Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/148632
34 • August 12, 2013 • Powersports Business pwc www.PowersportsBusiness.com Demo rides: 'The best thing we do all year' for PWC Long Beach Marine Stadium gives plenty of test room for Del Amo events By Dave McMahon Del Amo Motorsports overcame sub-par weather to attract more than 50 riders to its Yamaha WaveRunner demo ride at Long Beach Marine Stadium earlier this summer. Kevin Mooney, a product specialist at the dealership, said the store made 10 sales from the event. Editor in chief What's the best setting for a PWC demo ride? A tranquil lake? A seaside hotspot? How about a man-made stretch of supreme real estate? Long Beach Marine Stadium proved to be an ideal venue for Del Amo Motorsports' latest PWC demo ride, "Yamaha On The Water Demo Days." Held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a Saturday in June, the event attracted more than 50 riders. Fortunately, many of them came ready to buy. "We've sold 10 just from that demo day alone," said Kevin Mooney, product specialist at Del Amo's Redondo Beach, Calif., location. "That's the most powerful selling tool we have for PWC, having them available for demo. In a day, you can get 50 people riding, and a solid 20 percent of them are ready to buy. They just need that something to push them over the edge. It's not even like you can sit on it or can get an idea of how it runs inside the store." With an assist from the factory, Del Amo offered a half-dozen skis to be tested. Employee training began a few hours before the event, so that staffers were all well-versed in the selling points of WaveRunners. Customers were P34x37-PSB10-PWC.indd 34 required to sign a safety waiver. Their next step was to register for the event via on-site iPads, so that their contact information was captured. Mooney said the typical rider was eager to demo more than one WaveRunner, offering an ideal situation for the dealership's staff members, who could describe the differences between the machines. "A lot of the riders were excited to be able to get on more than one ski. That's what they liked best about the whole thing," Mooney said. "Switching between models and getting ideas of how the different hulls perform, you don't get that experience unless you're on it in the water." Prime real estate The Long Beach Marine Stadium is far from See Del Amo, Page 36 7/31/13 2:58 PM