Best-In-Class – New Unit Sales: Jet City Harley-Davidson
Jet City Harley-Davidson in Renton, Washington, offers a Tires For Life program that Sales Manager Terry Thompson credits, in part, to the dealership’s consistent new unit sales. The dealership is part of The Motorcycle Company (TMC) group, and all of the group’s dealerships offer this program.
“The biggest thing that sets us up on new bikes is that we’re the only dealership in the Seattle area that offers this program,” Thompson says. Through the Tires for Life program, when customers buy a motorcycle from the dealership, they do not pay for tires, only the tire installation fee if they choose the basic wear and tear coverage. TMC is the only Harley-Davidson group that offers this program, allowing customers to walk into any of the group’s 24 dealerships to get a new tire.
The dealership continuously runs sales programs, and, like other TMC dealerships, Jet City also offers a VIP program to boost sales. Customers can purchase a passport booklet that has over $2,000 worth of savings and discounts that can be used at any TMC dealership. The program includes discounts on MotorClothes and parts, and other services are available such as free detailing and free pickup and delivery.
Thompson explains sales are a little slow this month and believes this is mostly due to higher interest rates. But while customers are worried about interest rates, “once people come in and see what their terms are and that the rates aren’t actually that dramatic, they’re buying.”
The dealership has plenty of inventory and Thompson is confident sales will pick up again. A significant obstacle for the dealership in the past, like most dealers, was obtaining inventory. So now that units are back on the showroom floor, he explains that “we have to work harder, but it’s worth having inventory. With the shortage through the pandemic, it was easy. People were just buying what was on the floor.”
Today, Jet City has a full staff of salespeople. “We were lacking a little bit at the beginning of last month, but we’ve got our sales staff up to the proper levels now.”
