Radio Silence

       One of the parts of my job that is the toughest is the lost sale. You hope to supply a product at a competitive price that makes it easier for the customer to do their job. As we all know, there are many things involved in the process of purchasing a piece of equipment. Add in multiple units and the leasing variable and things can get very involved. Having an open line of communication and making sure there are no questions left unanswered is the key to earning the business. But as a wiser older salesman once told me, "Every salesman loses sales!". Hopefully, the batting average is better than most hall of famers in baseball, three out of every ten at bats getting a hit!
      One of the hardest tight ropes to walk is how to stay in contact, as the process is playing out, without having a customer look at your name on caller ID and the first thing that comes to mind is, "I am not taking that call." Then you have the dreaded radio silence. If things have gone radio silent, it is almost always," I have not made my final decision," or the dreaded, "we decided to go another direction." OUCH! Like a closer in baseball or a defensive back in football, it is good to have a short memory. That is not the easiest thing to do, especially depending on how much time and effort you have exerted in trying to show you bring value, as much as the product itself. For me, I would prefer the Band-Aid approach and rip it off quickly. It is always appreciated if you fill me in on what questions were left unanswered,and hopefully the next time, I can improve. Sometimes my product was just not the best fit for your operation, but hopefully, not too often!




WJC

Is Cash Still King at Your Club?

    To lease or not to lease, that is often the question. Years ago my wife and I went car shopping and it was just when leasing was becoming more of an option to get a car. After the sales pitch, my wife and I walked out and she said that the leasing option sounded great. I laughed and said that we have it for our customers too and I wasn't so sure.... After lots of work through the years,with people from Toro, like Mike Nesdahl & Jack Asinger, I now understand what is in the stew that makes up a lease payment.
     At that time, leasing was just being introduced into the Turf industry. Now when I say leasing, I am talking about a true lease or fair market value lease, where you turn it back in at the end of term and not a conditional sales contract or $1 buyout. Today leasing is used as much as a straight cash purchase in my market and in warmer parts of the USA with higher hour usage, leasing is even more popular.
       As we all know every club is different. So the big question is why lease vs. purchase? I have the same answer for anyone who ever asks me....It depends on your club! The perception that clubs that are cash poor lease is a misnomer that is not true any longer. I work with some clubs that are classic traditional clubs that money is not an issue and they lease their high usage units. WHY? Because you can get the latest and greatest tools, not tied to capital dollars fluctuating, consistent repair & maintenance budgets and the most equipment for your money.
       Now comes my favorite comment "We are a cash club!". Really?
Do you lease your golf carts???That is different, why I have never been given a good answer!
      My club is never going lease.....not if you don't give them the option by doing your homework on clubs that your facility holds themselves as a measuring stick against and see if they are leasing. Find the board members who work in the financial world, talk to the members who own companies that have equipment fleets and ask questions. What often moves the dial is a member saying, "Why aren't we doing this, when Corcoran Country Club up the street is?"
      If you don't feel comfortable talk about it, I would urge you to get educated about it. If you have a vendor you trust, use him as a resource. I get asked multiple times a year by turf managers to speak to someone at their facility about leasing and they want to know if it is a viable option.
The reality is it all depends on your club!

WJC

Clean Me!

       To quote the great Jim Nedin " You check your greens mowers everyday, how often do you check your sprayer"? This past week, I got the chance to work with Jim on some customer visits. Midway through the morning, I got an email from a customer about a sprayer having pressure issues that they needed to resolve ASAP. Luckily we finished ahead of schedule and had time to make a quick visit.
       With his incredible diagnostics skills, Doctor Jim, proceeded to walk through the spray system, tracking what was causing the problem. The flow meter had some wear issues, but as seen below, the main problem was clogged agitation nozzles inside the tank!
       One of the biggest things taken for granted in my experience is that the performance of the sprayer is correct. A greens mower can give you a bad cut that will grow out in a day or two, but a bad application will take weeks to recover or worse. Add some time into you spray program schedule to do more catch tests, review your cleaning process and send your Raven and flow meter in to get re-calibrated each off season. And oh yeah....Give it a bath!

 

 

WJC

Almost Bulletproof

       I have often said the ProCore 648 is probably the most innovative piece of equipment that Toro has come out with since I started back in early 1990's. However, for one of the most bulletproof units, there is a misconception of no service needed. As with any type of machinery, there is always adjustments that are required over time. After working with Jim Nedin this Friday, as he went over a customer's 2 ProCore 648's, it made me realize how many units are starting to get some time on them and should be checked. On a side note, every time I work with Jim, I am amazed by how knowledgeable he is on so many products. On this visit, it was really incredible to watch his diagnostic skills at work!
       I have seen already a few times where 2 units are set at different depth settings to try and make them perform the same. This should throw up a red flag that you need to get them back to spec! You can take a look at your owners manual or contact your local Toro service department and get your units back to the way they were the day you got them.

       Even if it just running the unit at a lower RPM or using the extended taper tines when it is wet, the unit has multiple adjustments and options to help you aerate with optimum results.

                        The amazing Jim Nedin at work!

WJC

On Board with The First Tee

       Recently, I was fortunate enough to join the board of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. I was introduced to The First Tee program a few years back when I was invited to play in an event at Walnut Lane Golf Club by Frank Shuman. Frank is the former owner of Philadelphia Turf Company and is a big supporter and board member of TFT of Greater Philadelphia. He has been generous enough to invite me to multiple First Tee events and was kind enough to nominate me.
       So what does an equipment salesman with a golf game that rarely breaks 100 anymore bring to the table?(Just for the record, pre-kids I could shoot in the 80's!). Hopefully, we will be able to do some things from the maintenance side that will continue to help, the program grow. What is really exciting is that I was already contacted by a friend, who just happens to be a customer, about working with TFT of Greater Philadelphia to host a first of it's kind event later in 2014. We also have some other ideas from the Turf angle that are really exciting.
      With all the talk about growing the game of golf, how better than to get more kids into golf?

     
                        This is a photo from the "Live Green" event at Walnut Lane GC this past fall

WJC

The Weather Channel

       I can't remember a time when my customer visits were so dominated by the talk of the weather.  We experienced the second highest snowfall total year on record, here in Philadelphia, and a much hyped nor'easter just went to the south of us this past week. Needless to say, people have had enough. To top it off, temperatures are inching slightly higher this week, with a weekend of 2"-3" of rain. This  is pretty much going to stop the chance of any rounds of golf this weekend. 
       Because the weather is deterring people from playing golf, the real financial impact of this winter has yet to be seen. The lost revenue that golf in the Mid-Atlantic part of the US has experienced is growing from an inconvenience into big time concerns. Clubs that have been doing a little better than just paying the bills have some major anxieties. Some have not had any rounds in months and the sluggish start to the spring weather just increases the pressure. Add in the man hours plus, in some instances, contractors that were needed to be brought in from the tree ice damage back in early February, it is not a pretty picture.
       OK, enough on the negative perspective. The upside is golfers are in the starting gate and kicking to get out. I think if Mother Nature would just cut us a little slack in these next few weeks, you will see one of those NGF reports that "Golf Rounds are up!". The hard part is Superintendents all are aware it is going to be one of those years that people will not soon forget.

WJC

Capital Competition

       Recently at Turf Equipment University, Steve Keating, the Manager of Selling Skills for the Toro Company, gave a presentation called, "Selling Your Needs to Your Members". It really was a great talk about how you compete for capital dollars at your club. The reality is at most clubs there are capital dollars available, but the big question is how you get more of them? I can't tell you how many times I have spoken to a Superintendent or Technician, who was voicing his frustration about not being able to replace a piece of equipment that was long overdue to be retired, but the clubhouse was getting new carpeting, painting and their kitchen redone.
       To steal a line from one of our other presenters, Sabrina Bladon from AdFarm, "You talk agronomics and they want economics"! So how do you speak their language? I know the Superintendents, who have been the most successful, have long term facts and figures about their repair and maintenance expenses. Sometimes people forget how many man hours get tied into that figure. In addition, what tracking system do you use for your fleet and the big white board in the shop does not count. From the Toro side, we have myTurf to track your fleet. I have multiple clubs using the wireless hour meters on their mixed fleet to keep records current. I also have some using Trims and a few others an old school notebook.
       Well, talking numbers is one part of the equation, as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words; Even better a walk through meeting at the shop! One of my favorite stats to make a comparison is that a non-turf person can relate to hours on a machine to miles on their car. One of the stats I have learned throughout the years is that 75 miles equates to 1 hour on a piece of equipment (Believe I got this from Jim Nedin). So, if you think about running a car at full throttle with multiple operators and extreme conditions, it is a little easier to relate to. Helping the decision makers to fully understand the age and condition of your equipment is so key.
       Sadly, just talking about the improved ability to be better at providing a quality product, is not  always the best approach. One of the other angles that hits home is safety. The reality of today is you need to protect your club and yourself legally. While everyone wants to provide a safe work place, the fact is sometimes your equipment is not helping in that effort.
        To come back to Steve Keating's presentation, know who you are selling to. Is your greens chairman a financial planner (numbers guy) or a lawyer (safety and legal impact). Hopefully, you have a professional salesperson who you trust and can help you to put together a plan for success.
In the end, the more preparation you put into your sales presentation to you owner or board members, the odds go up to win the battle of the capital dollars.



WJC