Managing a dealership hasn’t gotten any easier in recent years, and leadership within large and small-store operations are still scratching their heads over where to take their precision business in the future. But there are those who have taken an active approach in recruiting tech talent, holding employees accountable and creating a culture of collaborative expectations.

At this week’s Precision Farming Dealer Summit in St. Louis, Tom Rosztoczy, president and CEO of Stotz Equipment, explained why dealerships need to embrace the philosophy of being consultants to their customers, especially when it comes to ag technology.

Rosztoczy was part of an executive panel at the Summit that spoke on the importance of being proactive leaders and leveraging relationships as a gateway to expansion of precision services and revenue.

“As far as things we see coming down the pike, it’s going to be that challenge as an equipment dealer to be the consultant to our customers. To be the folks who do the data analytics, then sit down with a customer and explain what the data means. That’s going to be a challenge for us when it comes to people because we’re going to have to have people who can spend time on the computer, doing spreadsheets, data analytics, etc. So we’ll have data analytical talent, as well as the ability to sit down with a customer at his kitchen table and put into simple language the summary of what he’s learned from the data analytics.”

Rosztoczy adds that a key to building precision business is an understanding that the best interaction a customer can have to realize the value of collected data is with a person and not with a screen.