‘Halfway to the Sale’: Farmers Arrive Ready at Dealerships, Seek Financing

More customers shopping for equipment in 2016 arrived at dealerships with a specific brand/unit in mind, according to the Rural Lifestyle Dealer’s 2017 Dealer Business Trends and Outlook survey.

Sixty-two percent of dealers said most of the time—or all of the time—customers know what they want to see. That’s up from 55 percent reported in last year’s survey.

Rural equipment buyers research online as well as seek word-of-mouth recommendations. Customers are not just kicking tires when they visit dealerships, respondents said. They’re looking for a brand, and they’re also seeking advice from dealers and sales teams. Nearly 77 percent of dealers say their recommendations are accepted either most of the time or almost always, which is down from last year’s 82 percent.

Combining those statistics of brand recognition and expertise, it seems dealers could be halfway to a sale when a customer visits. And, financing is often what seals the deal. More than 62 percent of dealers say customers seek financing from them at least half the time. That’s up from last year when 57 percent of dealers said customers sought financing from them at least half the time.

Source: Rural Lifestyle Dealer