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Dealer Profile


Jeff’s Small Engine


“You can feel people out by talk- ing to them. It’s not a huge problem, but it’s definitely a problem,” he says, referring to shoppers using his exper- tise and buying somewhere else. Setting the right price is also impor- tant to keeping business.


“You have to be competitively


Jeff Kruse, owner of Jeff’s Small Engine, Milltown, Wis., buys parts in larger quanti- ties from a variety of manufacturers and sell them at a discount to smaller dealers.


Coping With Business Threats


Several threats could influence future growth for parts dealers like Kruse. Selling parts to dealers means the success or failure of those busi- nesses influence his business. “Parts sales can go in streaks. We used to sell to a tire distributor and then they went out of business.


Another company is growing and could become big enough to buy parts on its own,” he says.


The Internet is also a competitor. “The Internet is our friend and our enemy. Anybody online is our competi- tor,” Kruse says. He adds that phone calls have to balance between helping a cus- tomer and just giving them a part num- ber so they can buy it cheaper elsewhere.


priced. Sometimes, it seems like we have to keep selling just a little more to stay the same,” says Kruse, referring to the ongoing struggle of dealerships to remain profitable.


Andy adds: “One of our biggest struggles is the cost of labor and parts vs. buying a new machine. It’s a throw- away world.”


Andy says the small communi- ty helps them address a lot of these obstacles because people respect their work and know they can rely on them. “You’ve got to think and hope that knowledge is behind our success. It’s not just about calling a phone number to get parts.”


RLD


Visit RuralLifestyleDealer.com/RS and indicate No. 112 30 RURAL LIFESTYLE DEALER  SPRING 2013


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