Local lawn equipment dealers succeed with an attention to detail

by | Jan 24, 2022

The reviews of independent lawn equipment dealers jump off social media sites:

Honest, quick, helpful and does the job right and charges a fair price.

Not many places around like them anymore.

They are the very best. If you have a mower or edger or any kind of trimmer or any landscaping device that needs to be fixed these are the guys to go to. They do a great job.

Always a good experience there.

A great company with GREAT people! I always use them because I trust them.

We heard the story of one customer who had a lawn mower “with a big oil leak.” This customer took it to an independent small engine shop:

They said bring it in and we will take a look at it…well they had to take the engine off (and that involved many extra hours because a part was  stuck and they didn’t charge me for the extra hours of labor) well yesterday was the first time I mowed our property without something going wrong with my mower… Great Job and Nice People.

Stories like these can be found all across the country, in big cities and small towns. Outdoor power equipment dealers and lawn care businesses, deeply connected to their communities, committed to providing expert service and maintenance, wanting to help customers with personal attention to even the smallest detail.

It is no accident.

“[Independent dealers] understand that after-sales service is important,” said Frank James, manager at Carswell Distributing Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and a former store manager at Southern Mower in Greensboro, N.C. “The backbone of the independent dealer is the fact that they service 100% of everything that they sell. Big box retailers cannot say that. So the dealer, in order to be successful, needs a good service department.”

Good reputations are earned.

I use Dickens Turf… They have a 2-day turn around for my Toro mower and bill has always been reasonable.

We asked Drew Sullivan, general manager at Dickens Turf & Landscape Supply in Tennessee, how his company’s nine locations have been able to build a reputation for superior customer service.

“We realized that customers are our most valuable asset and we’ll do anything we can to please them,” Drew said. “We have at least one mechanic at each of our sites and normally we’ll have 2-3. We try to get equipment turned out promptly and do it the right way.”

“As far as mowing goes, that means helping someone take care of their equipment; we’ll do maintenance and repairs of their equipment. I think one of the main keys when someone comes in with questions is we can help them determine what type or size of mower they may need, which is important on getting your lawn taken care of the right way. Go over the options with them and see what best fits their needs.”

Drew said Dickens Turf & Landscape Supply doesn’t want to just sell customers something and be done.

“And on the other end of taking care of turf, we offer the consumer a plan that goes specifically for their lawn as far as fertilization and growth of the grass, more than just the mower. We want you to have a good-looking lawn.”

“You come into our store, our reputation is built to where we will hold your hand and walk you through until you get what you need.”

“The customer is looking for a piece of equipment that is of high quality that will last,” Frank James said. “What drives customers there is knowing they’ll have good place to go for both sales and service.”

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