Aftermarket

This growth will come more like a whisper

Tim CalhounAs if we added race gas to our tank, it seems there is a burst of acceleration, and the business bike we have all been cruising along on seems to just be running a little bit stronger.

The powersports industry has now seen three growth months and surprisingly, not in the spring but at the end of the year. I wouldn’t bet my house on this, but given the challenges that we all have been working through the past three years, I will take this little ray of light.

Domestic truck and van sales are up a reported 24 percent, which shows the construction and small business sector is confident of growth and expansion as well. While terms like “double dip” loom as the second series of adjustable rate mortgages become due, hints of rising interest rates or potential inflation float around and OPEC states gasoline will reach $100 a barrel, there still seems to be hope and to me at least from a gut level, a real sense of economic improvement.

I know that many of us have been working in a diminished state and that those that are still operating strongly are doing so conservatively and intelligently. While I do not think this is cause to load up your shelves or suddenly increase your flooring plan, I do think this is a very important time to take stock of your operation, your staffing and your ability to provide for sales growth should this continue.

While this surely is not a second coming of our peak selling years, it is growth. There is a promise of improved financing, and we actually have some new models to talk about, so pay attention as no one will be screaming about this. This growth will come more like a whisper or a rumor for fear of being wrong or creating hope to only watch it disappear.

Are you ready to get your share of this, or are the myriad of other businesses vying for your consumers dollars going to capture the purchases that will surely occur?

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One Comment

  1. I believe this to be a very true statement. Going into the fourth quarter I was pleasantly surprised to see 32% average growth over the previous year, and then have a record December in my department. It has also continued into January where we will likely see as much as 40% growth. Likewise our sales and service departments are showing significant growth your the same time periods. This year is looking bright!

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