CrossCheck Blog

Acknowledging that agriculture is one of man’s oldest professions, the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association’s site blends yesterday with today, including a link to Spudnik’s captivating drone video of harvesters in action. The trade association — aka “FEMA” long before the federal agency “hijacked” the acronym — maintains a one-stop informational gateway for the farming industry with thousands of descriptions and links to manufacturers and their products, distributors and retail operations, tradeshows, safety councils, drought alerts, cyber security recommendations, publications and government agencies.

Increasing parts sales at auto dealerships is an ongoing challenge across the industry. Many experts have thrown their hats into the ring of public opinion on the matter, but few are thoroughly connecting the dots or offering one-stop shopping for useful information. The following discussion was established after reviewing numerous articles followed by much-needed aggregation. Sources are credited where necessary.

Produced by The Electronic Payments Association (NACHA), the PAYMENTS 2018 conference for payments professionals is all about speed. The event takes place April 29 to May 2 at the San Diego Convention Center, and will feature a strong educational presence that is underlined by workshops, meetings, keynote sessions and a variety of networking events. NACHA says attendees are a specialized group of professionals: “PAYMENTS 2018 unites thousands of payments system stakeholders from business end-user and financial and technology services organizations to debate and explore pressing issues and opportunities.”

Data mining has been used at auto dealerships and other businesses for years — how long is anyone’s guess? Perhaps the innovators were old-time shoe salesmen thumbing through 3 x 5 inch file cards, looking for customers in need of new soles. I first became aware of equity mining in the spring of 2003 when the salesperson who sold me a vehicle some 22 months earlier phoned to gauge my interest in trading for a shiny new replacement. “Who? What? I haven’t finished paying it off yet. Sorry, I’m not interested.” Obviously, I wasn’t the ideal equity mining prospect.

Produced by the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association, the Spring Supply Summit & Showcase is an important seasonal destination for farm equipment dealers and manufacturers. The event is scheduled for April 18 – 20, 2018 at the Hilton Omaha. The first two days feature several board and committee meetings before seguing to lighter engagement such as receptions and dinners, a golf tournament and trap shooting. Acknowledging the importance of these gatherings, days three and four present a powerful lineup of speakers and seminar sessions that address the future of the farm equipment market.

Remodeling contractors typically see a flurry of kitchen makeover requests during the first quarter of every year that ultimately help increase building supply sales. The reason is simple: prepping holiday meals for family and friends is the surest way of finding flaws in kitchen design and functionality. Those same gatherings may also call out family bathrooms in need of facelifts. Furthermore, even homeowners who are satisfied with their kitchen or bath may look at the specter of summer gatherings on a crumbling outdoor deck with considerable reservation.

It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. And it’s not a matter of how to prevent it, but a matter of how to embrace it to generate more retail sales. The playing field has changed since CrossCheck first covered showrooming in 2013, and the consciousness has evolved from problem to solution (see our recent article “Showrooming Solutions for Brick & Mortar Retailers”). First, a little refresher course is in order.

The Annual Reward and Recognition Sales Conference produced by BB&T Merchant Services is representative of the favorable relationship that exists between CrossCheck and its resellers. The event takes place February 12 – 13 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley in North Carolina and features service providers within BB&T’s Merchant Services portfolio. CrossCheck has been BB&T’s exclusive Check Guarantee company since 2014.

“I’d like it fully loaded with extra cheese,” said the car buyer standing at the kiosk. Acknowledging the obscure horse power reference, this scenario is not far from today’s reality where consumers can order, purchase and test drive cars out of high-rise vending machines. The latest offering is from Alibaba, the Chinese internet commerce giant.

“Free customer service” — sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Customer service has been free at CrossCheck since its inception in 1983, but it has taken considerable effort to provide merchants with useful information year after year, day or night, and even on major holidays. In an era when quality merchant support is a vanishing entity, CrossCheck’s Customer Service department remains committed to providing individualized assistance to every merchant. The quality of the free customer service can be attributed to the dedication of a veteran management team conducting hands-on supervision and quality control measures to ensure uncompromising standards of excellence.