Takeaways from the Ag Equipment Intelligence 2020 Executive Briefing

Last week, Farm Equipment Magazine held a virtual event that included panels of dealers, farmers and manufacturers, and presentations by editors Dave Kanicki and Jack Zemlicka. I was able to attend, and wanted to share a few of my takeaways.  2019: The year in review  From the dealers’ perspective, 2019 was a mixed bag. While pre-sales helped dealerships start 2019 strong, most saw business slow considerably with… Read more »

AED Conference Attendees Learn “Smart Hiring” at the Small Dealer Conference

Last week at the AED Small Dealers Conference in Charlotte Troy Harrison, speaker, author and founder of Sales Navigator consulting business gave a timely presentation entitled “Smart Hiring”. As you can imagine, it was well-received.  Troy is primarily a sales consultant, but through the course of his consulting work has come to understand the importance of… Read more »

Takeaways from the 2019 Precision Farming Dealer Summit

There was a lot to learn from the 2019 Precision Farming Dealer Summit. Attending as a representative of Charter (one of the title sponsors of the event), I was able to absorb some of the Summit’s greatest discoveries, conversations, and realizations. Here are some of the main insights that Ag dealerships can take away from… Read more »

Tips for Driving Growth in the Agriculture Equipment Industry

The coming year is predicted to be a successful one for businesses in the agriculture equipment industry. Capitalize on this forward momentum by keeping up to date on the latest news, tools, and best practices. Here are some actionable tips and advice on how to get the most out of 2019.   Study Agriculture Equipment Industry Trends   A recent… Read more »

Reflections from the MHEDA convention

I love attending the annual Material Handling Equipment Dealers Association (MHEDA) convention because the speakers and breakout sessions are so relevant and productive. This year’s convention was no exception. Both Brian Beaulieu, a renowned economist, and Ken Gronbach, a demographer and human analytics researcher, were incredibly optimistic about the current and short-term economy and had some… Read more »

Why You Should Be More Active in the Equipment Dealer Association

Are you involved in the EDA and/or your equipment dealer association? Some dealer associations seem to be struggling with engagement. I wonder why is this.  We’ve regularly attended at least 4 regional or national equipment dealer association events a year for the last twenty years, and think if you’re not participating it’s time to reconsider…. Read more »

Embrace Change, Manage Stress: Reflections from the AETA Conference

I attend a great deal of conventions in the equipment dealer industry, and it is rare when they have speakers that talk about de-stressing your life.  That’s why it was a pleasant surprise when Richard Flint spoke at breakfast during the recent Joint Annual Convention last week.   Richard has written several books and speaks all around the world. He is known for his colorful shirts (as you can see from his… Read more »

Reflections from the Precision Farming Dealer Summit

Last week, I attended the Precision Farming Dealer Summit in Louisville, KY. I attended this event last year and, once again, it was an incredible two days of Precision Ag specialists discussing changes in the marketplace and how to improve their services.