To Price or Not to Price?

Chad Elmore, Managing Editor

The first time a rural lifestyler walks onto the lot of an equipment dealership, oftentimes his or her only other frame of reference comes from a car dealership. There, prices are clearly posted on the window, sometimes in numbers big enough to be seen from the road.

S&H Farm Supply has started providing prices up front at its dealerships, too. "Pricing equipment up front works in this market," says Eric Schnelle, president. "When we're talking about this equipment as an impulse buy, and when they see the price clearly marked, they'll realize they actually can afford to take it home. A lot of people will avoid going in to talk to the salesman when they're only looking."

For customers not quite ready to buy, S&H also provides sales sheets for its equipment. "A lot of people come to Rogersville while shopping around, and will visit two or three other places before buying. They're going to have a whole stack of standard company brochures when they get home to sort through. In that stack of stuff, there'll be our price sheets that include specifications and options specific to what's on our lot."

Equipped with a sheet that gives actual prices and available options, the customer can continue researching at home, away from the pressure of the dealership. "I think if we're the dealership that's making the buying process easier, we'll be among the top three or five dealerships they'll consider when it comes time to buy."

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