2012 Rural Lifestyle Dealer Dealer Business Trends and Outlook Survey

100% of survey complete.

In preparation for the annual Dealer Business Trends & Outlook Report for the Winter 2012 edition of Rural Lifestyle Dealer, we’re polling selected North American equipment dealerships to get their input about the market.

We cordially invite you to participate in the survey and will be happy to share the results via e-mail once they’ve been tabulated. All submissions will remain anonymous. We would certainly appreciate your participation.

Note: All questions relate solely to the rural lifestyle (hobby farmers, large property owners, and lawn/landscape contractors).

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* 1. Please enter the information below:

City:

Email Address:

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* 2. In which country is your dealership located?

Canada

U.S.

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* 3. Please select your U.S. state or Canadian province:

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* 4. What change in total revenues do you expect to see specifically from rural lifestyle and lawn/landscape customers in 2012 vs. 2011?

-8% or More

-2% to -7%

Little or No Change

+2% to +7%

+8% or More

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* 5. How much do you expect your aftermarket revenues (parts and service) coming from rural lifestyle and lawn/landscape customers to increase (or decrease) in 2012 vs. 2011?

+8% or More

+2% to +7%

Little or No Change

-2% to -7%

-8% or More

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* 6. Please indicate your unit sales projections for the following equipment to rural lifestylers in 2012 vs. 2011.

	-8% or More	-2% to -7%	Little or No Change	+2 to +7%	+8% or More
Tractors (<40hp)	Tractors (<40hp) -8% or More	Tractors (<40hp) -2% to -7%	Tractors (<40hp) Little or No Change	Tractors (<40hp) +2 to +7%	Tractors (<40hp) +8% or More
Tractors (40-100hp)	Tractors (40-100hp) -8% or More	Tractors (40-100hp) -2% to -7%	Tractors (40-100hp) Little or No Change	Tractors (40-100hp) +2 to +7%	Tractors (40-100hp) +8% or More
Skid-Steer Loaders	Skid-Steer Loaders -8% or More	Skid-Steer Loaders -2% to -7%	Skid-Steer Loaders Little or No Change	Skid-Steer Loaders +2 to +7%	Skid-Steer Loaders +8% or More
Utility Vehicles	Utility Vehicles -8% or More	Utility Vehicles -2% to -7%	Utility Vehicles Little or No Change	Utility Vehicles +2 to +7%	Utility Vehicles +8% or More
ATVs	ATVs -8% or More	ATVs -2% to -7%	ATVs Little or No Change	ATVs +2 to +7%	ATVs +8% or More
Lawn Tractors	Lawn Tractors -8% or More	Lawn Tractors -2% to -7%	Lawn Tractors Little or No Change	Lawn Tractors +2 to +7%	Lawn Tractors +8% or More
Zero-Turn Mowers	Zero-Turn Mowers -8% or More	Zero-Turn Mowers -2% to -7%	Zero-Turn Mowers Little or No Change	Zero-Turn Mowers +2 to +7%	Zero-Turn Mowers +8% or More
Front-End Loaders	Front-End Loaders -8% or More	Front-End Loaders -2% to -7%	Front-End Loaders Little or No Change	Front-End Loaders +2 to +7%	Front-End Loaders +8% or More
Backhoes	Backhoes -8% or More	Backhoes -2% to -7%	Backhoes Little or No Change	Backhoes +2 to +7%	Backhoes +8% or More
Scrapers/Graders	Scrapers/Graders -8% or More	Scrapers/Graders -2% to -7%	Scrapers/Graders Little or No Change	Scrapers/Graders +2 to +7%	Scrapers/Graders +8% or More
Post-Hole Diggers	Post-Hole Diggers -8% or More	Post-Hole Diggers -2% to -7%	Post-Hole Diggers Little or No Change	Post-Hole Diggers +2 to +7%	Post-Hole Diggers +8% or More
Seeders/Drills	Seeders/Drills -8% or More	Seeders/Drills -2% to -7%	Seeders/Drills Little or No Change	Seeders/Drills +2 to +7%	Seeders/Drills +8% or More
Fertilizer Spreaders	Fertilizer Spreaders -8% or More	Fertilizer Spreaders -2% to -7%	Fertilizer Spreaders Little or No Change	Fertilizer Spreaders +2 to +7%	Fertilizer Spreaders +8% or More
Manure Spreaders	Manure Spreaders -8% or More	Manure Spreaders -2% to -7%	Manure Spreaders Little or No Change	Manure Spreaders +2 to +7%	Manure Spreaders +8% or More
Rotary Cutters	Rotary Cutters -8% or More	Rotary Cutters -2% to -7%	Rotary Cutters Little or No Change	Rotary Cutters +2 to +7%	Rotary Cutters +8% or More
Finishing Mowers	Finishing Mowers -8% or More	Finishing Mowers -2% to -7%	Finishing Mowers Little or No Change	Finishing Mowers +2 to +7%	Finishing Mowers +8% or More
Hay Tools/Balers	Hay Tools/Balers -8% or More	Hay Tools/Balers -2% to -7%	Hay Tools/Balers Little or No Change	Hay Tools/Balers +2 to +7%	Hay Tools/Balers +8% or More
Tillers	Tillers -8% or More	Tillers -2% to -7%	Tillers Little or No Change	Tillers +2 to +7%	Tillers +8% or More
Wood Handling Equip.	Wood Handling Equip. -8% or More	Wood Handling Equip. -2% to -7%	Wood Handling Equip. Little or No Change	Wood Handling Equip. +2 to +7%	Wood Handling Equip. +8% or More
Chain Saws	Chain Saws -8% or More	Chain Saws -2% to -7%	Chain Saws Little or No Change	Chain Saws +2 to +7%	Chain Saws +8% or More
Power Hand Tools	Power Hand Tools -8% or More	Power Hand Tools -2% to -7%	Power Hand Tools Little or No Change	Power Hand Tools +2 to +7%	Power Hand Tools +8% or More
Spraying Equipment	Spraying Equipment -8% or More	Spraying Equipment -2% to -7%	Spraying Equipment Little or No Change	Spraying Equipment +2 to +7%	Spraying Equipment +8% or More
Snow Removal Equip.	Snow Removal Equip. -8% or More	Snow Removal Equip. -2% to -7%	Snow Removal Equip. Little or No Change	Snow Removal Equip. +2 to +7%	Snow Removal Equip. +8% or More
Generators	Generators -8% or More	Generators -2% to -7%	Generators Little or No Change	Generators +2 to +7%	Generators +8% or More
Fencing	Fencing -8% or More	Fencing -2% to -7%	Fencing Little or No Change	Fencing +2 to +7%	Fencing +8% or More
Feed	Feed -8% or More	Feed -2% to -7%	Feed Little or No Change	Feed +2 to +7%	Feed +8% or More

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* 7. What is the total number of employees at your dealership? (For multi-store dealerships, please choose average number of employees per store).

1-20

21-40

41-60

61+

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* 8. Does your dealership have salespeople focused on selling equipment to rural lifestyle customers?

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* 9. How many full-time service techs do you employ?

0-5

6-10

More than 10

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* 10. What percent of your dealership's total revenue comes from the following market segments? (Choices must add up to 100%). If none, please type "0".

Hobby Farmers/Large Property Owners

Production Farmers

Municipalities/Parks

Turf/Lawn/Landscape Contractors

Construction Contractors

Other

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* 11. As a dealer, please indicate your level of concern on the following issues affecting dealerships in the rural consumer marketplace:

	Most Concerned	Concerned	Not Concerned
Housing Market	Housing Market Most Concerned	Housing Market Concerned	Housing Market Not Concerned
Unemployment Rate	Unemployment Rate Most Concerned	Unemployment Rate Concerned	Unemployment Rate Not Concerned
Customer Access to Credit	Customer Access to Credit Most Concerned	Customer Access to Credit Concerned	Customer Access to Credit Not Concerned
Competition from Big Box (Lowe’s, Home Depot etc.) or Mid-Box (Tractor Supply, Rural King, etc.) stores	Competition from Big Box (Lowe’s, Home Depot etc.) or Mid-Box (Tractor Supply, Rural King, etc.) stores Most Concerned	Competition from Big Box (Lowe’s, Home Depot etc.) or Mid-Box (Tractor Supply, Rural King, etc.) stores Concerned	Competition from Big Box (Lowe’s, Home Depot etc.) or Mid-Box (Tractor Supply, Rural King, etc.) stores Not Concerned
Equipment Shortages from Mainline Supplier	Equipment Shortages from Mainline Supplier Most Concerned	Equipment Shortages from Mainline Supplier Concerned	Equipment Shortages from Mainline Supplier Not Concerned
Health Care Programs and Costs	Health Care Programs and Costs Most Concerned	Health Care Programs and Costs Concerned	Health Care Programs and Costs Not Concerned
Low Sales Margins	Low Sales Margins Most Concerned	Low Sales Margins Concerned	Low Sales Margins Not Concerned
Warranty Claims	Warranty Claims Most Concerned	Warranty Claims Concerned	Warranty Claims Not Concerned
Manufacturer Pressure for Dealer Purity	Manufacturer Pressure for Dealer Purity Most Concerned	Manufacturer Pressure for Dealer Purity Concerned	Manufacturer Pressure for Dealer Purity Not Concerned
Finding Good Employees	Finding Good Employees Most Concerned	Finding Good Employees Concerned	Finding Good Employees Not Concerned

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* 12. Are you currently looking to expand your product mix in any of the following categories? (check all that apply)

Tractors (<40hp)

Tractors (40-100hp)

Skid-Steer Loaders

Utility Vehicles

ATVs

Lawn Tractors

Zero-Turn Mowers

Front-End Loaders

Backhoes

Scrapers/Graders

Post-Hole Diggers

Seeders/Drills

Fertilizer Spreaders

Manure Spreaders

Rotary Cutters

Finishing Mowers

Hay Tools/Balers

Tillers

Wood Handling Equip.

Chain Saws

Power Hand Tools

Spraying Equipment

Snow Removal Equip.

Generators

Fencing

Feed

Other (please specify)

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* 13. How long has your dealership concentrated on serving the rural lifestyle segment?

Less than 1 Year

1-4 Years

5-8 Years

9-12 Years

13-16 Years

More Than 16 Years

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* 14. How has the numbers of customers in the rural lifestyle and lawn/landscape segments changed in your area since 2006?

+20% or More

+5-19%

Little or No Change

-5-19%

-20% or More

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* 15. What compact/utility tractor brand(s) do you offer to rural lifestyle customers? (check all that apply)

Case IH

Challenger

Bobcat

Branson

Yanmar (Cub Cadet)

John Deere

Kioti

Kubota

LS Tractors

Mahindra

Massey Ferguson

McCormick

Montana

New Holland

Steiner

TYM

Foton

Antonio Carraro

Other (please specify)

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* 16. What zero-turn mower brands do you offer to rural lifestyle customers? (check all that apply)

Ariens/Gravely

Bad Boy

Big Dog

Bob-Cat

Bush Hog

Country Clipper

Cub Cadet

John Deere

Dixie Chopper

Dixon

Exmark

Ferris

Grasshopper

Husqvarna

Hustler

Kubota

Land Pride

Scag

Simplicity

SnapperPRO

Toro

Walker

Woods

Worldlawn (Encore)

Other (please specify)

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* 17. How often do your rural lifestyle customers arrive at your dealership with a specific brand/unit in mind?

Almost Always

Most of the Time

Some of the Time

Hardly Ever

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* 18. When you recommend a specific product brand to a rural lifestyle customer, how often is your recommendation accepted?

Almost Always

Most of the Time

Some of the Time

Hardly Ever

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* 19. On what percent of purchases does the customer request financing of you?

0-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-100%

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* 20. Will you increase your capital expenditures for the following in 2012?

	Yes	No
Shop & Service Modernization/Improvements	Shop & Service Modernization/Improvements Yes	Shop & Service Modernization/Improvements No
Retail Modernization/Improvements	Retail Modernization/Improvements Yes	Retail Modernization/Improvements No
Business Information Systems	Business Information Systems Yes	Business Information Systems No

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* 21. Have the shopping habits of your rural lifestyle customers changed in the past three years? If so, what's changed?

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* 22. Due to the ongoing controversy and confusion on the use of ethanol blends for small engines, what recommendations are you giving rural lifestyle customers when it comes to refueling and long-term storage?