DUST & RUST

LOOKING BACK: FEBRUARY 1995 PET took a look back a quarter century to see how the industry has reinvented itself, and have just a few laughs.

Set-up very similarly in terms of content, including a look at how a diversified product mix will boost sales, PET February 1995 published the industry’s first estimate of U.S. shipments of commercial turf care equipment, released by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). Figures were for the model year 1994 (September 1, 1993 through August 31, 1994). OPEI estimated sales of 104,800 commercial walk-behind mowers and 44,700 riding rotary turf mowers.

The Cover of Power Equipment Trade February 1995:

Senior Editor Dan Shell says this one still hurts. Can you figure out why?

It’s been a wild 25 years for industry’s biggest event.

Dealer Profile: Don Schultz of Schultz Small Engine, in Portage, Wis., ran a tight operation with an emphasis on service and total customer satisfaction. According to PET, Schultz had a constant flow of new ideas, making him a “thinking dealer’s dealer.” (A quick Google search confirms the dealership is still at the forefront of customer’s minds in Wisconsin with 23 4-star reviews)

Nationwide

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MN, ND, SD, IA, TX, WI

Do you offer products in the power equipment industry?

Advertise your company to PET’s subscribers nationwide in our Distributor Library section.

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4331

Stihl * Homelite * Lawnboy * Briggs & Stratton New * Obsolete * Used Parts THOUSANDS OF PARTS! Shelby County Implement • Shelbina, MO 63468 Ph: 573-588-4731 • 573-588-2040 Email: sci63468@hotmail.com Visa and Mastercard Accepted 3524

WISCONSIN ENGINE PARTS NEW–OBSOLETE • BUY–SELL HARD TO FIND PARTS CLOSEOUT PRICES H&M Industrial Supply (800) 346-4331 2236

Obsolete McCulloch & Obsolete Homelite Parts Bob’s Lawnmower Service 7632 State Hwy. 7 Maryland, NY 12116-3201 607-638-9297 phone or fax 9009

HOMELITE PARTS BUY & SELL NEW, USED & OBSOLETE Ask For Ray 502-228-1462 • Fax: 502-228-7737 POULAN WEED EATER PARTS 8100

YOU COULD BE READING YOUR AD HERE!! Contact Bridget DeVane 800-669-5613 for more information

Facebook users are clicking on more ads than before, according to the company’s own tools that are provided to advertisers.

Despite the mounting antitrust investigations into the social media company, user engagement with Facebook ads continued to climb through the second half of 2019, according Audience Insights, a Facebook tool that is used by advertisers to gather data about specific demographics they can target with ads.

Specifically, Facebook has seen an increase in the median number of ads clicked by users on the service from July 2019 to January 2020, according to Audience Insights. However, the median number of comments and likes has remained unchanged compared to the previous six-month period. In the U.S., monthly median engagement levels between July 18, 2019 and Jan. 16, 2020 saw small changes, ads clicked rose from 17 to 19.

The data is based on a rolling measurement of activity over the previous 30 days.

“Facebook continues to be a landing place for its core demographic of older millennials to boomers, and despite all the negative publicity, the platform has remained a key meeting place for people and will remain a ripe locale for advertisers to spend money,” says Daniel Newman, principal analyst at Futurum Research, which focuses on digital technology.

Facebook claims 2.8 billion monthly users across its suite of services, including 1.62 billion daily Facebook users.

Source: Facebook users keep clicking on ads, pointing to strong fourth quarter results, Salvador Rodriguez, https://www.cnbc. com/2020/01/28/facebook-users-keep-clicking-on-ads-a-sign-ofstrong-fourth-quarter-results.html

MARCH 2-3—2020 Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Assn. annual conference, Omaha Marriott, Omaha, Neb. Call 515- 223-5119; visit ineda.com.

APRIL 1-4—Equipment & Engine Training Council annual meeting, Lodge Kohler, Green Bay, Wis. Call 888-406-1810; visit eetc.org.

MAY 5-7—National Hardware Trade Show, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. Call 203-840-5622; visit nationalhardwareshow.com.

JUNE 16-18—Outdoor Power Equip. Institute annual meeting, El San Juan Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Call 703-549-7600; visit opei.org.

OCTOBER 21-23—GIE+EXPO, Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Ky. Call 812-949-9200; visit gie-expo.com.

NOVEMBER 4-6—2020 Far West Equipment Dealers Assn. Experience, Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa, Henderson, Nev. Call 707-678-8859; visit fweda.com.

Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.

Back in 2020 Saw Charts in June Trimmer Charts in December

This issue of Power Equipment Trade is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. ADlink

ADVERTISER PG NO. PHONE NUMBER American Honda Power Equipment 7 Heftee Industries 20 800.755.7540 Masport 8 +64 9 571 5888 PMD International 9 +61 3 8390 3933 Prufrex Innovative Power Products 6 +49 9103 7953 0 Rotary 19,20,32 800.841.3989 Stihl 2-3 757.486.9100

Sunbelt Outdoor Products 17 800.438.0660 TD Retail Card Services 21 800.538.3638 Trilink Saw Chain 1 877.492.9829

ADLINK is a free service for advertisers and readers. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions. VP Racing Fuels 31 877.515.1733

DEALERtodealer Live, Learn

& Protect Yourself

SAM STEARNS

Do you take precautions when dealing with high dollar credit card sales?

BY SAM STEARNS I will use myself as an example of what NOT to do in this column. I will tell you about the hard lesson I learned last year, in the hopes that you can avoid what I experienced.

One morning in August, I got a phone call from someone who wanted to buy a new zero-turn mower as a birthday present for his father-in-law, whose preference was for Country Clipper, which is why he was calling me. He was looking for something around the $6,000 price range, which I just happened to have and really wanted to sell. When I told him about it, he said he wanted it. He didn’t have time to come to inspect the mower or make the transaction in person, since he was starting to move that day, and his father-in-law’s birthday was the upcoming weekend. He said he would use a card to pay for it over the phone, and he would send his nephew to come pick it up in the truck they had rented for the move. But first, he said he had to call his bank to move some funds to the correct account that would cover the mower purchase, and that he would call me later that day to complete the transaction.

I was happy to have an apparent mower sale going down that day, even though I knew the circumstances were unusual. But I got busy with work in the shop and kind of forgot about it. A few hours later, I got a call from the man again, to complete the transaction. As I began talking to him, I looked out of my window and saw a U-Haul truck pulling into my drive. As it turned out, this was the man’s nephew who was picking up the mower. So while his nephew (and another man who was with him) sat outside in the truck, I completed the transaction over the phone. To make a long story short, he gave me two credit cards that were declined, and the third one went through.

Then I went outside to attend to the guys waiting in the U-Haul. The passenger identified himself with the first name the buyer gave me for his nephew, and the driver gave me his first name as well when I asked. So then I got a couple of ramps and drove the new zero-turn mower into the empty U-Haul. I shook their hands and thanked them for their role in the sale, and as they got back in the truck, the nephew talked about how deserving the man getting the mower would be, and how happy he was that we were able to get the generous gift arranged in time for his birthday that weekend. in collecting the documentation I needed to protect their cardholders (and myself) from fraud. I got caught that day flat-footed, unprepared to deal with thieves. Collecting photo IDs and signatures of the cardholder and the driver? I didn’t do any of that: Even though I never felt completely comfortable with the situation and noticed some red flags, since it was so unusual. The only thing I had the presence of mind to do was to record the license plate number of the U-Haul, which turned out not to be very useful, especially not as far Discover was concerned.

So if you’re reading this, take it from a guy who was easy pickins: educate yourself and your sales people on credit card security measures if your

I cannot contest Discover’s chargeback in that I was negligent in collecting the documentation I needed to protect their cardholders (and myself) from fraud. I got caught that day flat-footed, unprepared to deal with thieves.

And then they drove off. All of you probably know where this is going. And in case you don’t, let me explain it to you. The credit card was stolen, and the local address the buyer gave me, which was supposedly his, turned out to be that of a foreclosure. They snookered me! I’m the chump! Even though this happened in August, the final arithmetic has yet to be determined.

Discover has issued a chargeback, and the nearly $7,000 I collected at the time of sale will be going back to them. I still have the money, but it’s only a matter of time until I have to cough it up, since I cannot contest the chargeback. My only hope is that my insurance will pay me the cost of the mower, which is not a certainty.

The reason I cannot contest Discover’s chargeback in that I was negligent dealership may be a little lax in its practices. The credit card processing company I use has good material to help with establishing credit card payment security policies, and I expect that whatever company you use will likewise have helpful material that you can use to protect yourself. It may seem unhandy to devote any of your precious time to such an activity. But take if from me: if you’re ever targeted for theft, you suddenly understand how important it is. Don’t be like I was last summer. Please take precautions and protect yourself in this dishonest world. PET

Sam Stearns owns and operates Mr. Mowerman, Scottsburg, IN, 47170; e-mail: mr.mowerman@hotmail.com. The views of Sam Stearns do not necessarily represent the views of Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc.