customer base to expand out there, but we’d never survive. That puts you against the wall and makes you do something.”
Todd and Summer visited several dealerships and spent countless hours talking about designs before coming up with the layout. They wanted the service manager to be accessible to customers, rather than having them walk through the shop. In the new building, the service manager and entrance to the shop is just inside the front doors.
The new dealership’s footprint is 4 acres smaller, but more effec- tive because salesmen and custom- ers don’t have to walk as far in the oppressive Florida heat to look at equipment.
The new dealership is seeing the long-term benefit of foot traffic return- ing, creating a potential for sales that barely existed at the previous location. “Out front the other day, a father- son pair came in here,” Todd says. “They were in a hurry, but they looked at 6-7 tractors and the price tags. They might have just been meeting some- body for dinner, but now they have something to go on. It was on their way to go somewhere, and that’s big for us.” The Kings say the name change
to Kingline Equipment was meant to afford the dealership new opportuni-
Dealer Takeaways
* Boost your marketing reach by organizing a contest that appeals to a major customer segment.
* Carry parts for a competitors’ equipment to attract new custom- ers and plant a sales seed for the future.
* Dragging out deals on equipment sales can stifle your dealership’s profitability and momentum.
ties in selling tractors, outdoor power equipment and construction equipment without losing current customers. They describe Kingline Equipment as a “redeveloping dealer” and the new name speaks to a new start for employees, and a break from defeat- ist attitudes. “One saying we have around here is, ‘This isn’t Pensacola Tractor & Equipment any more,” Summer says.
Adds Todd, “One salesman was dead set that you can’t compete with Kubota. We kept saying, ‘Yes, you can. If you couldn’t compete with them, New Holland wouldn’t have a compact tractor line.’ We’ve increased market share.
“Price is very important, but a lot of times it comes down to a custom-
er’s experience. I can chop prices just like the next guy, but some people will pay a little more if they feel com- fortable with somebody.” Taking Care of Customers. One issue that bothered the Kings dur- ing PT&E’s more recent changes in ownership was the attitude toward customers, whether it was sales or service. “They had a mentality of let the customer come to you. There was no sense of urgency for any- thing,” Summer says. “It wasn’t all the employees. It was the culture. It wasn’t conducive to the needs and wants of customers.” Feeding off Todd’s general knowl-
edge of the needs of landscape con- tractors, Kingline Equipment has been offering more “TLC” to that segment. “If someone is making a living with their machine, they’re getting priority” when it comes to areas like parts and service, Summer says.
The dealership set up open hours
on Saturdays, and began showing some flexibility with customers with scheduling difficulties. “You can keep a customer a real long time by wait- ing for them to get back here. If we have to work late to get something prepped, we’ll do that. If we have to meet a freight truck after hours, we’ll do that too,” Todd says.
Eddie Hillman, Kingline’s service manager, says the dealership’s new location along Highway 29, a busy thoroughfare north of Pensacola, Fla., has boosted sales across the business, including the service department. “If people don’t know who you are, they will go somewhere else.”
On the outdoor lot, the Kings are trying to do the little things to please customers. They note how small problems with equipment can leave a bad impression, especially with rural lifestylers. For example, sales people have begun flipping up the tractor seats in between showings so they don’t collect rainwater and soak cus- tomers when they climb board. They’re also making sure the seats and steering wheels easily adjust. This might seem like a small detail, but it’s not, Todd says. “You might have that one chance to make an impres- sion, and if that seat won’t slide easily or adjust right, they might say, ‘Oh, I don’t like New Holland tractors.’ ” Along with having a clean store, having brochures ready and introduc- ing customers to the parts and ser- vice managers, the Kings have trained
14 RURAL LIFESTYLE DEALER WHAT RURAL LIFESTYLERS WANT FROM YOU SPECIAL REPORT SEPTEMBER 2013
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