What to expect from your Walker dealer

A Walker Mower is not a throw-away machine. It is designed and built to provide commercial operators with years of reliable service.

For most operators, a Walker Mower is a big investment and a big decision, one that requires a fair amount of discussion and research on the front end. After the purchase has been made, these same operators will look to follow a routine maintenance schedule to protect their investment. 

A Walker dealer will be there for the customer: on the front end, during the buying process, and afterwards by providing parts and service support.

Just what can you expect from your Walker dealer? If you're just thinking about buying your first Walker, look to your dealer to be more than a salesperson. Your dealer will ask questions to determine the makeup of the properties you maintain, and to better understand how you plan to user your new mower.

Is A Walker For You?

The Walker Mower is a compact, zero-turn mower, with plenty of power and cutting capacity to keep up with larger mowers. Yet, it has the maneuverability to allow it to get into places where bigger mowers can't. Still, the Walker Mower is a specialty product and not a machine for every operator. Look for your Walker dealer to help you determine if the Walker is suited to your operation. He will ask, for example, if you place particular value on a quality cut, or the machine's grass-handling capability, versatility and maneuverability. He will also walk you through the important price/value ratio of a new Walker. It's true, the Walker Mower is not an inexpensive machine. But many users feel there is not another mower on the market that delivers a better price-value ratio.

Then your dealer will give you plenty of opportunity to try out the mower, generally at a planned demonstration at a site of your choosing. Effective demonstrators will give you plenty of instruction up front before letting you operate the mower. He may even have you view Walker Mfg.'s "How to Mow" video prior to operating the mower.

The most effective demonstration for you and your dealer is a head-to-head demonstration with a competitive machine. If that's not possible, your dealer will encourage you to divide a test area in half and let you mow half with your current mower and the other with the Walker. There really is no better way to show time savings. 

Spend as much time as you need during a demonstration to get a good "feel" for the mower. If you need more time, ask your dealer. Some dealers have a rental program in place. Others will work with you however they can to ensure that you're as comfortable as you need to be before making a purchase.

Service Support

The best place to get service for your Walker Mower is at the dealer where you purchased the machine. In fact, before buying a Walker Mower, or any mower for that matter, make sure up front that the dealer stocks a good supply of both fast moving and slower-moving parts, and that the technicians are trained to work on the mowers and can perform all functions.

Look around the shop and ask to see the parts room. Talk with the technicians and then talk with other landscapers in the area to find out how your dealer stacks up.

Then ask your dealer about repair times. For commercial operators, time is money and down time is lost money. Your dealer should strive to offer a 24-hour turnaround on repairs, or be in a position to offer a loaner if a machine can't be fixed in that time frame. Most dealers will also offer priority air freight to help keep your equipment up and running.

Non-Equipment Service

Service is more than fixing equipment on a timely basis. Most dealers are in a position to help their customers with non-equipment issues. Many are able to give advice about operating a business, including job costing, estimating, employee relations, insurance and margins. Many offer formal seminars on business topics.

As part of their service program to customers, some dealers will also offer service contracts for routine maintenance such as oil and filter changes, and lubrication. Such contracts can be especially attractive for smaller contractors. Other dealers make a point to offer daily maintenance training for operators.

The most successful dealers, whether they sell Walker Mowers or other brands, are those who work closely with the customer from the point of sale and the demonstration process to providing exemplary after-sale service. This is the value they offer customers and this is what separates them from cost-cutters, mass merchants, big box stores and others that don't offer service. Remember, the only way your dealer will be able to continue to provide a high level of service is to obtain a fair margin on their products, parts and service.

In many ways, your dealer will resemble the products he sells. If he sells quality products that require quality service, expect him to be in a position to deliver. But like the products he sells, price is only a beginning point of discussion - the end point is how that dealer and product will deliver for you.