up as John Deere, CNH, or Agco. Those are really the 3 big ag oems for NA and they all have Lots of multi store groups. I think comparing those two companies in that regard in incorrect, to support precision farming, etc, etc, requires a vast knowledge network. I am also curios how many Kubota dealers (as well as those others you mentioned) have a separate IS department to handle guidance, yield mapping, irrigation controls, etc etc like the above mentioned 3 do? I could be wrong here but I believe that CNH boasts the largest single owned dealer network.

thats a great post with great questions. Is it funny because Kubota is reaching that point where larger dealer groups are going to become necessary to support their increasingly complex product line, but they have decades of supporting the small guy and have been very successful by avoiding the corporate giant business model. There are really no perfect answers here. It will be interesting how this plays out in the future.

 

[crackerjack222]

I have told this story before so bear with me for repeating it. Many years ago (before internet) I was in the market for my first small tractor. I had my heart set on a Ford 2000. There was only one Ford tractor dealer in Houston at the time and it was across town. I made the trip and sure enough, there was a Ford 2000 on the showroom floor. I walked around it several times, looking it over. Finally, a guy comes out of one of the offices next to the showroom floor and as he was walking by I asked if I could get a price on that tractor. Without breaking stride he said "if you have to ask, you can't afford it". I thought he as joking around with me but he kept going. As he disappeared around a corner, I picked my jaw up off the floor and walked out. I went back across town to the Massey Ferguson dealer and wrote a check for a MF 235. I later learned that guy was the owner of the dealership.

 

[ovrszd]

I have told this story before so bear with me for repeating it. Many years ago (before internet) I was in the market for my first small tractor. I had my heart set on a Ford 2000. There was only one Ford tractor dealer in Houston at the time and it was across town. I made the trip and sure enough, there was a Ford 2000 on the showroom floor. I walked around it several times, looking it over. Finally, a guy comes out of one of the offices next to the showroom floor and as he was walking by I asked if I could get a price on that tractor. Without breaking stride he said "if you have to ask, you can't afford it". I thought he as joking around with me but he kept going. As he disappeared around a corner, I picked my jaw up off the floor and walked out. I went back across town to the Massey Ferguson dealer and wrote a check for a MF 235. I later learned that guy was the owner of the dealership.

The previous owner of our local JD dealer was that way. He walked by my wife and I without any acknowledgement, walked back past us the same way, no eye contact. I said let's go. Wife said who was that guy? I said the owner. She beat me to the truck, talking to herself the whole way. She took it personal.

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

thats a great post with great questions. Is it funny because Kubota is reaching that point where larger dealer groups are going to become necessary to support their increasingly complex product line, but they have decades of supporting the small guy and have been very successful by avoiding the corporate giant business model. There are really no perfect answers here. It will be interesting how this plays out in the future.

Thank you, that was really my point. I don't believe that multi store dealer phenomenon is driven purely by oem greed as the op has stated. The future will certainly tell us but I believe for a single store organization to survive supporting a full scale ag dealership of any color it will have to be that "perfect storm" of absolutely amazing people working in harmony. The temptation for store owners to merge as one of the methods to grow their business and to support their customers will be to much to resist even without prodding by an oem.