Dealer Dealers in MD

[kokopelli2]

nick

thats great to hear! i am glad you enjoyed your shopping experience! cant wait to hear how you like the new rig. mike always treats everyone well.

 

[ethiojazz]

Orb:

Have you had much dealing with Hoober on the service side ?
I did stop by there to look at their tractors but the sales people were too busy. The lady called out for a sales person a couple of times. Later on ran into one of their service people at the gas station who said that they did service work all over MD. Since I live near Annapolis I really was interested but never went back.

 

[nnicklas]

I got the BX22 FEL and BH for $15,300 that include MD Tax (5%) setup and delivery.

 

[orb]

ethiojazz

Personally I've never gotten service from Hoobers. I did buy a 72" Woods finish mower from them about 3 years ago. Like I wrote earlier they gave me a pretty good price but I really had to haggle with them.

Now that I think of it, I sort of did get serviced by them. When I bought the mower it came with air tires and I had specifically asked for solid ones. The salesman I dealt with, Erv, told me they didn't have the solid in stock so I should use it with the air tires until the right ones came in. I used it all season before the solid ones came in and they delivered them and replaced the old ones at no charge. That was pretty good service. From what I hear from my farmer friends their service is generally pretty good but expensive.

My other tractors are an old Farmall H and a Massey Harris 50. I do all the work on those myself. I hope it'll be a long, long time before my orange machine needs work.

Orb

 

[ethiojazz]

Orb

Thanks for the info...

 

[bigpete]

I never realized that until, coincidently, I saw a billboard for Hoobers late Monday on my way back south from Smelladelphia, er, uh, ...I mean Philadelphia (just funnin'--it's a nice city if you like that sort of thing). Since I live down south in the timber, marsh and flatlands, they are a bit out of my way. Are they somewhere west of Glasgow on Route 40?

 

[bigpete]

Orb,

I got it...I din't see you had mentioned Middletown until just now. Probably off Route 301.

 

[nnicklas]

<font color=blue>I actually was surprised that except for the Deere dealer in Annapolis there was no Kubota dealer close by either. Looks like a business opportunity to me.</font color=blue>


I had the same thoughts. I think that Baldwin Equipment (used to be near Annapolis Mall where Generals Highway turns into West St) used to sell Kubotas, I think. Sounds like a business opportunity to me.

 

[ethiojazz]

I have to ask of course..... Wanna start a dealership ????

Who knows maybe that is my calling....

 

[bigpete]

<font color=blue>I have to ask of course..... Wanna start a dealership ????</font color=blue>

Ah, yes..the urge pops up in most of us. Don't forget the old parable about the fisherman who loved fishing so much, he opened up a bait and tackle shop. All he had time to do was bookkeeping and Saturday night bowling leagues. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

 

[ethiojazz]

Yes you are right... But just think of the walls where you could post all the wonderful accomplishments we helped all our neighbors perform.

Actually does anyone know what it takes to open a dealership like that ???

 

[bigpete]

<font color=blue>Actually does anyone know what it takes to open a dealership like that ??? </font color=blue>

Great question. It doesn't appear to me that Deere or Kubota actively seek new dealers or "franchisees" the way a fast food chain might, or the way smaller equipment companies might. I'm sure you have stumbled across sites for small companies where there is a solicitation such as "Dealers/distributors Wanted" or "Contact us for Franchise Information."

Certainly there is a coordinated effort within Deere and Kubota to consider new dealers and it is likely an extension of their respective marketing departments. I'd bet you a donut that you could contact corporate headquarters for either company and request a packet for prospective dealers.

In a past professional life, I worked as a consultant under contract for two years for a growing restaurant chain in the midwest assisting in designing their franchising program. Any prospective applicant was screened pretty thouroughly to ensure the success of the location. Essentially you would "Apply" and be carefully interviewed. Your background, experience, and financial stability would be carefully assessed. If you were serious about pursuing a dealership, the parent company would do a detailed study about the proposed location which would include not just the postential outlying market and nearby competitors, but also buildings, lots, and leases.

The bottom line is that the company (1) has to like your experience and your level of commitment; (2) has to like your balance sheet; and (3) has to like your location.

We have all read the horror stories about "Dealers Gone Bad," and "Good Dealers Gone Bankrupt." That is just what you and I would try to avoid if we were responsible for a dealer program. That's why there are so many filters for applicants and parachutes for the company. I recall many an applicant rejected who complained that they felt like they were treated like a job applicant. From the parent company side of the table, applicants and locations for franchises were screened more thouroughly than management applicants.

If you contact Kubota corporate, give us posting on what they say. I'm real curious.

Regards,

 

[ethiojazz]

OK Big Pete...

I am going to see how well I can pursue this one... I will start a new thread going once I have some good information...