From the Editor: DEALER Seminars at AIMExpo: An early look at some classes

It’s time to start planning for AIMExpo in Orlando if you haven’t done so already. Oct. 13-14, Thursday and Friday, are the dealer days that you won’t want to miss. On those days, the show floor, with more than 300 powersports exhibitors lined up as of presstime, is open exclusively to dealers.

In between checking out the latest and greatest products from OEMs, aftermarket companies and service providers — many of whom are tremendous supporters of Powersports Business in a variety of ways — be sure to slot some time in the all-new Powersports DEALER Seminars sponsored by National Powersport Auctions and CDK Global. That’s the new name for the free dealer training seminars previously known as the Powersports Business Institute. Same classroom-style seminars, and same type of profit-building sessions that you’ve come to appreciate over the last three years.

We are eager to share the entire lineup and will do so in the coming weeks, but we can share an early look at the some of the speakers and their topics. As you can see in this edition, Aegis Powersports has stepped up to sponsor the Powering Profits track. As this hefty edition can attest, we are simply on the gas at PSB and would love to help you share your message to dealer attendees at AIMExpo with sponsorships of the remaining tracks: Service & Operations, Sales & Marketing, Leadership Plus and Brick & Mortar. Send me an email if you’d like more information. Also, the July, September, October and November editions of the Enews are nearly sold out. So again, we’d love to have you on board, but you’ll need to get moving!

Of course, if we’re talking about AIMExpo in Orlando this October, we can’t overlook the 4th annual Power 50 Awards dinner. The 2016 Power 50 — sponsored by Cycle Pro, Manheim Specialty Auctions, EFG Companies, Synchrony Financial and RpmOne — figures to be the best event yet. In addition to the record number of companies who have stepped up to celebrate the best of the best dealerships with us, we had a record number of completed applications, and we’ll be assessing them throughout the rest of the summer. The awards dinner in the North Building will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13.

We’ll look forward to seeing many of those dealers — and you! — at the Powersports DEALER Seminars Oct. 13 and 14. Here’s an early look at some of the sessions being offered.

Championship Retail Mentality: Life and Death Selling — By Frank Esposito. Industry veteran Frank Esposito kicks off the Powersports DEALER Seminars with a presentation that follows several key sales moments that literally determined life or death on several occasions. Sales can be a matter of life and death, and it happens in moments. Every sales moment is unique. Frank’s story is factually life changing and life saving. In fact, Esposito, the industry veteran and current VP of sales and marketing at Scorpion Sports, Inc., was honored by the City of Orange fire chief for his life-saving actions. All because of a retail experience.

Others that we’ve already slotted are: Driving Profitability in Your Service Department — By John Spader; Understanding the Owner and Manager Roles — By Steve Jones; 5 Profit Centers at Your Dealership: Benchmarks and Best Practices — By Steve Jones; Mobile Marketing Solutions for Every Dealership Department — By Ron Cariker and Samantha Scott; Overcoming the Service Appointment Conundrum — By Robert Grant; We Used to Do That! The Sequel — By Mark Mooney; and (Re)Building Culture: Creating an Environment of High Performance — By David Spader.

Consider that an early tease. Of course, there are plenty more to be announced.

Early start for Hancock

When we posted the announcement on our Facebook page that Mike Hancock, who spent just about a decade to the day as a district sales manager for KYMCO, was promoted to national sales manager, the congratulatory notes followed quickly. Mike’s fan club made its social media mark, no doubt. It’s a strong addition to a Spartanburg, South Carolina-based team that includes VP of sales Bruce Ramsey and VP of technical services Joe Wofford. When I asked Hancock if he had a photo he could send to me, he appropriately enough went for the old school option that you see here.

Big fish report

The big question around Got Gear Motorsports in Ridgeland, Miss., earlier this summer was “Where did you catch that?” That’s because senior service technician Kerry Woodard loves fishing almost as much as he does working on bikes. He caught this big cat at the Ross Barnett Reservoir on a 14-pound test line. That was quite a feat, considering the fish weighed 43 pounds! I’ll be attempting to pound bass this summer on Balsam Lake, Wis., and I might even catch a few more than my 12-year-old son, but I wouldn’t bet on it. He started the summer with a nice 3.5-pounder off the dock, the biggest catch of his life!

How’s this for branding?

Have you heard of Samsung’s 837 “digital playground” in New York City? It has all the makings of a flagship retail location, including the world’s largest mobile screen, but the store does not sell anything. It’s worth a Google search.

Here’s what Zach Overton, vice president and general manager of Samsung 837, recently told Forbes, “Creating a flagship without retail might sound like a crazy idea, but consumers today are seeking interactions rather than transactions. We wanted to create a two-way conversation with our customers and visitors — a personal dialogue.”

What offbeat approaches are you taking to create such interactions with customers in your store — and on your website?

Dave McMahon is editor in chief of Powersports Business. Contact him at 763/383-4411 or dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com.