salesmen to listen to customers’ ques- tions with an open mind. Summer has emphasized this since coming aboard 3 years ago.


“A lot of times people ask ques- tions and think they’re asking stupid questions, so they quit. But they real- ly want to know why you can break the two pedals apart on the brakes,” Todd says. “If a salesman says ‘That’s a good question, let me explain this to you,’ then they will keep going with the questions.


“That might be the difference between us and another dealership.” Right Employees in the Right


Place. Many dealer owner-principals know that good employees are key to running a successful, profitable deal- ership, and how difficult it is when employees aren’t in the right jobs. When PT&E was purchased during the mid-1990s, Kingline’s parts man- ager, Bobby Johnson, and Hillman — two long-time employees — were moved into sales as numerous chang- es were being made.


From a customer viewpoint, the move was puzzling to Todd, since he felt Hillman could run a shop better than anyone else in the Pensacola area. The move made him question whether the new owner understood how to manage his employees. When the Kings bought the deal- ership in 2005 they put Hillman and Johnson back in their old roles, and it’s no surprise that those departments are flourishing now. “When you build a relationship with somebody and all the sudden they’re not the go-to guy any- more, you have to start all over,” Todd says. “You have to be careful about making too many changes.”


Turnover is the Key While the economic recovery has plodded along this year, the Kings have savored economic success, hav- ing tripled Kingline’s market share in the past 3 years and increased overall sales by 21.2% in just 2 years. The Kings say many factors have contributed to their success, includ- ing a renewed aggressiveness in the market — something that customers,


After buying the former Pensacola Tractor & Equipment in 2005, Todd (l) and Summer King embarked on a 5-year improvement plan that included a new loca- tion, higher inventory levels and more aggressive marketing. “We just came in here and made changes and did our own thing,” Todd King says. “Some of it works, some of it doesn’t, and if it doesn’t we move in a different direction.”


and the competition, may not be used to seeing in this area, Todd says. Running a landscape business has programmed Todd to push for efficiency at Kingline, and watching business oper- ations stumble along drives him “nuts.” “The name of the game in the small tractor business is to turn the deal over,” Todd says. “In the past, the pre- vious owner was dragging deals out. There’s not a lot of money there to begin with so you can’t drag it out. Complete it, sell it, move it.” Productive parts and service departments are another key to diver- sifying and strengthening a dealer- ship’s financial footing, but PT&E hadn’t followed that practice, the Kings found. The dealership was overly selective with its service work, turning away jobs for large or older equipment and often declining to make service calls in the field. Todd watched this transpire as a longtime customer and he became frustrated with the disorganization and lack of responsiveness. “There were just a lot of practices that we really didn’t agree with,” Todd says, “and most of that comes from being on the other side of the fence. You’re on the side of the road with a tractor you just bought has a minor problem, and they say ‘Bring it into the shop.’ “It’s a 100-horsepower tractor with a 15-foot mower, it’s not like you can


2010 Class


Dealership of the Year Kingline Equipment, Cantonment, Fla.


2009 Class


Dealership of the Year Jordan Sales & Service, Post Falls, Idaho


2008 Class


Dealerships of the Year Little Tractor & Equipment Co., Metropolis, Ill.


Best-in-Class Dealerships Reiser Implement Inc., Waukon, Iowa


Central Equipment Co., Lexington, Ky.


2007 Class


Dealership of the Year Dave’s Tractor, Red Bluff, Calif.


DEALERSHIP OF THE YEAR SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2013  RURAL LIFESTYLE DEALER 15


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