Dealer Success Guide V38

DEALER

Success Volume 38

GUIDE

DEALER MANAGEMENT CUSTOMER FEEDBACK —Does Your Business Need It? Page 10

What Makes a Good Dealer-Landscape Contractor

RELATIONSHIP?

Meeting landscape contractors on the job and establishing good relationships is one part of a successful equipment dealership model. Page 4

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A SUPPLEMENT TO

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Volume 38 - September/October 2017

Cc o n t e n t s

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR What’s the Deal?

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reen Industry Pros recently conducted a survey for equipment dealers seeking to reach the landscape contractor market. While concise, the survey proved to provide valuable insight into the preferences and Carrie Mantey perspectives of the cmantey@acbusinessmedia.com equipment dealer(920) 542-1238 ship community.

Brand loyalty is an issue that came up again and again. In fact, 54 percent of equipment dealers claim they only buy or consider a new product from a brand they trust. In contrast, 33 percent of survey respondents say that, if a product is good, they don’t care who makes it. Another 12.7 percent think that brand name means nothing, but their seal of approval means everything. In other words, if these dealers say the product’s good, their customers take their word for it.

Where do you fall on this spectrum? Are you establishing or have you already established trust with your customers, or do you let the products and brands speak for themselves and your trustworthiness? How important is brand to you? If we let the majority do the talking, it seems a trusted brand carries a lot of weight with equipment dealers who have landscape contractors relying on them to run their business.

Speaking of brands, what else do you look for in a product or line of equipment? The majority of survey respondents seemingly want to differentiate themselves from the big-box stores as 49.2 percent are on the lookout for products you can’t get at the big boxes. Once again, 25.4 percent are seeking out brands they can trust. Another 25.4 percent are hunting for products they can find parts for. After all, why offer equipment you can’t get the parts to service?

Last, but not least, where do you get information on new brands for dealer stock? I, of course, was thrilled to see trade publications top the list at 46 percent.

The runners-up include: trade shows (22 percent), sales representatives (20.6 percent), online ads (6.3 percent) and customer requests (4.8 percent).

Do your preferences align with those of the equipment dealers surveyed? Why or why not? Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

4 IN THIS ISSUE

4 What Makes a Good DealerLandscape Contractor Relationship?

M eeting landscape contractors on the job and establishing good relationships is one part of a successful equipment dealership model.

6 UCC1 Filings

Aren’t Enough to See a Market’s Potential

D o you rely too much on Uniform Commercial Code-1 filing data to help make strategic planning, 6 territory management direct selling, forecasting, budgeting and tactical direct marketing decisions?

10 Customer Feedback—Does Your Business Need It?

W here reviews used to be the domain of restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, nowadays, anyone, anywhere can leave a review for just about any business … and they do.

12 Dealer Stock

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Dealer Profile

By Angie Mellor

What Makes a Good Dealer-Landscape Contractor Relationship?

Meeting landscape contractors on the job and establishing good relationships is one part of a successful equipment dealership model.

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hat techniques do you use to discover what your customers want in a landscape equipment dealership? Do you use social media, surveys or email blasts? Would it be surprising to learn that not all landscape contractors pay attention to social media and, in fact, don’t always Google landscape equipment dealerships?

Jordan Fennigkoh, formerly of Kreibich Landscaping LLC in West Salem, Wisconsin, is just starting out on his own under the name JD Lawn Care and Maintenance LLC, but fortunately, he is frequently referred for new landscaping jobs by his former employer.

He notes that his previous years of experience with Kreibich have provided him with an understanding of what to look for in an equipment dealer. “I don’t spend a lot of time researching it. I know through past experience what brands are better than the others,” Fennigkoh admits.

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Occasionally, Fennigkoh Googles a piece of equipment, or calls the dealership to inquire about pricing, has a quote emailed and, if it’s something he’s interested in, he drives to the dealership to take a peek. However, when purchasing equipment, he relies heavily on word of mouth and brands he’s used before.

Quality versus Pricing Brand names aren’t as important as the quality of the product, though.

Fennigkoh prides himself on his workmanship, emphasizing, “What makes me stand out is that I’m fully insured, I stand behind my work and I have a one-year warranty on plant materials. Under special circumstances, I replace plants if there are proven bad genetics.”

Similarly, Fennigkoh expects a dealership to offer guarantees of its equipment. “A dealership must back its products with warranties … and stand behind them,” he says.

The Tractor Central sales team receives custom one-on-one training through John Deere to better serve customers.

“Quality and the warranties that come with the equipment are the big things I consider.”

While Fennigkoh notes that warranties play a role in determining his equipment purchases, he’s not about to miss out on a deal either. “Pricing is a huge factor. You don’t want to be paying $1,000 more at one dealership when the next place down the road can save you $1,000.”

And though Fennigkoh is happy to save some green when purchasing big equipment, he’s learned to value the quality of his equipment just as much. “If you’re going to buy the cheapest thing out there, you’re going to get the cheap quality of work.

If you buy cheap, that’s what you get,” he declares.

Fennigkoh isn’t in the market to buy cheap, as evidenced by his latest purchase of a compact tractor: “I can mow things faster. I can drive over turf without leaving marks on customers’ yards. It also helps to level and rake out yards, and brush hog stuff down to maintain the work I’ve done.”

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Dealer Profile

His next big equipment purchase is going to be a track machine, which is going to “lift more material and haul material faster. A track machine, for example, can pick up a full pallet of retaining wall material when the compact tractor can’t.

“Additionally, track machines help prevent tearing up the customer’s yard,” comments Fennigkoh. “With tracks in muddy areas, they’re not making big ruts, they kind of float on top of the dirt and mud.” Fennigkoh’s preferred brand in considering a track machine is Kubota or Bobcat.

“Kubota has a bigger and roomier cab,” he says. Fennigkoh also notes the powerful engine of a Kubota makes it hard to pass up.

Parts and Service Are Priority

On the other side of sales, Lance Smith, small ag and turf sales, and marketing manager at Tractor Central LLC, finds the parts and service department is one of the biggest draws for customers. “If a machine goes down, I may already have [the part] in store or I can have it in the store within two days,” he points out.

Tractor Central sells and services John Deere equipment, and the company offers three different parts programs for commercial mowing equipment. According to www. deere.com, “With our Parts OnSite program, you’ll have those essential parts right where you need them—in your shop, at the ready. It’s simple— work with your dealer to determine the best inventory of parts for your operation … and your dealer will continue working with you to ensure your inventory is stocked.”

However, while preparedness is essential, there are moments a landscaper can’t plan for. “When landscapers are at peak season and they have to go to work, they can’t be broken down … we are able to

get them the best parts available,” example) of no interest and no paySmith reassures. ments, and then are able to pay it This option is known on www.deere. off at the end of the season,” Smith com as the Same-Day Parts Guaranconfirms. tee, which states, “With our SameMuch like Fennigkoh’s preference Day Parts Guarantee, you get select to choose a dealership by word replacement parts for your commerof mouth, Tractor Central’s sales cial mowing equipment the same day personnel stay successful through you order them—or they’re free!” footwork. “The sales staff are going Finally, the Next-Day Parts Guaranout and finding our customers, talktee is described on www.deere.com ing to them one on one and finding as John Deere’s promise that “you’ll out what their needs are,” according have the part you need by the next to Smith. day or it’s free!”

“We like to be Smith notes proactive in helpthat, in addition ing to make sure to John Deere our customers are supplying a selecting the right parts guarantee, piece of equipTractor Central ment.” Smith says, parts employ“The most popular ees learn from pieces of equipment factory-trained landscape contracparts technitors purchase are cians in order zero-turn mowers to understand and compact utility customer needs trailers.”

Lance Smith, small ag and turf sales, and and provide the He notes, oftenmarketing manager at Tractor Central best service. times, Tractor CenLLC, finds the parts and service department is a big draw for customers.

Likewise, the tral sales employees sales team goes see landscape through training. “Sales personnel contractors advertising their busireceive custom one-on-one trainnesses on equipment, such as trucks ing through John Deere and field or trailers, and find their customers training. In the winter, four to six at a job site. employees are trained in operatPerhaps contrary to popular belief, ing equipment and brushing up on not every successful landscape skills,” Smith says. equipment dealership runs on FaceSmith acknowledges the role social book giveaways and online specials. media outlets, such as Facebook, As gathered from both the customer play in equipment sales, but he and the sales team, going out to believes what makes Tractor Central meet the landscapers on the job and successful is its pride in maintaining establishing good relationships with the best customer service. contractors is one part of a successAnother important piece of Tractor ful model. ■ Central’s customer service is a financial plan through Deere Financial.

Angie Mellor teaches communica“Tractor Central offers a popular tions and writing classes at Western no-payment, no-interest program.

Technical College in La Crosse, Landscape customers have one Wisconsin, and does freelance writing full operating season (summer, for and editing work as well.

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Dealer Data

By Jeff Winsper

UCC1 Filings Aren’t Enough to

SEE A MARKET’S POTENTIAL Do you rely too much on Uniform Commercial Code-1 filing data to help make strategic planning, territory management direct selling, forecasting, budgeting and tactical direct marketing decisions?

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any manufacturers, wholesale distributors and independent dealer organizations across the power sports, outdoor power equipment (OPE), agriculture and construction verticals use Uniform Commercial Code-1 (UCC1) filings to help gauge product sales success and inform direct marketing efforts. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is incomplete because it doesn’t paint a full and accurate picture of the market, or growth opportunities, leaving many wondering, “Do I rely too much on this data to help make strategic planning, territory management direct selling, forecasting, budgeting and tactical direct marketing decisions?”

This article outlines the gaps that exist to help you better understand how to fill them in to make more precise and accurate decisions. Even if you 6

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Using UCC1 filings to help gauge product sales success and inform direct marketing efforts is an incomplete effort because UCC1 filings don’t paint a full and accurate picture of the market or growth opportunities.

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Dealer Data

had this information in a database or a dashboard, using labor time chasing shadows of opportunities can be costly. In the end, you may notice that a far more advanced and integrated data management system is needed to narrow these gaps.

We are going to use commercial lawn-mowing equipment throughout the article to demonstrate the point, though you can plug in your product category—such as tractors, trucks, sprayers, trailers, utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), golf carts—and the principal remains the same.

Gap 1: UCC1 Filings Don’t Define the True Total Size of Market The total number of landscape maintenance, grounds maintenance, commercial accounts and municipalities usually has a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code—formerly Standard Industrial Classification or SIC. Companies use these to help determine just how many types of companies exist.

While the codes are attributed to a particular industry category, it should be used as guidance, not necessarily as empirical evidence defining the totality of the marketplace. Why does this matter? There are three important outcomes.

Number one, because the information is provided by the end-user establishment (self-reported), it forces a company to choose the primary NAICS of which the government then uses “a production-oriented concept, meaning that it groups establishments into industries according to similarity in the processes used to produce goods or services.”

This means landscapers who conduct various services, ranging from 8

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irrigation, chemical applications and lighting to lawn maintenance and hardscape construction, basically choose one NAICS code. If they choose hardscape construction on the Census, they could get lumped into a totally different category than, let’s say, lawn maintenance.

This matters to companies that sell commercial mowers that overlook this entity when conducting their total market size.

Secondly, not all small businesses even fill out the Census, which invariably means that there are more companies than the Census can calculate, usually leaving a margin of error in the sizing of the market.

Thirdly, because it is self-reported, there can be wide discrepancies on filings, such as annual revenue and employee size. This may have something to do with the large percentage of landscape maintenance companies being classified as singleowner-operated, when they could have a flex crew of six.

It is not surprising to see the wide percentage variances between company income and actual assets. As one example, Company A claims an annual gross revenue of $63,000 with one employee, but operates four F350s, two vacs, six zero-turns and 15 handheld power equipment tools.

Gap 2: UCC1 Filings Don’t Define Total Target-Market Transactions Not all companies like to finance equipment. Many still use cash.

There are many reasons why this happens. Maybe it is just a preference not to finance.

Maybe the dealer gives an extra incentive for cash transactions.

Maybe it’s to reduce end-of-year tax exposure. Whatever the prerogative, this often leaves a very large gap for understanding total target-market transactions.

This gap can vary tremendously depending on the user’s circumstance or the total transaction price. But let’s not just assume any purchases over some dollar amount are always financed. Upon investigating dealer point-of-sale data, many singleday transactions of bundled power equipment products for commercial businesses of all types register in the more than $50,000 range. All in, you bet, cash.

Just using UCC1 filings can often leave you behind 10, 20 or even 50 percent visibility of the total units sold in the market.

Gap 3: UCC1 Filings Are Proof about a Past Transaction, Not Proof about Future Ones Timing always matters and, like all good financial disclosures, “Past performance may not be indicative of future results …” is the most appropriate phrase for analyzing past purchases to inform future purchases.

There are way too many variables in the economic system—unpredictable climate shifts, competitive changes, regulations and the health of the customer—to make predictions about when a company is going to purchase products in the future. This is important because many companies use simple math between the timestamp of the UCC1 filing plus the estimated sales transaction cycle of its product to target-market a company. But this approach is rear-view, not real time.

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Timing always matters and, like all good financial disclosures, “Past performance may not be indicative of future results …” is the most appropriate phrase for analyzing past purchases to inform future purchases.

What if, during this time period, the company goes out of business? Or sells its previous product on the used marketplace? Or refinances? Or pays the loan off early? Or buys more with cash? Or moves? Or holds onto the product post-loan? The growth opportunity is forward-looking and it requires an all-in analysis of many different data sets, such as housing statistics, population shifts, consumer confidence, geo-trade areas and competitive shifts.

Propensity modeling (a.k.a. trying to determine the when in next product purchases) requires a far more complicated algorithm.

If you have an exclusive, multi-line or even fourth brand represented by the dealer, there are better ways to understand how and why what happened in the past happened.

time is a far more progressive way to help focus your planning, strategy, sales territories and marketing campaigns.

Jeff Winsper is the president of Black Ink Technologies, which helps the outdoor power equipment industry sell more, faster and smarter. The software-as-a-service platform provides more visibility across the entire supply chain—from a manufacturing plant to distributor to territory managers to dealers to the local marketplace. Black Ink combines customer relationship management, business intelligence, geo-mapping, data management, industry-specific data and a pre-built library of statistical models in one platform. This helps accelerate customer acquisition and customer relationship management—and that helps the original equipment manufacturers, their distributors and the dealers grow.

For more information, connect with him at jwinsper@blackinkroi.com or @jeffwinsper on Twitter.

Gap 4: UCC1 Filings Are Better Suited for Product Share, Not Market Penetration The intrigue to know what your competition sold for units relative to your retail sales helps gauge an estimate of product share percentage. It helps understand competitive unit share trends, too, but keep in mind that knowing the total number of market transactions sold in the industry is always going to be a larger percentage than the UCC1 filing. Some companies like to take the total number of units sold and then divide that by the target market to define market penetration. This, too, is a flawed approach as many companies (or homeowners, for that matter) buy multiple products.

Are UCC1 filings important? Sure. Do they tell the full story? No. The combination of many different data sets being processed, normalized and analyzed in real

$

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Dealer Management

By Donika Kraeva

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

—Does Your Business Need It?

Where reviews used to be the domain of restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, nowadays, anyone, anywhere can leave a review for just about any business … and they do.

Satisfaction Survey

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happy customer is a repeat customer. This has always been true and, for many years, that has been a good enough reason to aim for customer satisfaction. After all, repeat customers can often serve as the backbone of any business.

But there’s another reason to strive to give your customers the best possible service—word of mouth, recommendations, referrals, whatever you want to call it—satisfied customers telling other potential customers why they should choose you over another service provider.

The thing about word of mouth is that it’s gone global, and it’s no longer just your potential local clientele 10

who can quickly and easily find out what people are saying.

The Internet is changing the way we do business, travel and interact with the world, and it’s more than just sharing memes on social media or having a contact page on a website. For example, where reviews used to be the domain of restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, nowadays, anyone, anywhere can leave a review for just about any business … and they do.

All you need to do is look up whatever business you’re looking for in the area, and Google can provide you with a handy map-based breakdown of listed companies, along

with links to their websites, contact information, opening times and, yes, reviews left by satisfied—and unsatisfied—customers.

Sadly, many companies still dismiss the power of online reviews and feedback—to their own detriment.

Studies show that just under 75 percent of people trust online reviews and as little as just one negative review can cause nearly a full quarter of people to choose a different service provider instead. On the plus side, having four or five stars in your reviews can equate to more than a 30 percent increase in business, which is nothing to sniff at.

How to Improve Your Customer Satisfaction Rating Building and maintaining a positive customer satisfaction rating, especially online, is an ongoing exercise.

This doesn’t mean you have to be constantly working on it, but it does mean you should consider putting a few processes in place to help keep up the good work.

1. Ask for Feedback The first step in making sure you have a top customer satisfaction rating, of course, is to provide consistently good service. That, however, can be tricky if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. Sometimes

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Dealer Management

what you think is a great idea turns out to be something customers dislike and, if you keep doing it, it could drive them away or provoke them to leave a negative review.

Start by asking every client for feedback about the service they receive. Don’t be too general, though.

A question like, “Were you satisfied with the service you received?” for example, encourages just a yes or no answer, which doesn’t tell you much. Try asking a series of specific, targeted questions, such as: how would you rate the overall service you received, how satisfied were you with the customer service wait time, how happy are you with the outcome of your treatment and so on. Don’t forget to include a question asking for specific feedback or suggestions.

Preferably, give clients the option to provide a rating, rather than a simple yes or no, as this encourages them to consider the service more deeply. Once you have a clearer picture of what made them happy and what they didn’t like, you can focus on improving things.

Top Tip: Try directing customers to a feedback service where they not only get an opportunity to provide detailed feedback, but can also earn rewards toward future purchases.

2. Actively Work on Improvements

Except for a few circumstances when people are actively being silly, most of the feedback you receive is going to include a suggestion or specific feedback about something you do or don’t do, which, for whatever reason, is meaningful to your client. The more often something gets mentioned, the more pressing it is and the more quickly you need to do something about it.

You don’t have to implement every single suggestion that customers make, of course, as some of them

may not only be difficult to implement, but may also be too expensive or potentially harmful to the business. That said, take every suggestion seriously and give it some due consideration. Whether the suggestions are about particular additional services that people want or are about changing the music, if someone took the time to write it down, it is something that means something to them and you should respect that.

3. Prioritize Improvements

It’s important to decide which changes and improvements you are going to work on first, and this is when customer satisfaction surveys can be very useful. As mentioned before, the more people give feedback about something specific, the more you should consider prioritizing it.

That said, there are several things that influence improvement prioritization: For example, the cost to

4. Keep Customers Updated

Customers like to know that their feedback and requests are being taken seriously, so make the effort to keep them updated about any changes and improvements you are making. Whether you send all your customers a newsletter, communicate via social media or simply put up a sign, let them know you have taken their suggestions into consideration and are making changes in due course.

The extent to which you keep customers in the loop is up to you, of course, but the more detail you can give them, the happier they may be.

Even if things aren’t perfect just yet, if they know you are actively working on making these improvements, people are often more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt and be more patient.

Top Tip: Don’t keep quiet about the improvements you are mak-

Having four or five stars in your reviews can equate to more than a 30 percent increase in business. implement these changes, the difficulty involved and the practicality of making them could all influence when and how you do things. Make a list of the improvements you intend to implement and take these various factors into consideration while prioritizing them.

Top Tip: Don’t just make changes because clients requested them.

Consider whether a change is really going to improve things or whether it’s something that customers consider a nice-to-have rather than a necessity. If you have time and budget remaining once the necessary improvements are made, then you can consider the nice-to-haves.

ing. If you have actively solicited feedback, but then remain silent about it, people are more likely to be annoyed or dissatisfied, thinking, “If you weren’t going to make any changes, why bother asking for feedback?” Make the effort to let them know their opinions are valued and being taken seriously.

Donika Kraeva is the strategic communications manager at the Dentacoin Foundation. Experienced in translating complex ideas to target groups’ language, Kraeva has developed feedback systems and patient loyalty programs for international dental clinics.

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Dealer Stock

Battery-Powered Trimmer Trims Over Three Football Fields on One Charge The STIHL FSA 45 string trimmer comes equipped with an adjustable shaft length to fit different user heights and enhance comfort, while its adaptable trimmer head can be modified for various trimming tasks. The company says the string trimmer also delivers:

A Fully Electric, Battery-Powered Articulated Loader Avant Tecno USA plans to release its e5 fully electric, battery-powered articulated loader with no emissions, minimal noise levels and low operating costs. The compact loader additionally offers: • A 240-Ah lead-acid battery and the power to perform between one and four hours, depending upon the type of work being done.

• Two electric motors—a 6-kW motor for driving the machine, and a 2-kW motor for loader boom operation and auxiliary hydraulics.

• An 8-GPM auxiliary hydraulics flow, which allows for working with various Avant attachments.

• An in-machine charging unit that eases charging from 230-V/16-A power outlets and permits operation while charging.

• Approximately five hours for the battery pack to charge 100 percent, although it can reach 80 percent battery capacity within three hours. greenindustrypros.com/12369300

Get a Grip … on Your Tools, Levers and Handles Re-Grip is a multipurpose grip that can be placed on everything— from wheelbarrows and shovels to hand tools—without glue or heat.

The safe and comfortable non-slip gripping solution further grants: • Easy installation—simply slide it on and pull the tab to unwind the inner coil, then the elastic grip constricts and forms snugly around the handle.

• An ergonomic design that reduces muscle fatigue.

• The prevention of blisters.

• An economical solution for replacing worn-out handle grips on a variety of tools, levers and handles.

• Your choice from three different sizes—just select the Re-Grip with the smallest size diameter that fits over your tool, handle or lever.

• A waterproof and ultraviolet-resistant design.

• Construction from durable recycled materials. greenindustrypros.com/12369334

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• The ability to trim the length of over three football fields on one charge—that’s up to 1,312 linear feet.

• The capability to tackle light-duty trimming jobs in a short amount of time due to a high cutting speed and 9-inch cutting width.

• A six-position loop handle and balance for maneuverability and control around landscaping obstacles.

• A weight of 5.1 pounds for easy portability.

• STIHL Lightning Battery System technology, which incorporates a lithium-ion battery to eliminate the hassle and cost of fuel.

• No battery memory limitation and no gradual drop in power.

• Instant, quick starts—just squeeze the trigger and get to work.

• An activation key to prevent accidental use of the machine.

• A STIHL PolyCut 2-2 mowing head. greenindustrypros.com/12351508

Vast Selection of Commercial-Strength Mower and Edger Blades Rotary Corporation’s 2017 parts catalog includes a comprehensive line of commercial-strength mower and edger blades. The catalog also features: • A variety of Copperhead high-lift, low-lift and mulching blades, which are tested for performance, and ISOcertified for quality, durability and craftsmanship.

• Blade photos, illustrations and descriptions, plus a specifications chart with the OEM number, length, center-hole diameter, width and steel thickness.

• Blade adapters, bolts, washers and bushings.

• Blades with a powder-coat finishing.

• Over 9,500 different outdoor power equipment parts, including hundreds of new items.

• Over 1,625 pages complete with photos, descriptions and crossreferencing numbers for most all brands, along with many hardto-find and discontinued parts.

• The flexibility be downloaded in a PDF format. greenindustrypros.com/12369288

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Dealer Stock

Don’t Break Your Back With a Heavy Leaf Blower With the average gas-powered leaf blower weighing around 20 pounds, according to Greenworks Tools, it is time to ditch that dead weight for its lightweight, battery-powered backpack blower. The 60-V, 540-CFM cordless brushless backpack blower is highlighted by:

Low-Speed Electric Vehicles Have You Riding in Style

• The flexibility to remove wet or dry leaves, grass clippings, pebbles and sand.

Polaris believes its GEM low-speed electric vehicle (LSV) offers more built-in comfort and street-legal safety features than a golf cart, yet more maneuverability, cost efficiency and sustainability than a truck or van.

According to the company, these eco-friendly vehicles also deliver:

• A turbo button that switches the blower into maximum power.

• A simple on/off button, so you don’t have to remove the backpack from the in-use position if you want to start and stop the blower.

• Quiet electric power for low-maintenance driving, averaging just 3 cents per mile to operate.

• A weight of less than 8 pounds.

• The versatility to be driven on a variety of outdoor surfaces, including sidewalks and grassy areas, as well as indoors.

• Ease of use—you no longer have to mix fuels.

• Zero emissions, plus reduced noise and vibration during use.

• Two sizes to comfortably seat four or six people.

• Push-start technology.

• A spacious interior with adjustable forward-facing seats, threepoint safety belts, and LED brakes lights and turn signals.

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• Suspension and power steering that enable a smooth, stable ride. greenindustrypros.com/12369331

Certified Propane Conversions Available for Multiple Vanguard Engines Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power engines are now available for propane conversion through Propane Power Systems.

According to the companies, the EPA-certified conversions boast: • Availability for 11 Vanguard and Commercial Series engines, ranging in displacement from 205cc single-cylinder horizontals up to 993cc BIG BLOCK V-Twin engines.

• The flexibility to allow equipment manufacturers to offer propane to customers looking to take advantage of its benefits.

• A global three-year commercial limited warranty to cover the non-propane parts of the engine, while Propane Power Systems’ warranty covers the fuel system. greenindustrypros.com/12369153

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Grasshopper’s Most Powerful Diesel Mower The Grasshopper Company designed the 900D 1.3L Max-Torque diesel mower to be the most powerful diesel mower in its product lineup.

The mower provides: • A Tier 4 Final-compliant, 1.3-liter, three-cylinder, liquid-cooled diesel engine that delivers high-torque power, while producing fewer emissions than gasoline or propane thanks to an advanced combustion system that requires no diesel exhaust emissions systems.

• Uninterrupted mowing, even in lush, overgrown conditions.

• A fuel consumption that’s reduced by almost half.

• Availability of a 61- or 72-inch DuraMax deck powered with a splined power take-off shaft.

• The PowerFold electric deck lift to adjust the cutting height, and rotate the deck to a near vertical position with the flip of a switch for easy underside cleaning and blade replacement.

• The QuikConverter implement system to add turf renovation, debris management and snow removal implements.

• A combination electronic fuel gauge and digital hour meter. greenindustrypros.com/12368440

GREEN INDUSTRY PROS DEALER SUCCESS GUIDE ■ VOLUME 38

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SEE WHY DEALERS ARE CHOOSING CUB CADET CUBCADET.COM/BECOMEADEALER

EXCEPTIONAL SUPPORT OUTSTANDING PROFITABILITY GROWING BRAND FULL LINE OF INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

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© 2017 Cub Cadet

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Good enough never is.

You don’t settle. Neither do we.

How you stare down hard work isn’t like the other guys. You decide when to call it a day, not your equipment. We design Vanguard™ commercial engines to deliver unrelenting performance on the jobsite, user-driven innovations that reduce maintenance, and a 24-hour parts guarantee.* That’s productivity defined.

Don’t settle. Go to vanguardengines.com to learn more.

See us at Indoor

7104

*Some conditions apply. See www.vanguardengines.com for complete warranty details. © 2017 Briggs & Stratton Corporation

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Outdoor

6372-D

Visit greenindustrypros.com/10155721

9/28/17 7:50 AM