Spring break 2017

Kate SwansonMarch 29, 2017

Take a break from your day and make sure that you are ready for spring as we start the 2017 selling season.

I didn’t get much out of literature class in college, but what I did get is that springtime is time for rebirth; to renew or start again. Now that spring is upon us, we are starting this selling year anew and fresh. We have new goals to hit, new product to sell, new customers coming into our shop and maybe even some new employees to train. If you followed through on your list of stuff to do over the winter months you may even have some new policies/procedures in place or some new systems. Are you ready for all this “new?” Are you and your staff ready to sell to the “new?” Is there any new at all? Let’s run down a quick checklist to make sure you are getting the most out of this new season.

Goals — You should have goals set in each department. Whether it is number of units sold, dollar values or a customer satisfaction survey, these need to be communicated to your department and broken down by the month and by the day. Breaking them down by day allows us to constantly push ourselves to make sure we are on track to hitting our goals. If we are off, we have the ability to see and the time to correct the course to make sure we hit our goals.

Product — You should have new product on the floor. When I say new product, I don’t just mean a brand new version of the bike that hasn’t changed much in the past 4 years or new tires/brakes/batteries stocked in the back. I mean new product. Scan your vendors’ books for new and interesting product to bring into the store. Check online forums to see what’s the latest tech that everyone is talking about. Have you implored your own dealership to come up with a new niche or category that you feel is missing at your shop? Most of your customers have been hibernating the past few months. Please don’t let them learn that the only “new” they will see when they come back into your shop is the new 10 pounds you have gained over the winter months.

Customers — New customers are the lifeblood of your business. Are you pulling new customers into your store? Is it easy for them to find you? Do you have a presence on social media? Can they tour your store on google earth and check it out at their work before they come in? Can they read good reviews about you? How are you bringing new riders into this sport? Do you have a vibe that people want to be a part of regardless if they ride or not? Are you doing seminars that cater to new riders that help them get started riding? There are many barriers to entry for both potential customers and new riders coming in. Our job is to knock down as many of those barriers as possible and leave the welcome mat out for them.

I hope that you can read this and be excited about how ready you are. If not, that is ok. You have identified areas that need some attention. Take a Spring Break and correct those deficiencies to ensure that 2017 will be the best year possible.

Napoleon Tetreault is a sales representative with Tucker Rocky, an aftermarket PG&A distributor in the powersports industry. He works with powersports retailers on merchandising, profitability and management of the parts department as well as the education of dealership personnel. His experience includes being the GM of the largest indoor motocross facility in the US, owner/operator of a regional distribution company and current role with Tucker Rocky. He can be reached at: