At Coastline Equipment, we take pride in recognizing the outstanding efforts of our sales professionals who go above and beyond for their customers. This year, we are thrilled to celebrate our 2024 CE Sales Professional of the Year, Patrick Hargan! With an unwavering commitment to building strong relationships, deep industry knowledge, and a relentless drive for success, Patrick exemplifies what it means to be a leader in heavy equipment sales.
Q&A with Patrick Hargan
Q: What’s your secret to building strong, lasting relationships with customers in such a competitive industry?
I am a very relationship and trust-based sales representative. I have worked extremely hard to build up not only professional relationships with these guys, but personal ties as well. This definitely shows your commitment to not only their business but also shows them that you genuinely care about them as an individual. Also, I am huge on being a sales guy with 100% integrity, and I believe that speaks louder than any other attribute you can have as a salesperson.
Q: Can you share the most challenging sale you’ve closed and how you managed to seal the deal?
That is a fairly extensive list! One of my most memorable wins to a challenging customer was a brand-new 350P-Tier Excavator to a 100% CAT customer. I kept knocking on their door, and when the opportunity did arise, I got the call. I was up against their long-time CAT salesman, who always seems to come in after the fact and upset any deal that might be in the works. The machine demo went extremely well, but the deal got mothballed in June. I kept after them, and the deal came back to life in late November of that year. Overcame a pricing differential/brand loyalty with operator input and machine performance/creature comforts of the Deere machine. The important key to this success was getting the opportunity to put the machine in their hands for them to try. The picture of their lowboy with a new Deere excavator on it leaving our yard will go down in history!
Q: What trends are you seeing in the heavy equipment industry that customers should be aware of?
Technology, technology, technology! We need to be selling the complete value of the technology, whether it's grade control, machine monitoring (JD Link), etc. There is more value to the customer today with technology than ever before. It helps them be on the cutting edge, more efficient, more productive, and more profitable. They will have to embrace this to move ahead in today’s market. In a world of tighter bidding/margins, higher machine acquisition and operating costs, higher employee wages/costs, and the overall cost of doing business, our customers cannot afford to not embrace this technology. On the other side of the coin, we cannot afford to not be selling this to them!
Q: How do you stay up to date with the latest equipment features and innovations to better serve your clients?
Apart from the normal trips to spring training and other classes that we attend, I make it a point to spend as much time as I can researching new machines and upcoming changes/updates with the tools we have at our fingertips. Highspot on Dealerpath is a huge resource, from specs to walkaround videos. YouTube ‘university’ is another great tool to use to stay ahead of not only what we have available or coming, but also what the competition is touting. I take a lot of pride in knowing what we do better as a brand, so that I can then sell that to the customer.
Q: What advice would you give to someone new to heavy equipment sales looking to achieve the same level of success?
It’s definitely a process but start with the basics! Everything we do in this equipment sales business comes down to a solid foundation in Relationships, Trust, and Integrity. If you lay that groundwork from the beginning on these three principles, the rest will come easy. There’s a lot of hard work involved in building your customer relationships up to get to the point where you earn the right of being the ‘first call’ when a need arises. Know your product, educate yourself to the best of your ability, and sell the complete package of: Yourself, The Dealership, The Brand. Always ‘under promise and over deliver.’ And…answer the phone no matter how tough the conversation might be. A customer will appreciate receiving bad news over no news!
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time when you aren't working?
Well, depends on what your version of working is! I have a second ‘full time’ job of building custom long-range rifles. It’s something that I really enjoy doing, so it was only natural to make a business out of it. I also do quite a bit of hunting with the rifles that I build. I will be heading back to South Africa and Canada this year for some hunts. A major portion of the rest of my available time is spent on my true love of whitewater jetboating. I spent 15 plus days in Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River this last year, and multiple day trips to local river stretches closer to home. I am impatiently waiting for my new 26’ custom-built twin V8 aluminum jetboat to be completed this April.
Congratulations to Patrick Hargan, Our 2024 CE Sales Professional of the Year!
We are honored to have such a dedicated and passionate sales professional as part of the Coastline Equipment team. Patrick’s commitment to integrity, customer relationships, and industry expertise sets the standard for excellence in our company. Congratulations on a well-earned achievement!
