Coffey: September called, it wants its customers back

By Melissa Coffey

This article originally appeared in the September issue of Powersports Business.

Well, here we are. September. The kids are back in school. Summer vacations are over. Football is back. Pumpkin spice has somehow invaded every product category known to mankind, and somewhere in America, a powersports dealer is staring out the front window, wondering, “Where is everybody?”

If that sounds familiar, I have some unfortunate news. They’re probably not coming. At least, not the way they used to.

For a long time, powersports retail benefited from a pretty straightforward model: Put shiny units on the floor, run some ads, answer the phone, greet the people who walk through the door and sell them something fun.

Then COVID happened. Inventory disappeared, demand went through the roof and, for a glorious little window of time, the industry barely had to sell at all.

Customers called us. We took orders. We made lists. Remember that?

Some dealerships are still waiting for the customer behavior of 2021 to return. Meanwhile, today’s consumer has approximately 47 other things competing for that same discretionary dollar: travel, golf, boats, home projects, concerts, e-bikes and apparently $9 iced coffee.

So, if customers aren’t automatically coming to us anymore, perhaps September is a good month to ask: What are we doing to go get them?

Your database

Let’s start with the easiest one: your CRM. Somewhere inside your dealership is a giant list of people who have already raised their hands and told you they’re interested in powersports.

Past buyers. Lost leads. Service customers. Someone who asked about a unit six months ago. Someone who bought a side-by-side three years ago. Someone who bought a motorcycle, but hasn’t been back since. These aren’t cold leads. These are people who already know you.

Yet in too many dealerships, that database is treated like the junk drawer in your kitchen. We know there’s useful stuff in there. We just don’t really want to deal with it.

Call them. Text them. Invite them to something. And please — for the love of all things powersports — don’t make every communication: “HUGE SALE!!! THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!” Give people a reason to engage with you that isn’t immediately asking them to buy something.

Somewhere to go

Powersports has one enormous advantage over most retail categories: Our products are fun. We sell things people dream about while they’re sitting in meetings. So why do we sometimes market them like refrigerators?

Host a Saturday morning ride. Do an adventure-bike night. Hold a women’s riding clinic or new-model preview. Bring in a local racer. Have your service department do a 30-minute fall maintenance clinic. It doesn’t need to cost $20,000, and it doesn’t necessarily have to sell a motorcycle that day. It just needs to give people a reason to walk back through your door.

Because once they’re there, something happens.They start touching things. Sitting on things. Talking about riding. Looking at accessories. Remembering how much they love this stuff. And suddenly the person who “wasn’t really shopping” is asking what their trade is worth. Funny how that happens.

Marketing only to riders

Here’s another challenge: Look at your marketing from the last six months. How much of it would make sense to someone who doesn’t already participate in powersports?

If every piece of content assumes the customer knows the difference between every model, trim level, suspension package and engine configuration, we’re talking mostly to ourselves.

The next customer may not walk in saying, “I’ve narrowed it down to these three models.” They may say: “My family wants something we can do together.” “I want to start riding, but I have no idea where to begin.” “My friends all have side-by-sides.” 

That is your opening. We need to get better at selling the experience before we sell the machine.

Terrible time to sit

Yes, the market is different. Interest rates, affordability, inventory and consumer confidence all matter. But you can’t control most of those things. You can control whether your dealership spends September waiting for traffic — or creating it.

Pull 100 dormant customers from your CRM. Call 20 a day. Plan one ridiculously fun event. Shoot five videos with your phone. Invite your best customers to bring a friend. Ask your team one simple question: “What could we do this month that would make someone want to come hang out here?” Then do it.

Because the dealers who win the next few years won’t necessarily have the biggest buildings, largest ad budgets or most brands. They’ll be the ones who refuse to sit around waiting for the good old days to come back. The customer may not be walking through the door on their own anymore. Fine. Go get them.

Till next time, shiny side up and checkered flags!