From the Editors

Don’t be discouraged by disappointing news

Numbers released this week by the Motorcycle Industry Council look grim on the surface.

Motorcycle sales were down in 2010, as were those in the scooter and ATV segments. That doesn’t sound good, does it?

But there’s good news as well. BMW Motorrad USA posted 2010 gains, as did Ducati North America. And I’ve been talking to a few dealers lately who are seeing large increases in new and preowned unit sales, so there are some people who have found a way around the sluggish economy.

What should be on every dealer’s mind right now is the mantra, “Don’t give up.” The founder of an aftermarket company, who I was talking to the other day, said too many business leaders look at the economy and say there’s nothing they can do about it, failure is inevitable. He doesn’t say that; his company is successful.

A dealer I chatted with earlier this week said his 2009 sales were awful, so he told his staff that wouldn’t happen again in 2010. They made some changes and saw large increases in new unit sales in 2010. Yes, they found a way to sell more new units in 2010 than the year before. It’s still possible.

So read the news that we give you and take it in, but remember for every disappointing figure we report, there are promising ones just around the corner. And many dealers are still finding success by playing smart with the cards they’ve been dealt.

Related Articles

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also
Close
Back to top button