a Mahindra distributor in 2005) and probably 320 were built in Japan. So we’re starting to see the Mahindra and Branson lines get some respect.” Another question he heard a lot early on was, “How will I know you’re still going to be here in a couple of years?” “We’ve finally got enough presence for people to believe we’re going to be here. This was a real challenge. With so many brands of small tractors out there, it is easy to bounce around, sell- ing one brand this year and another next year. I speak to a lot of dealer prospects on behalf of Mahindra, and one thing I emphasize is, “If you take on a line, you need to keep it.’”
Branding the Dealership Unlike the first few years when the dealership was getting on its feet and selling all the tractors they had without a lot of promotion, Siemens other area dealers are now more aggressive in selling small tractors.
“Today, we advertise more. We find we need to keep our name in front of people. We promote our brand, which is Dave’s Tractor, by getting out to events. We continue to sponsor local events and not just buy a booth. Sponsoring horse-type events is par- ticularly effective,” says Siemens. In its out-of-the-way location off the main drag, Siemens says the dealership must give customers a reason to find him. In addition to the events spon- sorships, the dealership also places full-page color ads in the local Nickel Saver. “We run a big ad on the front or back page about every other week. We often see people with a copy folded up in their pocket when they come in. So it’s worked pretty well.”
Earlier this year, Dave’s Tractor began to feel its first slowdown. As in most parts of the country, the housing market in northern California took a huge downturn. “We’re experiencing our first downcycle,” says Siemens. “It was inevitable.”
He adds that, “It was tempting when
sales started to slow down to stop advertising. I wanted to, but I was told, ‘No. Don’t do that. You have to keep the people coming in.’ So, we’ve done
that and we’ve also started running TV ads for the last few months. It’s expen- sive, but the alternative is to sit back here and be lonely.”
Customer Care is #1 Beyond everything else Dave’s Tractor has done right in its first years, Siemens credits his early success to being able to empathize with custom- ers. “When we started up the business, no one seemed to care to sell com- pacts to the average homeowner. We had a free pass for a couple of years. We didn’t advertise and still sold as many as we could deliver,” he says. “In fact, we pulled some sales away from the local guys. We had two Kubota, a John Deere and New
What the Judges Say About Dave’s Tractor
Here’s what an independent panel of judges had to say about Dave’s Tractor, recognized as the first-ever Rural Lifestyle Dealer of the Year: • “Very solid growth record — dou- bling in 3 years.”
• “New facility already paid for.” • “Great start-up stor y: family working hard, doing things right and seeing success.”
Holland dealership close up within 40 miles of us within a year. It wasn’t us doing it, though we may have brought a little heat. It got even easier then,” says Siemens.
Since then, though, the vacated sales areas in Tehama, Batte and Shasta coun- ties, where Dave’s Tractor does most of its business, have been picked up by “some really good dealerships,” Siemens concedes. “This makes us work a little harder, but we’ve built a good rapport with those dealers. If you’re on a friendly business relationship with other dealers, it makes life a little easier.”
Even with more competition, Dave’s
Tractor continues making inroads because it sticks to doing what it does best. That’s understanding what his tractor customers need and want, how they live and work, and having the patience to work through a sales pro-
cess that creates customers for life. “It’s been natural for us,” says Siemens, “because we were tractor customers before we became dealers.”
Siemens’ home is situated on 10 acres of land, which includes a pista- chio orchard that is no longer produc- tive, but still requires regular main- tenance. They also have horses. Rob McFarlen, general manager of Dave’s Tractor, likewise, owns a few acres of walnuts.
“Probably the most important thing is we really understand our custom- er — the weekend warrior, the horse rancher, the landscaper. We under- stand the lifestyle. Rob and I do most of the sales. We use our small tractors on the weekends. We didn’t come from an ag background where we wonder why people would need a tractor less than 100 horse.” For Siemens, making friends with his customers is imperative. “By the time we deliver a tractor, we know our customers very well. Then if they have a problem, we get a ‘friendly’ call. If we see any sort of issue we try to jump on it immediately. Of the nearly 1,000 trac- tors that we’ve retailed, there are only two customers I wish I hadn’t sold to.” Carla adds, “I’ve seen Dave and Rob spend a good 2 hours with a custom- er and you can see the relationship develop. They’ll take as much time as is needed. ‘What are you going to do with the tractor?’ ‘How can we help?’ This is part of the business that we really enjoy.”
Taking the Extra Step Siemens believes that what sets Dave’s apart from other is his obses- sive focus on customer satisfaction. “I know everybody says this, but it’s very important to me that we have no unhappy customers.”
As an example, Siemens talks about a Saturday morning call from a new customer. “He had the tractor only 4 days and, all of sudden, the bucket wouldn’t dump. He bought it to clear land to build a workshop. So, it was very important that it get done. “He’s an hour and a half away. I told him that he probably knocked a quick-
DEALERSHIP OF THE YEAR SPECIAL REPORT JUNE 2013 RURAL LIFESTYLE DEALER 25
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