Last Thursday TurfPro's sister magazine Service Dealer, held its annual Dealer of the Year Awards at the Oxford Belfry Hotel.

This was preceded by a day conference for the nation's independent dealers. It was a rare opportunity for these specialist guys to get together to discuss the issues which are currently effecting their businesses.

One of the hot topics right now is how the internet impacts on dealerships. Specifically how can these bricks and mortar companies compete with the low-overheads and therefore discount prices of internet selling sites. So many guys had tales of people coming into their showrooms to kick tyres, brandishing a print-off, to show how much cheaper they could source this particular piece of machinery from goodness knows where.

This is admittedly mostly from the consumer end of the spectrum. One would like to hope that turf professional purchasers are fully aware of all the extra benefits which come from a long-standing relationship with their local independent specialist dealer. Factors such outstanding customer service, specialist knowledge and on-going support to name but a few.

A series of panel debates throughout the day highlighted other concerns which dealers are facing. A discussion looking at where the network would be in five years time raised points such as succession planning, continuing training and of course recruiting new staff. Another looked at service, addressing the issue of warranty work on machinery not purchased from themselves. Whilst another panel was solely dedicated to the theme of communicating with customers.

This is where a lot of dealers thought they could maybe do better. Grasping the complicated issues of both traditional and social media engagement with customers. Simply letting people know that they are there is key. Getting the message across that they are specialist retailers with specialist knowledge is vital. James Hayes of Hayes Garden Machinery in Devon said his company address this by putting themselves in front of the public at every opportunity at events like local shows, point-to-points and village shows.

What was abundantly apparent across the whole day though, from the debates to the awards and the networking late into the night, was that the UK independent dealer trade is a resource which we should be incredibly proud of and should hold in high esteem. These are dedicated, highly knowledgeable guys, who are always there at a local level, to help, inform, adapt and meet the needs of professional customers.