Strong customer relationships – essential for sustainable growth in the farm equipment business – are especially critical for dealers looking to grow in the fast-paced precision farming business.
With product margins shrinking, billable support is an increasingly vital part of creating a consistent precision revenue stream. So how are dealers implementing bankable strategies to package, price and promote service plans?
Colin Hlavinka, precision farming manager with Hlavinka Equipment Co. in El Campo, Texas, discusses how the dealership views its precision service plans to reinforce customer satisfaction and confidence, while also generating an 8-10% sales margin.
David McGavin, sales and service with Precision Seeding Solutions in New South Wales, Australia, shares the dealership's approach and success with developing precision service revenue, along with some of the international differences between the country and other parts of the world.
Selecting attractive services, soliciting customer feedback and capitalizing on supplemental sales opportunities are the cornerstones of profitability.
Putting together a precision farming service plan can be a messy process. What to include — and exclude — how to bill and of course, what to charge, are key decisions that need to be made prior to launching a package.
Multitasking was the name of the game while riding along with Nathan Zimmerman, precision farming manager for A.C. McCartney, for our latest Day in the Cab profile. With the sun finally breaking winter’s gloom and temperatures in the mid-60s, spring had taken root in northern Illinois, making area farmers anxious to get in the field.
Jason Pennycook, precision specialist at Johnson Tractor (4 stores in Wisconsin and Illinois), says Johnson is still working on the internal management issues, including how service plans are billed, who is responsible and how to get all locations on the same page, as many farmers will use one or more stores. “We’re working on ways to make sure every service manager at every store knows when a farmer is on a service plan so he doesn’t get billed incorrectly.”
With less equipment being rolled, precision service plan sales could see a shot in the arm. These dealers share their advice for getting them in place.
After years of “giving unapplied service labor away for free when it came to precision technologies” the dealer panel presentation on capturing revenue in service plans for precision was of keen interest for Summit attendees.
For most dealerships, the backbone of their precision farming business is hardware sales. But as more technology comes standard on farm equipment, and the market becomes increasingly saturated, dealers are realizing the need to diversify their precision business to remain profitable. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]
Here in the Technology Corner today, we’re talking about the PTx OutRun autonomous platform — a retrofit kit that enables autonomous grain cart, and now more recently, tillage operations.
Pro+Aqua provides water filtration systems for residential and commercial use in the United States and Worldwide. Our product lineup covers well water filtration systems, water softener systems, hydroponics filtration systems, reverse osmosis systems, and RV filter systems designed for reliable...
DigiFarm VBN is a proven leader in providing RTK Correction Services across the Midwest and beyond, via cellular based RTK network. We have been in business since 2011 working with farmers, Ag retailers, and precision Ag dealers
We leverage our years of experience and industry knowledge to deliver solutions that keep you moving forward. For more than 30 years, our team of entrepreneurs and technicians have focused on understanding the hurdles you face. Then we brainstorm possibilities. Whether it’s offering a replacement part, repairing parts that aren’t working or creating custom solutions for your challenge. We’re experts in ag equipment electronic parts and systems. But more importantly, we make connections to keep your operation moving forward.