KPM Blog

How Important is it to Stay In Touch with Current Customers?

Posted by Stanley Abramowitz on March 28, 2016 at 2:32 PM

Why do I need to keep in contact with my customers?

Building and maintaining relationships with your current customers is often an overlooked strategy to generate sales for your business.  Yes, thats right - relationship management with your customers can directly increase your sales figures.  Plus, working with your existing customers can be more cost effective.  You can directly influence your customers - by making them feel appreciated.

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, customer attraction, Dealership

Engage Your Customers Through Email

Posted by Scott Redan on March 25, 2016 at 3:45 PM

 

Email Marketing

You are currently selling products and services to your consumer base on a daily basis. They like doing business with you, and you have a lot of repeat customers. Have you ever thought of using them to solidify relationships, and increase sales and referrals? Why not use the information you currently have to improve your bottom line by keeping your customers engaged and aware of business trends and promotions?

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, marketing, Dealership

Is Your Outdoor Power Equipment Dealership Ready For Spring?

Posted by Mark Zaffuto on February 1, 2016 at 9:17 AM

Of course, it's that time of year again, time to prep your outdoor power equipment dealership for the Springtime surge in business. In our industry, there are always elements that we can improve. This time of year is the perfect opportunity to consider what you can do to make the customer experience better this season. After seeing dozens of dealerships go through this process, we here at KPM have compiled a list of the most valuable improvements and changes you can make to gain the upper hand.

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, spring, Dealership

Marketing Tips For Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships

Posted by Barry Knauer on January 22, 2016 at 11:36 AM

Tried-And-True Marketing Tactics You Should Try in 2016

When you are busy running an outdoor power equipment dealership, it can be hard to find time to take on the task of marketing. We often push it to the back burner because of the varying degrees of trial and error it requires to get results from our efforts. Since time is money and we can’t waste what little resources we have to spare, KPM has compiled a tried-and-true list of tips and tricks to augment your dealership's marketing efforts. If you want to increase awareness and drive more traffic to your dealership, try some of these marketing tactics.

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, advice, marketing, Dealership

Getting Outside of Your Business Can Help You Grow Your Outdoor Power Equipment Dealership

Posted by Ken Schneider on January 4, 2016 at 5:18 PM

Most outdoor power equipment dealers contain their business inside their four walls, and they wait for potential customers to come inside the dealership. They have created a comfort zone where they feel at ease completing the same day-to-day tasks that have always been on the agenda. While that process may keep these dealerships in business, it by no means guarantees a large amount of success or growth.

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, Sales, Networking, Dealership

2015 In Review: The Outdoor Power Equipment Industry

Posted by Rick Favata on December 31, 2015 at 1:31 PM

2015 was somewhat of an unusual year for the outdoor power equipment industry in the Northeast.

Sales and service of snow and ice handling equipment started out extremely strong due to the frequent and large amount of snow and ice we received throughout our region from mid-January into early March.  Manufacturers, distributors and dealers who offered snow blowers, snow plows, and spreaders/sanders experienced record-breaking sales in 2015. 

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, fall, winter, spring, summer

How To Pursue Municipal Customers & Large Bids By Government Entities

Posted by Buddy Merz on December 23, 2015 at 3:22 PM

Starting The Process

Have you been debating whether or not to expand your client base to include municipal and government entities? While this may seem like the perfect way to expand your profits, pursuing this type of customer is not for every outdoor power equipment dealership. Many dealers do not have the staff, equipment, and time to successfully roll out a plan to follow up on this type of business. Like most business projects, it pays to start slow and ramp up if you start to see success. If your business can handle the new influx of work, then here are some tips to successfully engage potential municipal and government clients.

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Topics: dealer, outdoor power equipment, customer

Are Your Displays Full?

Posted by Ken Schneider on November 16, 2015 at 12:02 PM

Have you ever walked into a store and encountered a display that was almost empty? I have, and the thing that comes to mind is “this store doesn’t carry the merchandise I need.”

As a customer, that can be a very frustrating experience. After all, he or she took the time to drive all the way to the retail store only to be disappointed with the apparent lack of inventory available.

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Topics: dealer, retailer, outdoor power equipment, customer, Vortexx

Takeaways from the GIE Expo 2015

Posted by Jesse Hellyer on November 9, 2015 at 2:44 PM

This October, Louisville, Kentucky, hosted the annual GIE Expo, a premier outdoor power equipment industry event and one of the largest tradeshows in the U.S.  The vast majority of companies in the industry attend each year, including manufacturers, distributors, dealers, landscapers and other end users.  This year’s show was no exception.  In fact, while some regional tradeshows struggle with attendance, the GIE Expo grew in 2015 to more than 21,000 people.  

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Topics: outdoor power equipment, GIE EXPO

3 ways to increase your profitability

Posted by David Dollard on July 14, 2015 at 5:08 PM

Here are two suggestions from KPM dealers that may work for your dealership – and a tip from KPM.


Dealer Suggestion #1 - Use retail financing plans and the associated monthly payment

By marking the equipment you have on your floor with a monthly payment, it helps a potential customer “budget” the purchase. Be sure to include the appropriate sales tax and then use the monthly payment factor provided by the retail finance company.

Some equipment manufacturers have formatted hang tags that are customizable and printable. If you can, try not to handwrite them. Research shows customers are less likely to haggle over price when the tag is printed.

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Topics: dealer, outdoor power equipment, profit

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Being an outdoor power equipment retail business is different than most other retail environments. Read our blog to get useful tips and advice that will help you overcome challenges and identify opportunities to grow your business.

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