Wilsons Sandbox
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http://www.frenchandlogan.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=226784
to> Out of curiosity, what would the perfect dealership be like for the > listers? From the moment you park in the lot, what would you like
parts> see? When you walk through the doors, talk to sales people or
"Perfect" that's easy: Sell every bike below cost. Have every part for every bike ever made in stock all the time and sell them at cost. Be open 24-7. And then there is the real impossible stuff: Have mechanics that know what they are doing and are willing to admit when the F**K up your bike. Have Sales and parts people who actually know about the products they are selling. Jody> people. What would be the things that would make you a return > customer? > > Gino
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote: > Out of curiosity, what would the perfect dealership be like for the > listers? From the moment you park in the lot, what would you like to > see? When you walk through the doors, talk to sales people or parts > people. What would be the things that would make you a return > customer? > > Gino
to> Out of curiosity, what would the perfect dealership be like for the > listers? From the moment you park in the lot, what would you like
parts> see? When you walk through the doors, talk to sales people or
1) Malcolm Smith Motorsports, Riverside, CA. 2) Callaway Motorsports, Riverside, CA. Friendly motorcycle enthusiasts on the staff and in the owner's office makes for a good start. Decent stock on the floor, clean premises. I don't mean spotless, but it should look like organized. It's not necessary to have an overstocked parts department either, as long as they have the suppliers and capability to get special order parts in a reasonable time frame. I think it's very important to have knowledgeable people dealing with the customer, especially at the parts counter. I feel comfortable ordering Kawi and Honda parts because those guys are totally on the ball at Callaway. Always the right part, no screwing around. A good mechanic that will give you free advice if you want to do some repair yourself is a great thing to have at your local dealership, too. Salespeople that will shoot the breeze with you without trying to ram a bike down your neck. I also like dealerships to put on rides or at least have information on local events of interest to motorcyclists. This is a bonus, not a requirement, however. Price is a secondary concern to a degree, value is more important. I'd rather pay more for parts and get the right thing, on time, first time, than save ten bucks and wait weeks and weeks for a K&N air filter or a set of gloves (like special ordering through Chaparral's parts counter). Having a good relationship with a dealer is a very much a 2 sided deal. The best dealership in the world won't be good enough for some people. Stu> people. What would be the things that would make you a return > customer? > > Gino
--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "dale_johnson13" wrote: > Honda is trying to get away from multi-manufacture dealers. They > don't like the sales people pushing people to the bike that they (the > salesman) are going to make the most cash on. They want more brand > loyalty. One of the things that they are starting to do is only offer > their new watercraft to Honda Only dealers. > > This is all rumor of course. > > Dale
to> Out of curiosity, what would the perfect dealership be like for the > listers? From the moment you park in the lot, what would you like
parts> see? When you walk through the doors, talk to sales people or
My idea of the perfect dealer would be first someone like Fred and his operation, a person whose sense of humor, honesty and integrity can be realized with never standing face to face with him. With this type of operation the pricing is a secondary consideration from my pov, while I don't want to over pay for anything I'd rather pay more for quality and this more than the item but also includes the manner in which I am treated. When I walk in a business regardless of it's type I like to see an organized chaos, by this I mean items are in a logical division but are "cluttered" within it. To me this allows a little bit of hunt and suprise to find what I didn't know I needed but have to have. The stock should not not a single manufacturer by a selection from competitors within the same price points. No this cheap one only, this middle range only etc. I find this quite often with helmets, boots, and other items in the beyond impluse buying range. For selection I hate going from place to place to only return to one and another to get items from each. I perfer to establish a relationship with my seller and hope that their goal is same for myself. Bikes are expensive, both for the purchaser and the flooring costs for the dealer but a way to allow at least a 15 to 20 mile test ride for licensed and insured adults needs to be found. Final set up for a bike should be done with the buyer there to allow bars set to their preference and any other minor tweaks to be taken care of. The buyer should be offered a short orientation on the features and functions if they wish. The dealer should be truthful enough to repeat comments about the bike that the press may have said about the bike, good or bad. If they were to upgrade items known to be failure prone (KLR shift lever for example) before the sale would go along way in building goodwill with the customer. The service department should be modern, clean and uncluttered, this reflects the type of care that will be taken on my equipment. Service people need to helpful and more important knowledgable about the product. They should be truthful of course, but more importantly when you talk about a problem they should dicuss that they think the problem maybe, not state we'll look at it and get back to you. Some kind of consideration, financial, or perk of some type should be granted to those that purchased from the dealer regardless of new or used. Warranty work cannot be placed at the end of schedule in place of cash work, this reflects extremely poorly on the manufacturer and the dealer. Parts dept. cannot stock every item, but having communication with the sales and service to follow trends or common problems can allow proper stocking levels. Allowing microfiche access to the customer can help them find what they are looking for without delays and confusion caused by not knowing what a part is called. Getting a firm time for the non stock items is important, special circumstances and delays may require a discount to the customer to show the dealers concern about the inconvenience. Under promise, over deliver. Parking, not an issue with me if there are places to park but there needs to ramps, or a dock available to load and unload AND employees eager to assist in doing so. Sales staff should be available for questions but I'd rather deal with someone who doesn't have a commision riding on my inclinations but rather deal with a customer service type person who can answer my questions, the dollar questions should be handled by a different individual who has the authority to negoiate pricing without doing the I'll check with the owner/manager dance. With a business plan like this, the right people, and the correct market area I would invest in this type of venture because the strongest thing any business can have are happy satisfied customers, just like Fred's. Just my thoughts Brad btw Gino - the antelope on your bike, a decal? are they available?> people. What would be the things that would make you a return > customer? > > Gino
I'd be happy with one that is open on sundays & mondays. Those seem to be the only days I have time to go. But, almost all (99.9%) motorcycle dealers around here are closed sunday & monday. I havent visited the dealer I bought my bike from in years. They have thier hours, I have mine.. Luckily, I have my own garage, and friends like Fred. Why go to the dealer, unless your buying a new bike?? I still wish their was a place open sun, and mondays. But I doubt it will happen around here. I do know one place 80 miles away, thats open sundays, and they do get my business when I am up that way. MotorMark> Out of curiosity, what would the perfect dealership be like for the > listers? From the moment you park in the lot, what would you like to > see? When you walk through the doors, talk to sales people or parts > people. What would be the things that would make you a return > customer? > > Gino
to be> I'd be happy with one that is open on sundays & mondays. Those seem
dealers [snip]> the only days I have time to go. But, almost all (99.9%) motorcycle
BINGO, but you could substitute motorcycle for just about any type of store around here it seems, drives me crazy, to see a business closed when people are off, but open when most ( not all I know ) are working. Banks, Doctors, Dentists ect ect ect, Just dont make sense, considering you look at the places that are open on these days and they are typically full of happy shoppers. Well maybe not happy, but at least shoppers dropping cash on them. Just my $.02 Duden the Peasant> > MotorMark
It's a decal I got from one of the tourist shops in Moab. Gino> > Brad > > btw Gino - the antelope on your bike, a decal? are they available?