Sales

  • How to turn ‘showrooming’ shoppers into ‘webrooming’ customers

    Monday, November 30, 2015 | Dealernews Archives

    “Do you have this in a medium?” they usually ask.

    “Sure!” you reply. “Going riding today?”

    “No — I just want to see if a medium fits my head.”

    And there it is. These types of buyers have no intention of making a purchase at your dealership that day, or any other day. They’re simply using your stock to check the fit, finish and quality so they can go home and order from an online site with some goofy name like Bart’s Bargain Bikes.

     

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  • Six traits determine who is going to sell well

    Friday, October 23, 2015 | Mark Rodgers

     

    Winning at sales involves a lot more than selling stuff. Here are six things I’ve discovered about people who succeed:

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  • Do you wanna be a rock star?

    Monday, October 5, 2015 | Mark Rodgers

    And the rest, as they say, is KISS-story.

    Peter Criscuola became Peter Criss; Stanley Eisen became Paul Stanley and Gene KIein became Gene Simmons. The trio quickly added guitarist Ace Frehley, and the rock band KISS eventually wound up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Perhaps this story of the band’s origins is apocryphal. But if it didn’t happen, it should have.

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  • What your boss wants you to know

    Monday, October 5, 2015 | Mark Rodgers

    OWNING A powersports dealership is like walking up a down escalator while juggling and singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with people throwing rocks at you. As if that weren’t enough, someone decides to set fire to the escalator. Not a pretty picture — or an easy task.

    A day in the life of a dealership owner is more complicated than you can ever imagine. Employee issues, insurance regulations, tax implications, building maintenance, bank negotiations, and OEM policies and procedures nag at your boss constantly. It’s a never-ending barrage of demands. If the guy who owns your dealership has lost his hair, now you know why!

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  • How to sell it: Airbag safety gear

    Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | admin

    CONVINCING CUSTOMERS to spend money on safety technology is tough.

    Case in point: airbags for automobiles. John Hetrick, a U.S. Navy engineer, designed one of the first airbag systems based on his experience using compressed air for launching torpedoes from submarines. His 1951 patent is a good example of an invention with a great deal of“safety value but no economic value, as the patent expired before his idea was adopted by the automotive industry. Use of airbags wouldn’t become widespread in automobiles until the early 1990s.

    Airbags for motorcycles are problematic in that there is no contained space to keep the occupant/rider and airbag in contact during an accident.

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  • Five ways to boost your holiday sales

    Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | admin

    I recently came across a statistic stating that consumers spend up to 70 percent of their discretionary income during the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

    This stat was a quick reminder of just how important the holidays are for all of us in the motorcycle industry. In fact, this short, but critically important window of time can be the difference in meeting your annual sales goals and finishing the year in the black — or coming up short and seeing the dreaded red.

    So my question for you: What are you doing now to prepare for the fast-approaching holiday season? Below are five strategies you can implement to maximize your holiday sales.

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  • Think riders just need riding gear? Think again

    Monday, August 29, 2011 | admin

    The way I see it, motorcyclists are people first and enthusiasts second. So, when I started my Strokers Dallas empire 16 years ago and had to decide what “gear” to carry, I opted to stock things that would sell to most folks, not just motorcycle folks.

    Most motorcycle shops mainly stock leather jackets, riding jackets, helmets, chaps, gloves — all that stuff. But what about everything else a person needs? I have told my staff many times that I’ll sell pencils, doughnuts or bath soap if I thought I could sell enough to make a good profit. To be successful, we have to operate outside the lines. A successful shop owner needs to think: What do riders need besides what I’m selling here? (The answer? They need everything that non-riders need!)

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