Coffey: Your fall playbook starts on Friday night

By Melissa Coffey

This article originally appeared in the October edition of Powersports Business.

Every fall, something strange happens across America. From August through January, millions of otherwise reasonable adults organize their entire weekends around a ball that isn’t even round. They paint their faces. They haul grills, coolers, generators and folding chairs into parking lots at 7 a.m. They sit outside in the cold, on purpose, for fun.

Meanwhile, back at the dealership, the showroom is quiet, and somebody in sales is muttering that nobody buys anything during football season.

They’re half right. Your customers aren’t at the dealership on Saturday. They’re at the game. So go where they are. Football isn’t your competition this fall. It’s your best marketing opportunity. Let’s build a playbook.

The scouting report

The numbers aren’t pretty. The University of Michigan’s Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 6.3% in August and is down more than 11% from a year ago, and the MIC is watching to see whether that caution shows up at the register. Add tariff-driven price increases and tighter lending, and you’ve got a customer who’s hesitating on big purchases.

That’s exactly why fall marketing matters. When people pull back, the dealers who stay visible, relevant and fun are the ones they come back to when they’re ready. You don’t have to win every down. You have to stay in the game.

Offense: Sell the Saturday, not the spec sheet

Nobody falls in love with payload capacity. They fall in love with a picture of their life. So build one. Turn a side-by-side into the ultimate tailgate rig: cooler rack, Bluetooth speaker, canopy, flag mounts, maybe a game-day decal package in local team colors. Put it front and center in the showroom. Better yet, park it outside the high school stadium on Friday night. Suddenly that UTV isn’t a line item on a quote. It’s the best seat in the parking lot.

Then give people a reason to follow you all season. Try a “Win Monday” promotion: when the hometown team wins, a 24-hour deal on accessories or apparel goes live. Your social team gets fresh content every week, and customers start checking your feed after the final whistle.

As the season winds down, host a “trade deadline” event. Call it what it is: time to make roster moves before winter.

Defense: Service keeps you in the game

Every coach knows championships are won on defense. In a soft market, your service department is your defense.

Rebrand winterization and off-season maintenance as “training camp.” Machines need conditioning before the snow flies and before spring riding season. Package it, name it and market it. Service revenue doesn’t care what consumer sentiment did last month, and every service visit is a chance to show off what’s new on the floor.

Special teams: Win the hometown crowd

Special teams don’t get much glory, but they often decide the game. For dealers, that’s community.

Friday night lights still matter in most towns. Sponsor your local high school team. Loan them a UTV to haul equipment, serve as the trainer’s cart, or deliver the game ball at homecoming. That’s your brand in front of the whole town every week, in the most positive setting imaginable. Parents notice. Grandparents notice. And the teenagers in the stands are your next generation of riders.

Run a weekly pick’em contest on your website or social channels, with service credits or gear as prizes. It builds your lead list and brings the same people back to your brand for 15 straight weeks. Try getting that from a billboard.

On weekends, open the doors for a watch party. A big screen, a chili cook-off and halftime test rides turn your showroom into a destination instead of a place people visit only when they’re ready to buy.

The big leagues are already playing

If this sounds like a stretch, look at the OEMs. CFMOTO was recently named the official side-by-side and ATV partner of the Minnesota Vikings. Manufacturers know the overlap between football fans and powersports buyers is real. And football season runs right alongside hunting season. The guy in the stands on Friday is scouting deer stands on Saturday. He needs a UTV either way.

A quick word from the rulebook: NFL and college team names, logos and certain championship game names are trademarked. Stick with local colors, “the big game,” and high school partnerships you’ve gotten permission for, unless you have a licensing deal in place.

The two-minute warning

Fall doesn’t have to be a slow season. It can be the season you reconnect with your community before the spring rush hits.

So grab a foam finger, fire up the grill and get your dealership in the game. Your customers are already at the tailgate. The only question is whether you’ll be there too.

Till next time, shiny side up and checkered flags!