Power Profiles

Team Motorsports – De Pere, WI – May 15, 2006

CONTACT
Team Motorsports
1890 Mid Valley Drive
De Pere, Wis. 54115
(920) 983-8326
www.team-motorsports.com
Team Winnebagoland
5827 Green Valley Road
Oshkosh, Wis. 54904
(920) 233-3070
www.teamwinnebagoland.com
OWNERS
Joe, Lee and Mark Van Zeeland
BUSINESS PROFILE
The three Van Zeeland brothers own two powersports dealerships. The first Team Motorsports location, Team Winnebagoland, opened in the early 1970s and originally carried only Kawasaki products. After adding Yamaha and Polaris lines and changing locations twice, the dealership eventually ended up in Oshkosh, Wis. In 2004, the brothers opened their second location in suburban Green Bay, Wis. Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris/Victory, Sea-Doo, Suzuki and Yamaha products are currently available at one or both of the dealerships. Both locations offer motorcycles, ATVs, personal watercraft and snowmobiles. The locations are home to 50 employees.
GREATEST CONCERN
There aren’t many concerns at Team Motorsports, said Nick Wanta, general manager, and the concerns the dealership does have can not be controlled. “Economy is always going to be a concern,” Wanta said. “Gas prices help us with scooter and motorcycle sales, but hurt in watercraft sales. Good weather is good business. A hot summer means good watercraft sales; if it’s cold and rainy, not.”
WHAT’S HOT?
Manufacturers drive what is hot, Wanta said. “Whatever is new, you can’t put it together fast enough,” Wanta said. “If [manufacturers] come out with a hot product, it sells. Bikes and motorcycles are what’s hot now.”
CUSTOMER BUYING TRENDS
“Motorcycles,” Wanta said. “I would think that’s probably what we’re known for. We’re big into the motorcycle market. We’re a snowmobile area, but we’ve had success with motorcycles.” Sport ATVs and their accompanying accessories are also popular, Wanta said.
PARTS AND SERVICE
While many dealerships may emphasize sales as their No. 1 revenue source, Team Motorsports strives to have the sales, parts and service departments produce equal revenue, Wanta said. All departments are working toward a common goal: to ensure customers are taken care of. The dealership doesn’t advertise unless manufacturers require it so it can put that money into improving customer service initiatives and covering gray-area warranty issues that manufacturers won’t.
PROMOTIONAL HOME RUNS
Team Motorsports’ annual spring open house is not just a one-day event. It’s not even just a one-week event. The spring open house is a month-long initiative that takes place every April. The dealership partners with area riding clubs and holds mileage contests that encourage motorcyclists to return to the store throughout the month. Spreading the open house over a month makes this event a hit. “If you cram it into a week, you don’t have enough [employees] to help for one week only,” Wanta said.
“If you spread it through a month, it helps us take care of people better, rather than have everybody show up on one day.”
WORDS OF ADVICE
“Service and parts are a huge part of the business,” Wanta said. “They’re huge profit centers. Advertising is overrated. It’s hard to measure advertising. Take care of people.”
—Lisa Young

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

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

Back to top button