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One recurring theme in talking to ag equipment salespeople over many years has been how important price was to the farmer. I cannot tell you how many times I heard [...]

As a rookie salesman cons ago, I received the following advice from a sales manager: 'If you don't ask for referrals, learn to swim!' he demanded. Then he compared referrals [...]

Dan felt good about this sales presentation. He had spent three weeks thoroughly researching the prospects. He had studied the prospects' company, their industry, even their competitors. He could detail [...]

Ideas are dime a dozen, but putting them into practice is priceless. I casually threw out an idea to some salespeople and was a little disappointed that even the creative, [...]

Selling is a numbers game. Success is determined by the number of contacts initiated with prospective buyers on a consistent basis. Let's assume you and I have the same product [...]

You don't understand!' Jim said, sounding frustrated. 'I can have the most elaborate plan. Then I come into the dealership, the phone rings and my plan goes down the toilet.' [...]

To be successful in sales, you must learn to become an ag equipment consultant in your community. Move away from the 'good o1' boy' iron peddler image to the newer, [...]

There are six levels of salespeople, and every salesperson is on one of the following levels. Hobby salespeople. Hobby salespeople are like hobby farmers. They have no need for the [...]

During a recent training exercise in a negotiations class, Jim Adamski of Riesterer & Schnell played the part of a salesperson negotiating with a farmer customer when the customer asked, [...]

When a customer says your competitor has a better price for the same equipment, he is not insulting you or saying you have to reduce your price. He is simply [...]

Dealers often reference the son-of-a-gun dealer who gives things away or pays too much for a trade. A common reaction is that this dealer will eventually go out of business. [...]

Right now the Ag industry is experiencing some very exciting and profitable times. Dealers, for the most part, expect this to be a banner year--overtaking a good 2007--and farmers are [...]

All dealers want to increase profits. Many want to do this by raising margins. They complain about salespeople who contribute to volume but not to margins. Can dealers raise margins? [...]

Selling in the Ag industry is challenging. A female selling in the Ag industry is daunting. Yet two of the ladies I know are defying the odds and building credible [...]

Early this past summer, another student class graduated from the International Ag University Sales Program to take their places as Ag Equipment Consultants in their communities. They have learned to [...]

There is only one way to judge if someone is a good salesperson. How much money does he make? Every other measure will tell you of qualitative and even quantitative [...]

Which Employee Would You Rather Have? #1--This employee is a great mechanic, does an excellent job, fixes most things right the first time, does not waste time, keeps up with [...]

The #1 Job of the Manager Which of these employees would you rather have? Employee A--He is a great mechanic, does an excellent job, fixes most things right the first [...]

My previous two articles on this subject generated passionate responses from both salespeople and dealers (see Implement & Tractor, March/April 2006 and July/August 2006). A Bobcat salesperson told me I [...]

Most Ag salespeople are average--they perform in a mediocre way, make an average wage, waste a great deal of time and find it difficult to rise above a self-imposed limit. [...]

In a previous article, I pointed out that a number of salespeople in dealerships were mad about some very important (to them) issues. I discussed some of the issues in [...]

Selling to the Week-end Farmers There are many names given to this customer--including weekend farmer, hobby farmer and lifestyle farmer. I prefer Weekender and will use that name. These are [...]

More than 50% of dealership salespeople would leave if they found something better. More than 70% are dissatisfied with the way dealers treat them. This is not a scientific study. [...]

The profile is one of the most under-used tools in a dealership. This is because most dealers have not figured out how to really use it. Salespeople hate it when [...]

Manufacturers and many sales trainers tell salespeople not to fear the price objection. They tell salespeople to sell value first and the price objection will disappear. They try to minimize [...]

Here's the secret to 'Speed Selling: How to sell almost anything in 20 minutes or less.' I previously devoted an entire radio season to this subject. First, forget whatever it [...]

Selling can be divided into four levels: Product, FAB, ME Syndrome and Beyond FAB. Product Selling The bottom level is PRODUCT selling, a very basic form of selling used for [...]

By the time you read this column, I have already moved to a different phase of life--retirement! After 10 years of writing this column, more than 30 years of training [...]

When I first started working with dealerships 20 years ago, something peculiar caught my attention--the people in the three departments (parts, service and sales) just didn't seem to like each [...]

There are lessons to be learned in every day life. For example, six years ago, my wife wanted another Coton des Tulear. This is the royal dog of Madagascar. She [...]

In most industries, a salesperson who sells huge quantities of product is regarded as a valuable and top salesperson. If he or she can maintain a reasonable margin by not [...]

Here is something that I wish I had learned earlier in my career as a salesman--how to calculate the value of a lifetime customer. Most average salespeople hope customers will [...]

Once a year in December, I hold a meeting in Reno with a few top equipment salespeople. All have graduated from my International Ag University (IAU) program and attend by [...]

The globalization of farming, the size of farms and the ever-changing farming landscape have all combined to force the farmer to become a better business person. This has decreased the [...]

In the International Ag University sales program, we teach salespeople how to negotiate with customers and also how to negotiate with their employer. I tell students they can get almost [...]

Despite a strong farm economy and robust equipment sales in most areas, there seems to be a growing used equipment problem causing concern. Some dealers see it as inevitable. Not [...]

It a was late Friday afternoon when Jim, salesperson at a dealership, got a call from an irate customer who had a problem with a piece of equipment that Jim [...]

I recently conducted a seminar for the territory managers of a company specializing in high-tech equipment for the ag industry. I told them up front that I knew very little [...]

Vic is a top salesperson at a reputable dealership. He is experienced, knowledgeable and sells millions of dollars of equipment every year. When he called for advice, he sounded frustrated. [...]

In my last article, I wrote about the importance of closing deals and why some salespeople hesitate to do it. They don't want to appear pushy. There is another reason--sales [...]

Without the close, you have nothing. Until you make the close, you have no sale, no business and no commission. Even worse, the customer may go to your competition. All [...]

In a recent article on sales management, a consultant wrote about the transition of the sales manager from administrative manager to developmental leader as if this were a novelty. This [...]

One of the first dealers I met in the agriculture industry was a John Deere dealer in Othello, Wash., who was ahead of his time. It was 17 years ago [...]

Time magazine recently ran an article that said if you want to be rich, become a farmer. It interviewed farmers in Nebraska whose land values had risen dramatically. It concluded [...]

Many ag salespeople do not seem to comprehend that the farmers they sell to are businesspeople. The globalization of farming and the growing farm economy have forced farmers to become [...]

Here is an email from a top salesperson in the compact tractor market: 'I have a situation with a customer shopping me against out-of-the-area, same-brand dealerships. Is price the real [...]

In a special accomplishment, the entire sales staff of Riesterer & Schnell, a Wisconsin John Deere dealership, graduated from International Agriculture University's (IAU) sales program. A total of 25 salespeople [...]

I never met Tuffy, but HI bet he was one heck of a salesperson. I heard of him during a focus group meeting and was interested in how his name [...]

During a meeting the sales manager said demos were the department s biggest expense and the dealership should get greater value from them. The salespeople agreed. Previously, I met with [...]

Salespeople often ask me for time management training. They never seem to have enough time to get things done. They become frustrated and feel helpless. I have ridden with enough [...]