Rural Lifestyle Dealer
2019 Dealerships of the Year: Alex Power Equipment and Jacobi Sales
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Lowe’s will offer a range of residential and commercial Honda outdoor power products in-store, including walk-behind lawn mowers, generators, snow blowers and tillers. The retailer also is offering Honda pumps and string trimmers online.
Must Read Free Eguides
Download these helpful knowledge building tools
- Dealer Safety Strategies Volume 3: Building a Safety Culture
- Dealer Marketing Strategies Volume 6
- Create a High Performance Dealership with Bob Clements: Sales Department Volume 2
- Create a High Performance Dealership with Bob Clements: Management Strategies Volume 2
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Resources
Create a High Performance Dealership with Bob Clements
Check out the latest articles from Bob Clements, premier management consultant for outdoor power equipment, agriculture and power sports dealerships:
Precision Farming Dealer Summit
2020 PRECISION FARMING DEALER SUMMIT REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
This exclusive DEALER-ONLY conference is focused 100% on equipping your company to run a more profitable precision farming business. These 2 days of non-stop precision farming learning will change your dealership’s management strategies forever.
Current Issue
GIE+Expo 2019: What’s New
2019 Dealership of the Year: Jacobi Sales Palmyra, Ind.
Alex Power Equipment Alexandria, Minn.
Dealer News
- Jury Orders John Deere to Pay $5 Million for Tractor Death
- Top Stories of 2019
- Power Pac's Remodeling Project Prepares Them for Growth
- AgriVision Breaks Ground on New Sioux Center Facility
- Messick’s Christmas Light Show Exceeds $250,000 in Donations
Videos
GIE+Expo Tech Walk Around
Alyn Brown of Level Up Development, who is also a technology contributor to Rural Lifestyle Dealer, highlights products that stood out to him at the 2019 GIE+Expo, including equipment from Mean Green, Ariens, Bad Boy and Ferris.
BigDog Mower Co. Celebrates 10 Years
BigDog Mower Co., part of Excel Industries, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The company displayed its Hike walk-behind mower at the recent GIE+Expo and Brad Unruh, director of product strategy, highlights key features, include the electric start and deeper deck.
Delta-Q Technologies' Battery Charging Solutions
Amanda Yeo, marketing manager for Delta-Q Technologies talks about the expansion of battery technology, the company's solutions and the OEMs it supports.
Jason Cameron of DIY Network Talks to RLD
Jason Cameron, host of DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and a professional home improvement contractor, comments about brand loyalty and dealer support as well as the newest equipment on display at the 2019 GIE+Expo. He also talks about the latest landscaping trends.
eBrief Features
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How Eis Implement Structures its Internship Program
Eis Implement has been working with a county youth apprenticeship program for about 10 years. See the steps they take to make the most of the program for the students and the dealership. -
Asking for Dealer-Installed Retrofit Kits
Upgrade kits allow dealers to engage their customers and provide an inexpensive way for them to upgrade their existing machines with the latest and greatest technology features. This customer-to-dealer engagement allows the dealer to promote the sale of both the upgrade kit and, hopefully, the future sale of a new machine. -
Why & How RDO Equipment Set Up a Social Employee Advocacy Program
Social media can be a powerful business tool, but at its core, social media isn’t about sales, marketing or even communications messages. It’s about people and creating meaningful connections. -
Relationship Selling: Face-to-Face & Write-Ups
By establishing value and knowing how to communicate that to a prospect, the closing ratio goes up dramatically, but so do the margins. A sales-driven organization takes time, energy and the correct vision to have a highly competent team.
From the Desk of RLD
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4 Reasons to Be Thankful You’re a Rural Equipment Dealer
During this week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share reasons to be thankful to be in the rural equipment industry. My hope is that these thoughts might give you a boost going into the final weeks of 2019 so you can celebrate a stellar year. -
True or False: A Good Dealership Can Sell Anything
A visit to Wright Brothers Implement Sales and a discussion with second generation owner Myra Powell got me thinking about this line, “A good salesperson can sell anything.” Can that line of thought be extended to “A good dealership can sell anything?” -
It’s Worth Your Time
It's one more thing to add your day, but I promise it will be worth it! Our next Dealer Success Academy — an online, on-demand event — is set for Sept. 11-12, with the sessions starting at 9 a.m. Central on Sept. 11 and running through 9 p.m. Central on Sept. 12. -
Sell Me a Mower: Where Do We Go from Here?
I thought my June 4 blog post, “No One Wants to Sell Me a Mower,” was going to be a simple anecdotal story about my personal experience and how I thought dealers were not marketing to customers like me. I was way off.
Rural Lifestyle Dealer Podcast
5 Questions to Answer Before Adding a Second Location
In this episode of the Rural Lifestyle Dealer podcast, we're joined by Bob Clements of Bob Clements Intl., who will help you evaluate whether or not your dealership is ready and able to open a second location, without putting your first location at risk.
Top Directory Listings
Yanmar
Yanmar was founded in 1912 and developed the world's first commercially viable small diesel engine in 1933. The diesel engine has continued as our core business ever since, our key tool in the rationalization and modernization of agriculture, fishing and industry.
Stihl Inc
Virginia Beach-based STIHL Inc., produces a full line of high-quality, handheld outdoor power equipment including blowers, trimmers, brushcutters, and multi-task tools, as well as the number one selling brand of chainsaws worldwide. STIHL Inc. manufactures over 260 model variations of handheld outdoor power equipment for sale in the U.S. and around the world.
2020 DOY
Nominate a Dealership Today!
For the 14th consecutive year, Rural Lifestyle Dealer is sponsoring its "Dealership of the Year" awards program to recognize North America's best rural lifestyle equipment dealers. Dealers, manufacturers and others are invited to participate by nominating top dealers from across North America. There is no limit to the number of nominations that an individual can submit. And you can nominate your own dealership. We will not reveal to the dealers who nominated them for this award.
Nominate a dealership here.
Webinar Replay
Setting Off Season Goals
Sara Hey will walk you through what you should be doing right now, in the midst of a slower season, to set each department for success when spring season starts. She will share how dealerships across the country are setting goals for stability, growth, and accountability for each department and what you can do to make the next season your most profitable season yet.
Watch the replay here.
Product Roundups
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GIE+EXPO Product Roundup 2019
Check out the 2019 GIE+Expo exhibitor spotlight! -
UTVs & Accessories Product Roundup 2019
Check out the latest UTVs and accessories from the industry's leading suppliers. -
Ditcher Product Spotlight 2019
Check out the latest ditcher from one of the industry's leading suppliers.
Top Store Items
2018 Rural Lifestyle Dealer Business Trends & Outlook (PDF)
This 46-page extensive management report details the numbers, trends and forecasts for the 2018 rural equipment market, and examines what products dealers expect to be the hottest sellers this year, which new products they intend to introduce or expand upon in their product mix, what their major concerns are for 2018 and so much more. You'll find insightful comparisons of U.S. vs. Canadian dealers, large vs. small dealerships and by major manufacturer, and with 6 additional pages in the 2018 report — a 13% increase — there’s more insight to be found than ever.
2017 Rural Lifestyle Dealer Business Trends & Outlook (PDF)
Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s full-length 40-page 2017 Business Trends & Outlook report is now available. This extensive management report details the numbers, trends and forecasts for the 2017 rural equipment market. The report examines what products dealers expect to be the hottest sellers this year, which new products they intend to introduce or expand upon in their product mix, what their major concerns are for 2017 and so much more. The report provides comparisons of U.S. vs. Canadian dealers, large vs. small dealerships and by major manufacturer.
Rural Lifestyle Dealer 1-Year Subscription (U.S.)
The information source for equipment dealers selling to everyone from hobby farmers to estate owners to landscape contractors and municipalities. Rural Lifestyle Dealer is published 4 times per year (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall issues.)