The Gregory Poole Advantage: Learn About Cat Financial’s Regional Sales Center
In 2008, Cat Financial’s first Regional Sales Center opened at Gregory Poole Equipment Company’s branch in Fayetteville, NC. Gregory Poole is one of only seven dealers that hosts a Cat Financial Regional Sales Center onsite, showcasing the company’s positive relationship with Caterpillar and providing additional benefits to customers.
Together, the Gregory Poole and Cat Financial teams inspect and repair used Cat® machines to sell, giving customers more opportunities to add high-quality equipment to their fleet at various price points. Earlier in 2024, the Gregory Poole team completed its 10,000th machine for Cat Financial, which Cat Financial Regional Used Equipment Manager B.J. Meier says is “pretty awesome to think about.”
Why Gregory Poole is a Regional Sales Center for Cat Financial
To be a Regional Sales Center, the Cat dealer branch in question must meet specific criteria and possess certain resources. According to Meier, certified and trained dealer inspectors are the most important resource, and most technicians skilled enough to inspect machines that come through are master level technicians.
“That first touch point when the machine comes in, is that inspector going over the machine knowing what to look for,” says Meier. “All the resale centers have very knowledgeable inspectors.”
Outside of skilled inspectors, a Cat Financial Regional Sales Center needs technicians and shop space to repair machines as well as land to store machines. Currently, there are just over 100 machines at the Fayetteville location, but the branch has held up to 1,500 machines at a time.
“We’ve got an area for when the machines first come in. We’ve got an area for auction machines, we’ve got an area for machines waiting on repair. And then we have an area for machines ready to sell,” says Meier.
Location also plays a large role, as used machines are brought in from all over different regions to be inspected at the Regional Sales Centers.
According to Cat Financial Global Marketing Rep Maggie Early, all seven Regional Sales Centers “are geographically located in prime locations to allow for a flow of machines from surrounding dealerships,” and because multiple dealers funnel into the Fayetteville location, “Gregory Poole is positioned very well to handle machines that are coming back.”
How a Machine Ends Up with Cat Financial and Gregory Poole
Most of the used machines sold through Cat Financial are leases or the result of repossessions, and while all repossessed machines are sent straight to Gregory Poole, there are multiple steps before Cat Financial sends a leased machine to Gregory Poole to be inspected.
When a leased machine is returned to a Cat dealer, the dealer can purchase the machine to sell to customers in its territory. If the dealer decides not to purchase a leased piece of equipment, the Cat Financial team has the option to sell the machine at auction, sell to Gregory Poole, or send to the Regional Sales Center to be repaired and later sold.
Once a machine arrives at the Regional Sales Center, a thorough inspection is conducted within 10 days by Gregory Poole’s team in Fayetteville. Based on the results of the inspection, the equipment must then be repaired within 30 days, and it is later available for Gregory Poole sales representatives to sell to customers on behalf of Cat Financial.
“If I don’t have the service capability and the sales capability at the dealership, I’m just sitting on a bunch of iron and can’t do anything,” Meier explains. “And likewise, if the used equipment department and those dedicated technicians don’t have the equipment coming in from Cat Financial, then they don’t have anything to sell.”
Cat Financial and Gregory Poole’s collaboration with used machines represents the two’s symbiotic business partnership, but customers also benefit from this streamline process.
Benefits of Purchasing Used Equipment Through Gregory Poole and Cat Financial
When purchasing new equipment for your fleet, having multiple options to choose from helps ensure you make the right choice for your jobsite and budget needs. By working with Gregory Poole, customers’ options include new Cat equipment, Gregory Poole’s used equipment inventory, and the used equipment at Cat Financial’s Regional Sales Center. This gives customers multiple price points to choose from along with the certainty that comes with purchasing high-quality equipment, new or used.
Customers who purchase a qualifying piece of Cat Financial used equipment will receive a special financing offer, a Customer Value Agreement (CVA), and the machine will include a Powertrain and Hydraulic Extended Protection Plan.
According to Meier, these financing and insurance program help give customers “a quality piece of used equipment” and “the peace of mind that comes along with it.”
Choose Gregory Poole for Used Equipment
From used excavators, dozers, and more, Gregory Poole and Cat Financial boast a large inventory of used equipment that fits any budget and project. If you’re looking to add equipment to your fleet, contact a Gregory Poole sales rep to find out more about cost-effective used equipment and special financing offers that will bring safety, durability, and efficiency to your job site.