Record Crowd Gathers to Discuss Sales Management Strategies at the 2023 Dealership Minds Summit

BROOKFIELD, Wis. — The 2023 Dealership Minds Summit, held at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bloomington, Ill., on August 1-2, drew a record crowd of 271 attendees from 71 different dealerships across the United States and Canada, and featured 19 speakers.

Centered on the theme “Sales Management,” the program featured 2-days of dealer-to-dealer roundtables sessions, panel presentations, general sessions and intense networking opportunities.

Farm Equipment executive editor Kim Schmidt noted during opening remarks that attendees would head home with actionable ideas to evolve and improve the way wholegood sales are managed, and based on feedback she received from those in attendance, the Dealership Minds Summit delivered.

“Beyond just the informative sessions, one of the aspects of the Summit that always stands out for attendees are the roundtable discussions and networking opportunities. And from what I heard from dealers in attendance, this year was no different. Whether it was in the sessions themselves or in hallway conversations, attendees went home with sales strategies they can implement back at the dealership right away. This is always two of my favorite days of the year and I was very pleased to see, and be part of, many thought provoking and idea-sharing conversations over the last two days,” says Schmidt.

Among the highlights of the 2023 Dealership Minds Summit was an energizing and stage-setting presention by author, business growth coach and speaker, Richard J. Bryan. A favorite at national dealer meetings, Bryan shared practical methods to "bust through the wall" of stagnating sales performances.

The event also featured a special session, the "Mark Kreps & Steve Connelly Memorial Lecture," to not only honor the late RDO Equipment execs outstanding leadership and character, but to permanently reinforce for ensuing generations what character, persistence, teamwork and improvement looks like in the farm equipment dealer industry. 

"Mark and Steve were major champions for the Dealership Minds Summit, authors, advisors and friends of ours, ever since our editors' first visit to RDO headquarters almost 20 years ago," says Schmidt. "To honor them and their legacy to the industry at the Dealership Minds Summit is really special for us."

Also announced at the Dealership Minds Summit was the return of the 9th Annual Precision Farming Dealer Summit, which will be held Jan. 8-9, 2024, at the Marriott Downtown hotel in Indianapolis, Ind.

From the single-location independent retailer to the multi-store farm equipment dealer, intense knowledge sharing and networking were in abundance throughout the 2023 Dealership Minds Summit.

The 2023 Dealership Minds Summit was made possible with the support of these title sponsors: AgDirect, Finance Scope, Montag, Dawson Tire & Wheel, Geringhoff, Laforge, e-Emphasys, DIS, BigIron Auctions, Iron Solutions, TractorHouse, Basic Software, Targit and AXON.

For more information on the 2023 Dealership Minds Summit, visit DealershipMindsSummit.com. An in-depth recap of the Dealership Minds Summit, including key session takeaways, will be featured in Farm Equipment magazine.