Ask For The Order

       One of the main principles that is at the core of being successful as a salesperson is a common sense concept of, "asking for the order". It is often overlooked and many times the hardest part of the sales process. Why is this important? As I wrote about last week, it is clear that many clubs have come to crossroads with the condition of their fleet. Downtime and repairs on units are far outweighing the value. Many turf managers have no choice, but to throw that money into the black hole that is a 10 or more year old piece of equipment.
       I know for me, it is not the easiest thing to do, but my advice is GO ASK FOR THE ORDER! Your club officials have line of sight to your expenses. Stick to the facts, and as I have heard  one of the better speakers in the Turf Industry, Sabrina Bladon, state in her talks, " You are talking agronomics and they want economics!" Don't go emotional about how much grief it is causing you, sadly they really don't care....but when you talk about wasting club money (i.e. THEIR MONEY) you hit a nerve. If you use the concept of hours on a mower to miles on a car, it can help to make the picture a little clearer. I use 75 miles to equal one hour on a piece of turf equipment. This is not scientific, but an approximation. I have heard a range for different types of engines and some guestimates, but a comment from a technician the other day about it being an off road vehicle too, makes me feel OK about my number. Then you can add in the multiple operators and being run at full throttle during operation as just some more facts toward your case. The great question is would any person put thousands of repair dollars into a car that had over 300,000 miles. I will go out on a limb and tell you not too many people!
       Then you start thinking "my club has really cut back over the past few years and there is no way they are going to let me get anything"; How do you know if you don't ask? I recently have had three clubs in a similar situation. When the Superintendent took it to their Supervisor, guess what the answer was??? YES! They were told this makes sense and to start the process of acquiring the equipment.
       Save your self the stress of hoping everything makes it through the morning before the shotgun start. Do a little homework on what options are out there and you might be surprised at your sales skills when all you had to do was ask!

It Is Just Time

       It is always interesting to me to see the cycles that run through the market here in Philadelphia that I have been calling on for almost 20 years . I can't remember the last time when a topic has been so often discussed as the need to address an aging equipment fleet. Some clubs have more frequently been using  the option of leasing to catch up and stay current, while other clubs have not begun to lease and are not interested in considering it. Just this past week alone, I was asked numerous times about how do you approach your club managers or officials to make them consider making a large investment. The reality is no matter which supplier you choose, there is a large amount of money involved.
       I really feel this all leads back to 2008 & 2009's economic downturn which resulted in many clubs not continuing their equipment replacement plans. It seems to have caught up to many clubs all at the same time. I am hearing more and more in conversations about units with more than 4000, 5000, even 8,000 and 9,000 plus hours on units. To me, when these units need repair, it is tough to justify putting large amounts of money into something this far into it's life cycle. When your club does not have the capital on hand and leasing is not a road your ownership wants to follow....what options do you have?
       Does your club lease any other equipment (namely golf carts)? Is there an member at your club who works in  leasing to use as an advocate? Have you done your homework unsolicited to see what type of numbers you are looking at if you were able to lease your high usage units vs the continuing increase in your repair and maintenance budget? Is there an opportunity to beat the price increases coming regarding the new Tier 4 products by getting a pre-Tier 4 unit? What does down time really cost you? If your technician had more time to focus on day to day routine service rather than trying to find duck tape, bailing wire and some chewing gum to get the rough unit to just get you through the day how much better a product could you produce? Is off-lease units something you need to consider to bridge the gap? Does the "No Pay 'til May" programs make sense to do something now?
       There are many variables that need to be considered, but a little homework now may go a long way to making your job easier in the future!


WJC