Dealers can put several trends to good use in 2018, including the increasing importance of subject matter experts and the preference for live interactions.

“Subject matter experts are the new rainmakers.” That’s the No. 1 business trend for 2017, according to a Forbes.com columnist. That’s what I intended to write about because it speaks of so much potential for rural lifestyle dealerships, which are loaded with experts.

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Dealers have spoken and the rural lifestyle market outlook is good - not outstanding - but good. This is according to results from our sixth annual Dealer Business Trends & Outlook survey. A majority of dealers say 2013 results should be as good as or better than last year, but no significant increases in revenue.

In preparation for the annual Dealer Business Trends & Outlook Report for the Winter 2012 edition of Rural Lifestyle Dealer, we're polling selected North American equipment dealerships to get their input about the market.