Upfront: Why customers should buy from you

By Steve Noe

With homeowners, landscapers and foresters having plenty of options when it comes to buying lawn mowers, chain saws and other outdoor power equipment, Husqvarna recently interviewed many of its customers and dealers about why it’s important to conduct business with authorized sales and servicing dealers. The top five reasons were as follows:

  1. Been there, done that. Many Husqvarna dealers have used outdoor power equipment in previous jobs, like former logger Charles Moore, who owns and operates AG&N Agricultural Supply in Adamsville, Tenn. “I ran chain saws for years, and I know what’s good and what isn’t,” explained Moore. “I can help people figure out what they need before they buy.”
  2. Well trained. Dealers aren’t hourly employees punching the time clock, like in some larger stores. They are well-trained, certified experts — often with hours of training under their belts. Moore, for example, and his staff have attended numerous Husqvarna classes at the company’s corporate headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., and elsewhere. “At Husqvarna, we only offer our complete line of products through more than 5,000 retail dealers,” said Jeff Dewosky, vice president and general manager, Husqvarna North America. “Each is a highly trained professional with both the passion and experience to serve the needs of any customer.”
  3. At your service. Authorized dealers service what they sell, a significant advantage for time-sensitive customers. Most large retail stores that sell outdoor power equipment do not offer in-store warranty or other service, so items must be shipped to another facility — causing lengthy service delays. “We do the service, and we stock the parts,” said Jeff Gettos, who owns Sell’s Equipment in Woodhaven, Mich. “That’s important to our customers.”
  4. Try it, you’ll like it. Do you want to fire up the engine before buying a new trimmer or lawn tractor? Dealers love to take the customer outside to conduct “show and tell” demos.
  5. The price is right. Authorized dealers work with the manufacturer to offer flexible financing terms, extended warranties and instant rebates. For example, Husqvarna offers — exclusively, through its dealers — zero-percent financing for 48 months on select products. “That’s a real incentive for anyone, especially if you’re running your own small (landscaping) business,” said Gettos.

As I noted, these were only the top five reasons identified by Husqvarna based on interviews with its customers and dealers. Undoubtedly, you could come up with many more excellent reasons that customers should do business with you. Please send me your top-five list to snoe@specialtyim.com. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from many of you.

SteveNoe1_01-02-14-web
OPE Editor Steve Noe
snoe@specialtyim.com

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