Ariens Company took their Sales Skills event on tour in September and October with great success.

Led by John Horn, Ariens Company Senior Vice President for International Sales and Marketing, Sales Skills is designed to assist dealers in creating the right conditions for selling, selling techniques, and helping dealers forge long-lasting relationships with their customers. Each event also provided dealers with the opportunity to share ideas on how to improve the customer experience at the dealership, across the Ariens, Countax, ECHO and Westwood brands.

“This is the first time we’ve hosted an event of this kind in the UK and we have been delighted with the positive feedback we’ve had from dealers” says John Horn “we’re already planning Sales Skills Level 2 for next year, which will build upon the themes of Level 1 along with helping dealers deliver structured marketing campaigns in their local area. We found that the dealers really valued the informal tone of these events which encouraged more participation”

Notably, dealers learned how to engage with customers and address their needs effectively, rather than just relying on the ‘hard-sell’ techniques often used, and in turn helping to differentiate themselves from the competition. Emphasis on highlighting the value that ‘bricks and mortar’ dealerships can deliver became the focus of the event.

Dealer, Adam Bennett of Albany Farm and Garden Machinery Ltd who attended said, “It was a very informative day and certainly thought provoking.  When I drove back into the yard I immediately commissioned both of our vans to be re-decaled and the shop front has been painted this week, a job that had been put off for too long!” 

Michael Adamson of  F G Adamson & Son said, “The Ariens Sales Skills course was very informative and served as a very useful reminder that today’s customers expect the highest of standards. In today’s retail environment a dealer needs to not only meet but endeavour to exceed customer expectations. John’s presentation was packed full of reminders of how to do just that. John Horn is an excellent presenter and it was very refreshing to see someone so senior in an organisation giving this type of presentation, especially as it wasn’t in any way biased towards the Ariens family of products. Many other firms would use external presenters who really don’t understand the lawn and garden industry so the day was both informative and relevant.” 

The Sales Skills events were well attended at five locations across the UK, from Countax House, to RAF Cosford in Shropshire, Chepstow Racecourse, Kinross in Perthshire and Ripley Castle in North Yorkshire.