Get FinancingStack Equipment Reaching New Sales Heights With LiftsToday
Like many businesses, Stack Equipment was forced to adapt its operations to the disruptions the pandemic brought to the heavy equipment industry. Founded in 2008, the company sells new and used aerial work platforms and other lift equipment in Hartford, Wisconsin. Pre-COVID, it focused primarily on wholesale sales and lacked a strong online presence.
“A lot of those customers just weren’t there anymore, or their businesses were struggling,” says Tim Stoiber, the company’s online sales and marketing director. “We had to figure out a way to pivot, so we started to get more into the retail side of things, which is where Sandhills comes in.”
Transition To Retail
Stack Equipment had been curious about Sandhills Global’s buying and selling platforms for some time, so it initiated a relationship when it shifted to a retail sales strategy. Since then, the company has had success running ads in Sandhills’ biweekly LiftsToday and weekly Machinery Trader print publications. The magazines’ corresponding LiftsToday.com and MachineryTrader.com websites help Stack Equipment reach buyers worldwide.
“Working with Sandhills puts more eyes on our equipment,” says Stoiber. “When I’m putting equipment on LiftsToday and Machinery Trader, I'm confident it will get sold in a reasonable amount of time. Some of our biggest and most successful deals were from LiftsToday and Machinery Trader. Sandhills is kind of like us. It gets people the information they need and makes it easy for them to reach out.”
Transparency At The Core
Stack Equipment sells new and used telehandlers, rough terrain scissor lifts, telescopic boom lifts, mast lifts, and other lift equipment from Genie, Haulotte, SkyTrak, Skyjack, and other top brands. It also offers financing, repair, refurbishment, diagnostic, and parts services and operates a “one-of-a-kind” paint booth that can handle a variety of equipment. This fall, the company opened a new equipment yard in Ocala, Florida.
Stack Equipment’s customers include resellers, homebuilders, tree service businesses, painting companies, and private buyers looking to ditch their ladders. Stoiber says customers can expect transparency throughout the entire company. For example, Stack Equipment provides thorough spec sheets, 10 or more images, and other vital details customers need to make informed buying decisions with every asset listing.
“We’re honest with our customers,” he says. “We won't try to sell you a machine that's not going to work for your needs, even if it would make us money.”
Elevating Sales With LiftsToday
Sandhills spun off LiftsToday from Machinery Trader, the construction equipment industry’s premier marketplace for buyers and sellers, to accommodate the burgeoning market for lift equipment. Stack Equipment runs a consistent full-page ad in LiftsToday and has booked the publication’s front cover six times this year. Next year, it plans to run a front or back cover in each issue.
Assets in its ads appear as featured listings on LiftsToday.com and MachineryTrader.com. As a consistent advertiser, Stack Equipment can also list its entire for-sale inventory of both websites as general listings. The company has nearly 100 assets listed on both sites at this writing.
“LiftsToday definitely helps us reach those niche customers looking for a very specific thing,” says Stoiber. “We're making money on this equipment and getting way more out-of-state people. Sandhills expands our customer base a lot, especially out of state.”
Blasting Its Way To Customers
Stack Equipment pairs its print advertising with Sandhills’ digital marketing offerings to showcase its equipment to even more buyers. Along with running banner ads on LiftsToday.com and MachineryTrader.com, it recently used its first email blast to reach LiftsToday's customer base. It's planning another in the coming weeks.
“After the email went out, I saw a pretty significant uptick in phone call and website traffic,” Stoiber says. “We got way more impressions than we normally do, which is a good sign. We sold three or four more machines than we normally do.”
The company also benefits from using Sandhills' FleetEvaluator. The powerful valuation tool provides users with free, real-time auction, market, and asking price values for equipment, trucks, and trailers. Stack Equipment's sales team runs each for-sale asset through FleetEvaluator weekly to spot pricing changes.
"It's super helpful," says Stoiber. "The three numbers it gives us helps us communicate with every type of customer."
Communication Is Key
Stack Equipment also appreciates the quick communication it receives from Sandhills sales rep Trevor Wieseler. Stoiber says that anytime he has a question, Wieseler answers immediately. “Anytime I ask him to do something, it gets fixed immediately, and he comes out here to meet with us face to face, which you don't always expect.”