The following story is an excerpt from the 40-page 2017 Rural Lifestyle Dealer Business Trends & Outlook Report. Email Lynn Woolf for a copy of the complete report, lwoolf@lessitermedia.

Dealers across North America are investing in their businesses to support growing sales.

Dealers are committing resources on the sales and service side, with more than 71% of the respondents saying they have salespeople dedicated to the rural lifestyle market. More than 40% employ 6 or more full-time service technicians.

More than half expect to modernize their shop and service departments. About 26% expect to improve their retail space and about 20% will invest in business information systems.

Zero-turn mowers, tractors less than 40 horsepower, rotary cutters, front-end loaders and utility vehicles are the top 5 categories for unit sales increases of 2-8% or more.

Nearly half of dealers say their market has grown 5-19% in the last 5 years. 

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(Left) More than 40% of dealerships employ 6 or more full-time service technicians.

(Right) Seven out of every 10 dealers have salespeople dedicated to the rural equipment market.

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More than half of the responding dealers say their markets have grown by 5-19% in the last 5 years and almost 13% have seen market growth of 20% or more.

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Zero-turn mowers top the list of products for unit sales potential. More than 60% of dealers say zero-turn unit sales will increase 2-8% or more.

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More than half of dealers expect to modernize their shop and service departments this year.