Nitrogen-filled tires a profit center for Harley dealer
Cole Harley-Davidson in Bluefield, W.Va., a 2013 Powersports Business Power 50 dealership, recently added nitrogen as an alternative to compressed air to fill tires. General manager Chaz Cole said since adding the new option, the dealership has found it serves as a new revenue source for the dealership, and it gives customers another reason to visit the service department.
On top of that, it helps with customer satisfaction, as nitrogen-filled tires generally hold their tire pressure longer, which comes with another string of benefits.
Powersports Business asked Cole why the dealership decided to offer nitrogen, and what perks have accompanied the offering.
PSB: What drove you to start offering nitrogen in tires?
CC: A fellow GM at one of our other locations who is a service guru suggested we start offering it, and after discussing some of the benefits, we decided it was a good move.
PSB: What are the benefits to using nitrogen?
CC: There any many benefits including increased tire life, better fuel mileage and a bike that handles better. There are many issues that can arise due to improperly inflated tires — blowouts and replacing tires sooner than needed. One of the main reasons I felt strongly about doing nitrogen was to keep our service loyalty numbers up, so once we fill a customer’s tires, we offer to check the customers’ tires and top them off complimentary.
PSB: How do you convey those benefits to customers?
CC: We have all of our staff on board, and they constantly talk up the benefits. It is a great tool to use while doing a write-up in the service department. We also have flyers and handouts at the dealership that convey the benefits.
PSB: Do you only put nitrogen in tires in your service shop, or will you fill any customers’ tires with nitrogen?
CC: We fill all of our bikes for the sales department with nitrogen, as well as offer it to our customers. For the month of April we ran a special where we would fill tires for free with the installation of Dunlop tires.
PSB: How has adding nitrogen to your service roster helped your dealership?
CC: It has been an added profit center for our service department. It took less than one month to recoup the money spent on our nitrogen wand, and it also gives customers a reason to come back in and let us top their tires off. It has given us additional service opportunities we wouldn’t have normally had.