Letters To The Editor: July 2000

Dear Editor:
In the May issue of Lawn & Landscape, a number of questions were raised regarding Turfco’s use of direct sales in the lawn and landscape industry. In fact, these questions provide an opportunity to clarify issues surrounding the marketing strategy of Turfco Direct, the distribution arm for Turfco’s lawn care products, as well as the general concept of direct sales in the lawn and landscape industry.

An important distinction is often missed or ignored when the topic turns to direct sales of lawn and landscape products. Consider the following questions after reading the last few issues of Lawn & Landscape. Is the service level required by a zero-turning radius mower equal to that of an aerator or edger? Does it take a good mechanic two hours to assemble a sod cutter? Do dealers generally have parts for renovation products in stock?

Lumping sod cutters, edgers, aerators or other highly seasonal equipment into the same category as a new zero-turning radius mower does not provide a realistic picture of direct sales in our industry – even if it is convenient to do so. Clearly, Turfco Direct believes direct selling is highly effective for its lawn care renovation equipment, but our use of direct sales cannot be compared to entities such as Amazon.com, or for that matter, suppliers of zero-turning radius mowers. We simply analyzed the benefits of directly selling Turfco products – not zero-turn mowers and definitely not books or cars. If comparisons must be made, keep this distinction in mind. Turfco Direct is not interested in direct sales for the sake of direct sales. In fact, dealers in some areas sell our lawn care products. We believe in direct sales only as an effective method of distribution for our specific products. If this changes, we will change, as well.

Now that proper distinctions have been made, we can turn our attention to the true issue behind direct sales in our industry.

Equipment suppliers should not tell contractors what to value – contractors must decide this for themselves. Instead, manufacturers should simply produce top-quality products that perform effectively, sell them at fair prices, distribute them in an efficient, cost-effective manner and provide easy servicing options.

If value is the true measuring stick by which contractors evaluate their equipment, then it is essential not only to examine new methods of supplying equipment to the marketplace, but existing models, as well. The catch is this: when examining the "status quo," we must be prepared not only to evaluate the results, but to take action.

Here are some factors that make direct sales of Turfco products appealing:

• Contractors benefit from dealing with a Turfco Direct representative who is fully versed in the features and advantages of our aerators, seeders, edgers and sod cutters. Typical two-step dealers don’t sell highly seasonal products on a daily or even weekly basis, and often they have limited knowledge of the products with which to advise contractors.
• Turfco Direct is the factory and the warehouse for everything it builds. Availability of parts is superior to the two-step model. In fact, more than 50,000 parts are an 800-phone call away. What could be better or faster than a direct line to the parts source and the factory service manager?
• Turfco Direct can have parts in a contractor’s hands the morning after they are ordered for the price of overnight UPS service. How many dealers carry parts for highly seasonal products such as aerators and seeders? In most cases, dealers need to order parts from a distributor, who, in turn, must order from the manufacturer. This process takes more time than ordering products online, even if the original part is ordered correctly and doesn’t need to be reordered.
• Since Turfco products are designed to be easily serviceable by the contractors and with factory service knowledge (not just a factory trained service person) a phone call away, many of these problems can be solved by the contractor. If warranty work is needed, contractors can call Turfco Direct for a factory authorized warranty dealer in the area or take the equipment to a certified servicing dealer.
• Turfco continues to sign up service dealers as revenue shifts from whole goods sales to parts and service work. Even John Deere is beginning to ask its dealers to provide universal service. Mark Rostvold, senior vice president of John Deere’s worldwide commercial & consumer equipment division, stated in the March 2000 issue of Lawn & Landscape that he believes there will be half as many dealers and the proportion of their revenue will shift from mostly whole goods sales to mostly parts sales and service work.

Turfco Direct’s strategy is simple. Direct sales is simply a method to put Turfco products in contractors’ hands in an efficient and service-oriented manner. Contractors should decide for themselves if that provides the value they need.