No Time for the Little Guy

[RFB]

This thread is interesting to me on several levels.

During my tractor buying experience, I did not find one dealership within hundreds of miles that was as knowledgeable as I was about the products in which I was interested. That was significant to me since I started from zero tractor knowledge and educated myself though this site.

It was demotivating to me that those in the business knew less than a neophyte, and also subtracted from any confidence that I had in other recommendations that they might make. The parts counter people were "you don't need it" "nobody else around here uses it" "No, we won't order it" types of behavior.

I have posited on this site that the lowest cost for the same product is my metric, in large part because the meme of "great dealer support" is mythological in my experience. The only exception are the dealers on this site.

The only dealer/dealership that impressed me repeatedly was Mr. Wallace (during the time when I was debating what shade of Orange I would select.)
If he had been local (within a few hundred miles) I would have purchased from him in a heartbeat. Since I went Kubota, that became moot.

The other vendors (Messicks, Barlow, etc) on this site are heads and shoulders above anything I can drive to in a days time. Because of Messicks expertise and service, I buy my parts from them online instead of calling my local "I dunno" frustration location.

From my experience, this site has become a center of gravity for the better dealers.

 

[eepete]

Quality Equipment, I work with the Burlington NC branch. .

Pete

 

[whistlepig]

This thread is interesting to me on several levels.

During my tractor buying experience, I did not find one dealership within hundreds of miles that was as knowledgeable as I was about the products in which I was interested. That was significant to me since I started from zero tractor knowledge and educated myself though this site.

It was demotivating to me that those in the business knew less than a neophyte, and also subtracted from any confidence that I had in other recommendations that they might make. The parts counter people were "you don't need it" "nobody else around here uses it" "No, we won't order it" types of behavior.

I have posited on this site that the lowest cost for the same product is my metric, in large part because the meme of "great dealer support" is mythological in my experience. The only exception are the dealers on this site.

The only dealer/dealership that impressed me repeatedly was Mr. Wallace (during the time when I was debating what shade of Orange I would select.)
If he had been local (within a few hundred miles) I would have purchased from him in a heartbeat. Since I went Kubota, that became moot.

The other vendors (Messicks, Barlow, etc) on this site are heads and shoulders above anything I can drive to in a days time. Because of Messicks expertise and service, I buy my parts from them online instead of calling my local "I dunno" frustration location.

From my experience, this site has become a center of gravity for the better dealers.

I would have to agree with this. My online buying experiences seem to be a much better choice these days than going to a dealership. I tried to order a ballast box two weeks ago from a dealership. I called the dealership and they said no one could help me because they were all in "school" and to call back the next day. I called back the next day and they said everyone was out to lunch and to call back later. I hung up the phone and ordered the ballast box from a different dealer even though this dealer was an hour out of my way. When ordering online I can do this in a few minutes. I don't have to wait three days to talk to someone. I'm not thin-skinned but when someone treats me like their time is more valuable than mine I'll go somewhere else and find me something better to do.

 

[TripleR]

Dealers need to be cognizant of the fact that no matter what someone says, the "little guy" or "one time purchase" can turn into a lot of business.

When I bought my BX2660, I told the salesman I don't buy often and keep stuff until it dies, which for a tractor is pretty much forever. He couldn't have cared less because he wanted my business. Since then, with unexpected events, I have bought two additional tractors including my M8540 and several pieces of equipment and may buy another one in a few years.

He also got some Kubotas into an almost entirely John Deere dominated area. The JD owners have been very receptive to and impressed with them. I doubt any present owners will convert, but at least people are seeing their are others makes that work well.

 

[Mace Canute]

Dealers need to be cognizant of the fact that no matter what someone says, the "little guy" or "one time purchase" can turn into a lot of business.

Truer words were never spoken. A good example of this is a local guy who, with a friend, started out with a second hand TBL installing water and sewer on farms. Soon they hired more help and were working in small towns...and after that working in cities and now he works inter provincially. This is his website today. HAMM Construction Ltd. That "little guy" has gotten pretty big.

 

[stlawrence]

The way I figure it, is that the dealership makes good money on the tractor sale, and continues to make good money on equipment, service, and repairs. What I would like, and I would think it should work this way, is to be able to call the salesman I bought the tractor from so he could act as my "go to guy" for equipment and service support.

If I were running a business, that's the way it would be. As Huey Long said, "Every man a king."

I still come back to the basic question - is the dealership limited to the number of new tractors they can get each year? If I buy a smaller tractor, is it really a punishment to them? Seems to me that if I order a tractor, they make good money just by filling the paperwork out - they don't have to carry the cost of the tractor while it's on their lot, etc.

The other thing I would have thought, in a depressed economy, is that tractor salesmen would be hungry.

 

[Duffster]

The way I figure it, is that the dealership makes good money on the tractor sale,

You don't really know that.

It has only been one and a half business days. If he hasn't got back to you by Tues or Wed then maybe you have something to complain about.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I still come back to the basic question - is the dealership limited to the number of new tractors they can get each year? If I buy a smaller tractor, is it really a punishment to them? Seems to me that if I order a tractor, they make good money just by filling the paperwork out - they don't have to carry the cost of the tractor while it's on their lot, etc.

I have no idea if there is a number of units allowed to each dealer, but I would say no. Why would a manufacturer do that? :confused3: If they have a dealer that can sell 500 units, but their allotment is only 350, so they loose out on a sale of 150 units. That just does not make any sense or $$$$$ for the manufacturer or dealer. Where or how did you come up with this question anyway?

The ONLY time that I can think of this type of sales happening is if there was a HUGE demand for something and the manufacturer simply could not keep up, so then they would ration the units to each dealer. But I sure don't see that happening.

 

[Qapla]

I still come back to the basic question - is the dealership limited to the number of new tractors they can get each year?

I would venture that the problem is not so much of a "limit" as much as the cost. Since dealers are charged for the tractors on their floor and their funds are not unlimited.

They are probably at the limit of their financial ability to have whatever stock they have on hand. If they carry stock that is not usual for their type of sales, they have to pass on ones they would sell.

However, I would think they could order any pre-sold tractors that would not be charged to their floor-plan account. (perhaps one of the dealer members will eventually chime in on this)

I was told by a Kubota dealer that there would not be many of their dealers having the new Kubota skid steers on their lots. He said that to have the SS, a dealer had to agree to stock 6 of them and that nearby dealers could NOT go together on the order. He said that Kubota did NOT want every dealer to have the SS. They were not planning to have the SS on their lot.

About a month after he told me that another dealer not far from them (less than 50 miles) had ONE Kubota SS in stock on their lot. Makes you wonder :confused2:

 

[TripleR]

The way I figure it, is that the dealership makes good money on the tractor sale, and continues to make good money on equipment, service, and repairs. What I would like, and I would think it should work this way, is to be able to call the salesman I bought the tractor from so he could act as my "go to guy" for equipment and service support.

I still come back to the basic question - is the dealership limited to the number of new tractors they can get each year? If I buy a smaller tractor, is it really a punishment to them? Seems to me that if I order a tractor, they make good money just by filling the paperwork out - they don't have to carry the cost of the tractor while it's on their lot, etc.

The other thing I would have thought, in a depressed economy, is that tractor salesmen would be hungry.

Ideally, just about anyone who answers the phone at the dealer should be a "go to guy/girl". Everyone at our dealer, including the owner will help a customer in any way they can. If they can't help me, they will find someone who can. I really like my sales guy, but we like everyone there.

As to any type of quota, as we are not dealers, we can only speculate.

I can't speak for any other area, but the economy hasn't affected tractor sales here as they are selling the heck out of them and my dealer added another mechanic to do setups, so no one can get a bargain basement price based on desperation to make a sale.