Compact Tractor Dealers Ignore Two-thirds of Their Potential Website Customers, Industry Survey Shows

[JDZ735M]

.....it really doesn't take that long to quote a price, dealers know what they need to make to be profitable.

I buy vehicles at an employee owned dealer where they put the price on the windshield of every vehicle they have on the lot. No dickering on the price. Now, if they don't sell the vehicle in time, the price will be lowered. Saves a lot of time both for me and the dealership.

 

[Jstpssng]

think about how you would feel if you were at my shop in person and I left you standing there while I answered the phone

I hate it when they do that and might just walk back out the door. Yet when I send an email it's in consideration of their time, as they are able to answer at their convenience. As another poster pointed out; if they don't want emails don't post it on the website.

 

[bigtiller]

My dealer hired a new salesman, the old one moved up the ladder.
I went in to the dealer in December and introduced myself to the new guy and we traded e-mail address.
I told him what I was looking for and I wanted to do all conversations by e-mail so there would not be any confusion latter, and we both could write in our free time.

Right now we are up to 40 e-mails and we are getting close to a deal.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I sent an inquiring email this past Thursday to a dealer selling a tractor on Tractorhouse and I still have not received any reply.

 

[airbiscuit]

Apparently, you need to send about 40 more emails before you get close to making a deal

 

[dodge man]

It’s been a couple of years ago but I emailed a dealer about a 5 foot used box blade. I made what I admit was a very low ball offer, half of what they were asking. I did it through Tractor House. I never heard back. I posted this experience on this forum and I was somewhat deserved the abuse I got for making such a low ball offer. I still think they should have at least emailed me back. My guess is they just weren’t checking on it through Tractor House and were hoping people called.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I just sent the dealer another email through Tractorhouse this time. How many of you think I will actually get a response this time?

 

[Goose1776]

I just sent the dealer another email through Tractorhouse this time. How many of you think I will actually get a response this time?

If you are actually interested in the tractor, why not just call??

I hate making phone calls, but if it is concerning a tractor or implement I really want
I’m calling the dealer.
It’s not like I’m paying $0.05 a minute long distance charges

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

If you are actually interested in the tractor, why not just call??

I hate making phone calls, but if it is concerning a tractor or implement I really want
I’m calling the dealer.
It’s not like I’m paying $0.05 a minute long distance charges

If they're actually interested in selling the tractor why don't they just email me back?

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Update: So I got a call from the dealer today and he left a message on my phone answering my email instead of replying to it. He is asking above MSRP price which explains why they are advertising it nationally and not giving a price. Should I waste my time haggling with him or just move on?

 

[airbiscuit]

1. How badly do you want the tractor?
2. How likely are you to find it cheaper later?

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

1. How badly do you want the tractor?
2. How likely are you to find it cheaper later?

Good question

 

[PuffyC]

Update: So I got a call from the dealer today and he left a message on my phone answering my email instead of replying to it. He is asking above MSRP price which explains why they are advertising it nationally and not giving a price. Should I waste my time haggling with him or just move on?

Easy for me to say since I don’t need to buy a tractor but I wouldn’t do business with someone like that. It says a lot about their character IMO, and I try hard to not enable those types of people. There were some auto dealers doing the same shady stuff and the manufacturers basically said that if they kept it up they would be punished, and rightly so.

 

[ArlyA]

Easy for me to say since I don’t need to buy a tractor but I wouldn’t do business with someone like that. It says a lot about their character IMO, and I try hard to not enable those types of people. There were some auto dealers doing the same shady stuff and the manufacturers basically said that if they kept it up they would be punished, and rightly so.

I'm the same way. if they have email, you like to use it, if they'd like to sell you something, then a smart dealership would be using it.

 

[tradosaurus]

If they're actually interested in selling the tractor why don't they just email me back?

I'm guessing that dealers get a lot of tire kickers and spam so calling someone personally, which I would prefer, gives them an idea of how serious the buyer is.
Having said that when I was getting quotes on the tractor I wanted last year all the quotes which had a breakdown of options were in email. I did this to compare and make a better decision.

 

[ArlyA]

I'm guessing that dealers get a lot of tire kickers and spam so calling someone personally, which I would prefer, gives them an idea of how serious the buyer is.
Having said that when I was getting quotes on the tractor I wanted last year all the quotes which had a breakdown of options were in email. I did this to compare and make a better decision.

I disagree. If they can get you to jump threw some hoop, like "call for the price" then you've done something they feel increases the chance of a sale.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I disagree. If they can get you to jump threw some hoop, like "call for the price" then you've done something they feel increases the chance of a sale.

I don't get what their end game is. If you call for the price and the price isn't right and they don't want to come off the price then the exchange is over with. All this could be done much quicker in a email instead of wasting time on a phone call.

 

[IndyJay]

I don't get what their end game is. If you call for the price and the price isn't right and they don't want to come off the price then the exchange is over with. All this could be done much quicker in a email instead of wasting time on a phone call.

Add to that the fact that a quote via email is exactly that, a quote. A price over the phone is not the same as walking in with a piece of paper on their letterhead. Prices often change more quickly than quotes.

 

[airbiscuit]

I am guessing that everyone is speaking their own truth. I would love to hear from a few dealers just how many emails/day they receive. If it is just a few, they absolutely should reply. If it is a blizzard, they should find a tool like Salesforce to to do some sort of auto respond to many (teenage boys with an obsession with tractors for example).

I once read an article about 2 brothers who built a successful auto parts distribution business, but it was consuming all their time. Their wives gave them an ultimatum, either scale back, or we're gone. So they analyzed their customer base, identified their "high maintenance" customers, and "fired" 25% of them. They sent them letters, thanked them for their business, gave them referrals to three of their competitors, and wished them well. The next year, their profit increased.

Some customers consume more energy than they are worth.

 

[tradosaurus]

I am guessing that everyone is speaking their own truth. I would love to hear from a few dealers just how many emails/day they receive. If it is just a few, they absolutely should reply. If it is a blizzard, they should find a tool like Salesforce to to do some sort of auto respond to many (teenage boys with an obsession with tractors for example).

I once read an article about 2 brothers who built a successful auto parts distribution business, but it was consuming all their time. Their wives gave them an ultimatum, either scale back, or we're gone. So they analyzed their customer base, identified their "high maintenance" customers, and "fired" 25% of them. They sent them letters, thanked them for their business, gave them referrals to three of their competitors, and wished them well. The next year, their profit increased.

Some customers consume more energy than they are worth.

Sounds like their wives were more energy than they were worth.