Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/780450
POWER 50 Power 50 dealer increases sales with outreach BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has increased its efforts to market to outreach demographics, i.e. female riders, younger riders and multicultural riders, in the past year. Southern Devil Harley- Davidson, a 2016 Powersports Business Power 50 dealer, found that those riders are indeed of need of a place to call home in the motor- cycle world. "We are going out into communities and trying to draw them into the store. In 2016, I think we got a little bit more traction," said Penny Golden, general manager at Southern Devil Harley-Davidson. By attending more events outside of the dealership and sponsoring local festivals, the Cartersville, Georgia-based dealership proved that it is committed to both new and old cus- tomers for the long haul. As part of the push to gain new rider inter- est, the dealership brings a Jumpstart simula- tor and Riding Academy instructor to those outside events. The dealership hopes that those who haven't ridden before will give it a try. "It's amazing the results we're getting from that and how excited they get," she said. "Watching peoples' faces when they go through a few gears and they realize they can do it — it empowers them, so that's been great." In 2015, the dealership changed its name from Harley-Davidson of Cartersville to Southern Devil Harley-Davidson. "We wanted a new iden- tity," said Golden. "The old name just didn't have any personality to it. We obviously have a per- sonality here, so we wanted to expand on that." The name for the dealership was inspired by a devil scorpion, otherwise known as a "South- ern Devil," that are common in many areas of northern Georgia. Golden said the dealership even has several scorpions on display in aquari- ums for customers to view. In addition to the Jumpstart, Southern Devil also turns heads at events by bringing cus- tomized motorcycles. The dealership recently customized a steampunk-themed motorcycle in Atlanta's Dragon Con Parade and a Captain America-themed motorcycle at another local show. Golden said the bikes have gotten a lot of attention on social media, surpassing 30,000 views on Facebook. Southern Devil offers Riding Academy classes for new riders and tries to maintain a presence in its community. The dealership tries to have at least one large monthly event and two to three weekly events throughout the season. During its annual chili cook off, Golden learned that many participants had never been to the dealership before. "We've created events here at the dealer- ship so that when we get all these leads from events, we put them in a spreadsheet, we track the progress of the leads and our salesperson invites them to the dealership event," she said. "We're going outside our area because motorcycle dealerships can be intimidating for people who don't ride yet and it brings them into the family." Because of the size of the dealership and the help of its local H.O.G. chapter, Southern Devil is able to host multiple events simultaneously. One of the dealership's most popular events is the annual Rockabilly Rumble, which con- tinues to grow each year. Golden estimated that 6,000 people attended last year's event, which featured Rockabilly bands, vintage cars, ven- dors and more. Now in its fifth year, the event has even been voted one of the top festivals in the state of Georgia. Overall business has been very positive, with the dealership exceeding its plan for the year in 2016 and finishing the year 12 percent ahead of the Motor Co.'s retail target goal. "I believe that the reason we excelled is because we were going outside the box," Golden said. With a CXI score of 9.8 out of 10, it's clear that the dealership is focused on providing a top-notch experience from purchase to ser- vice and beyond. In 2017, Southern Devil plans to expand its post-sale tour to be even more involved. Now that CXI scores are electronic, the store can reach out to those who did and did not submit surveys and follow up on those experiences. From relationships built with the cus- tomers, Southern Devil has invited several of those customers back into the dealer- ship for a roundtable discussion after hours. Through those talks, the staff learned valuable infor- mation about their sales process, what they did well and what they could improve upon. "It was amaz- ing to see what kind of ambassa- dors we created for the dealership," she said. The dealership is dedicated to providing a family experience. Every customer who purchases a vehicle is taken on a dealership tour, during which they are brought to each individual department and introduced to staff. "The staff here is very personable. Everyone here loves their job, so that comes across to the customer as well," Golden said. "The process that we do makes them feel like they really are a part of our family and it's a big deal for us." "Everyone is going to say that they have the friendliest staff, but we truly have an engaged staff. Our customers really feel like they are a part of our success," said Golden. "I think we've done a really good job in having them taking ownership in our dealership as well as us." PSB Southern Devil H-D drawing in new customers 34 • February 13, 2017 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com A.D. FARROW CO. HARLEY-DAVIDSON • ALAMO CYCLE PLEX • AMERICA'S MOTOR SPORTS • AVALANCHE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BEARTOOTH HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BLACK JACK HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BLACK WOLF HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BOB WEAVER MOTORSPORTS & MARINE, INC. • BOSWELL'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BREWER CYCLES, INC. • CALCULATED RISK MOTORCYCLE GROUP • CENTRAL TEXAS POWERSPORTS • CHARLIE'S HARLEY-DAVIDSON • COLE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • CYCLE CENTER OF DENTON • FAY MYERS MOTORCYCLE WORLD • FREEDOM POWERSPORTS • GOT GEAR MOTORSPORTS AND INDIAN MOTORCYCLE OF JACKSON • GRAPEVINE KAWASAKI POLARIS • HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF SCOTTSDALE • HATTIESBURG CYCLES • HIGH OCTANE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • IRV SEAVER MOTORCYCLES • KEN'S SPORTS, INC. • KILLEEN POWER SPORTS • LAKESIDE MOTOR SPORTS • LOGAN POWERSPORTS GROUP • MADDIE'S MOTOR SPORTS • MAXIM HONDA YAMAHA • MOSITES MOTORSPORTS • MYERS-DUREN HARLEY-DAVIDSON • RAWHIDE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • RAY PRICE INC. • REC-TECH POWER PRODUCTS • RIDENOW POWERSPORTS CHANDLER • RIVA MOTORSPORTS • RIVERSIDE HARLEY-DAVIDSON • ROCKY TOP HARLEY-DAVIDSON • SIMPLY STREET BIKES • SKY POWERSPORTS • SMOKY MOUNTAIN HARLEY-DAVIDSON • SOUTHERN DEVIL HARLEY-DAVIDSON • SOUTHERN HONDA POWERSPORTS • SOUTHERN THUNDER HARLEY-DAVIDSON • ST. PAUL HARLEY-DAVIDSON • TEAM CAROLINA POWERSPORTS • THE TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION • VERN EIDE MOTOPLEX • WILDCAT HARLEY-DAVIDSON • WILKINS HARLEY-DAVIDSON POWERSPORTS BUSINESS POWER 50 AWARDS SPONSORED BY 2016 tomers, Southern Devil has invited several of those customers back into the dealer- The dealership is dedicated to providing a family experience. Every customer who purchases a vehicle is taken on a dealership tour, during which they are brought to each individual department and introduced to staff. "The staff here is very personable. Everyone here loves that the dealership is focused on providing a top-notch experience from purchase to ser- vice and beyond. In 2017, Southern Devil Southern Devil Harley-Davidson hosts its annual Rockabilly Rumble, an all-day event featuring live music, food, kid activities, vendors and more. Top: Among the activities at the annual Rockabilly Rumble, the dealership hosts a pin-up girl contest dur- ing the event. Above: The dealership was renamed Southern Devil Harley-Davidson after the Southern Devil scorpion, which is common in many areas of northern Georgia.