Dealers have been through a lot the past 3 years. And through it, they’ve innovated and experimented to find new solutions to new problems.

Whether it was equipment shortages, price increases or pressure from right-to-repair advocates, dealers have stepped up their aftermarket business, found new ways to communicate with their customers and advocated for their industry. 

Dealer finances are strong as well. According to the 2023 Rural Lifestyle Dealer Business Outlook & Trends survey, 94.3% of rural lifestyle dealers were profitable in 2022. Another 42.5% are expecting parts revenue to increase in 2023, and 50% are forecasting the same for service revenue.

However, the industry isn’t out of the woods yet. And for dealers looking to upgrade their tactics, one of the best ways is to simply learn from other dealers. Hearing what they’ve accomplished and how they did it can be the first step to overcoming these hurdles.

Enter the Dealer Success Academy.

In what will be its 6th installment, the 2023 Dealer Success Academy is back by popular demand with a batch of fresh topics and new dealers to learn from. This online event will bring the top minds in the industry together for 2 days of virtual learning — allowing you to gain new strategies and takeaways to elevate your business in 2023 and beyond.

Registration is completely free. And for entering your name and email address, you get exclusive presentations from dealers (and a few other players in our industry), telling the stories of how they faced these issues and more and came out on top.

Additionally, for only $49, you can receive extended 12-month access to all the 2023 Dealer Success Academy sessions, plus exclusive access to 35 additional presentations from previous Dealer Success Academy events.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll get for your time: 

No techs to hire? Create them yourself. Everyone is looking for more technicians, and that’s nothing new. Almost 85% of dealers in the most recent Farm Equipment Dealer Business Outlook & Trends survey said they want to add technicians in 2023. Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners, a 27-store Missouri and Illinois John Deere dealer, decided if they couldn’t find the techs they needed, they’d create them. They’ll get into the curriculum of their new SNP Career Academy and the return on investment the dealership expects from their first group of students.

Selling & servicing electric equipment. It seems like more electric equipment is being announced every week, and it seems like more dealers will be carrying engine-less equipment in the future. But what’s it like to actually sell and service this new generation of electric equipment? Chris Mundy, managing partner at single-store Solectrac dealer Columbiana Tractor, is going to share his journey to becoming a Solectrac dealer, how they handle sales and aftermarket support and what it’s done for the dealership.

YouTube: an underutilized marketing tool. It’s more important now than ever to let your customers know what’s going on at your dealership and what equipment you have to sell them. Ontario-based single-store Kubota dealer Chris Huckabone does that and more with his YouTube channel. He’ll explain how to start your own channel, what to post and how it brings real revenue to his front door.

Gas-powered equipment bans. In keeping with the theme of electrification, some areas are seeing traditional gas-powered equipment getting pushed out. The Wilton Bulletin reported the city of Westport, Conn., will ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer by 2024. City officials in Dallas, Texas, are planning to phase out gas-powered lawn mowers and landscaping equipment between 2027 and 2030. To give an update on the current landscape of gas-powered equipment bans in arguably the No. 1 hotspot — California — the Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. will discuss Tier 5 engine regulations, off-road engine emission requirements and how it all affects dealers.

We hope you’ll join us — through the comfort of your computer monitor — to learn how dealers can succeed in 2023. 

This year’s Dealer Success Academy is brought to you with the support of Echo USA, Cub Cadet, Monarch Tractor and IDEAL Computer Systems.