Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/258703
OPINION FROM THE EDITOR www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • February 17, 2014 • 13 It's a new look for the Nifty 50, and it's a new year that obviously has industry companies ready for big business in 2014. As most of you know, in the past we've presented the Nifty 50 in two editions leading up to the Indy show. Now that Indy is no longer in February, it was time for the well-nurtured Nifty 50 contest to stand on its own. And we couldn't be prouder to see what the contest has become in Year 15. The record-setting number of entrants exceeded our expectations, thanks mostly to the hard work of many of the folks in your marketing or product development departments. Dealers will be wise to investigate the Nifty 50 thoroughly, as we've selected the products that we believe will be most beneficial for your business in 2014. Editors from Powersports Busi- ness and our sister consumer magazines in the power- sports industry (Rider, Snow Goer and Thunder Press) select the products and services you'll see in the Nifty 50 section that begins on Page 24. Our picks are based on information that is submitted by companies; no testing of the products is done. Products must be new or substantially improved from previous years, and be ready for delivery in calendar 2014. Managing editor Liz Keener gets extra plaudits for her work on the Nifty 50 once again this year. It's her dedication to the project that already has us looking for- ward to seeing the new products in the 2015 version. POWER 50 APPLICATION READY FOR YOU It's also time for you to get involved with another of our projects aimed at celebrating dealerships who make the powersports experience a part of their cus- tomers' livelihood. The Power 50 Dealer application is now online and can be completed at www.powersportsbusiness.com/ power-50. The survey is extensive in nature, but that's why Year 1 of the program was such a success — it's meant to be an educational tool for your dealership as much as anything we use it for. The application dead- line is Aug. 1, but we wanted to give you ample time to complete the application, as we know what your spring and summer months have in store on the sell- ing front. And after what is pointing toward a success- ful 2014 selling season, we can celebrate together in Orlando on Oct. 16 during the Power 50 Awards Din- ner as part of AIMExpo. It's a night that the inaugural members of the Power 50 won't soon forget. Simply put, it's an event meant to celebrate the success of your dealership as well as those of your peers. Be sure to find a person today who can be responsible for com- pleting the application. It's an opportunity you won't want to miss in 2014. SPEAKING OF ORLANDO… While we're on the topic of Orlando, I checked in with Larry Little and Mike Webster of Marketplace Events to get an update on the decision to switch AIMExpo to four days in 2014. The dates will be Oct. 16-19, Thurs- day through Sunday. The Powersports Business Insti- tute will be held Oct. 16-17, during the trade and media days. And with the Power 50 Awards Dinner set for the night of Oct. 16, your first day at AIMExpo should be plenty full! The consumer days will be Oct. 18-19. Post-event surveys of exhibitors, dealers and con- sumers who attended the inaugural AIMExpo led the show to cut back from five days to four. "I think it's the right length," Little said of the new four-day format. "The first year we learned a ton, and we learned that our attendees can just as efficiently and effectively do all the business they want in four days." Little also said the show floor has already been increased by one-third, from 30,000 to 40,000 square feet. Nearly half of the exhibitors in 2013 had renewed for 2014 within 30 days after the event's close, and nearly all of them have increased their space. "The exhibitors are very much embracing the show and taking ownership. They want to do more things, and they want to do what needs to be done to bring in more attendees, both dealers and consumers," Webster said. Those aforementioned surveys gave Webster rea- son to be looking forward to Year 2 of AIMExpo. "I've been doing show surveys for a long time, but I've never seen the type of passionate response that we got from these surveys," he said. That's another sure sign of progress heading into 2014. In my conversations with several executives from distributorships, the year is already off to a solid buying start. In fact, with just a little bit of help from Mother Nature, one referenced being "bullish" on 2014. CALL FOR SPEAKERS IN ORLANDO We're already in the planning stages for the Powers- ports Business Institute @ AIMExpo. If you or some- one you know is interested in being a presenter during the two days of dealer training seminars, apply online at http://svy.mk/1k84NLn. The inaugural event in 2013 was an overwhelming success, and we're looking to build on it for an even better showing in 2014. MOVING ONWARD Congratulations to Peter Jones, a columnist and longtime friend of Powersports Business. He recently accepted a position as DSM of northern Florida and Georgia for BRP. As part of the move, Jones, whose F&I and compliance expertise landed him as a pre- senter at events like Profit Xcelerator and the Power- sports Business Institute @ AIMExpo, will no longer be writing the F&I Solutions column. Instead, we've added Brian Gallmeier, a trainer who works with sev- eral dealerships on enhancing their F&I departments. You'll find his first column on Page 10. He welcomes your comments about topics you'd like to see covered in the F&I Solutions column. A LOOK AHEAD Another sign of the industry's upward trend is our winter travel schedules. My trip to Triumph North America's headquarters is chronicled in this issue, and we'll have plenty more from there. Liz graciously accepted a trip to California in January to attend a Bell Helmets event, and her debut in the Bell suite at the Oakland Supercross was a blast to be sure. She'll have a full report from the powersports mecca of Scotts Val- ley, Calif., in the upcoming edition. We'll also take a look behind the launch of the new Polaris Sportsman ACE. Similar to the launch of Sea-Doo's Spark, it somehow was a well kept industry secret. So there were some audible gasps in the office when we received word of the funky new half-ATV, half-side-by-side-with-only-one seat that will likely turn the off-road world on its ear. We'll have inter- views with a range of Polaris execs, from VPs to product managers, about the Sportsman ACE. PSB Dave McMahon is editor in chief of Powersports Busi- ness. Contact him at 763/383-4411 or dmcmahon@ powersportsbusiness.com. 1. Polaris unveils revolutionary new Sportsman ACE 2. Analyst: New Polaris ACE "will have legs" 3. Enclosed roadster maker Elio Motors to begin operations 4. New Mexico dealership closes 5. Actor Armie Hammer journeys cross-country on a Vespa 6. Yamaha announces new Tactical Black Viking EPS 4x4 7. Harley-Davidson study reveals women riders are happier 8. Melting snow puts freeze on snowmobile season 9. Lotus teases C-01 super bike concept 10. Dealership announces 16-date concert schedule 11. Arctic Cat reports fiscal Q3 results 12. Dallas company illegally imported 24,000 bikes, EPA says 13. Harley-Davidson York, Pa. facility named "Best Plant" 14. Arctic Cat recalls snowmobiles due to fuel leak fire hazard 15. Yamaha Canada unveils 2014 Super Tenere ES The headlines above belong to the most frequently viewed articles from Powersports Business' twice weekly e-news during the Jan. 10-30 period. The number is based on the percentage of e-news viewers who clicked on the article's headline. To subscribe to e-news, go to www.powersportsbusiness.com/newsletter-signup. WHAT'S THE HOTTEST INDUSTRY TOPIC? Powersports Business blog ONLINE WITH POWERSPORTSBUSINESS.COM Leading industry executives and dealer consultants are among the contributors to PSB's blog. See below for recent blogs. Nifty 50 gets 2014 started on the right foot Visit powersportsbusiness.com/blogs Power 50 application online The application for Powersports Business' second annual Power 50 honors program is now available at www.powersportsbusiness. com/power-50. The Power 50 honors 50 dealers who stand out from their competi- tion in terms of customer service, marketing, creative ideas to drive traffic and/or sales and general business practices. This year's winners will again be honored with a dinner in October in Orlando, Fla. But you can't be on the list unless you apply! Applications are due Aug. 1. DAVE McMAHON LESLIE PREVISH Founder, Prevish Marketing Girls with Grit. They're participants in life; not observers. And they bring others along for the ride. How can you bring these chicks with steel ovaries into your brand; taking advantage of a goldmine for profit and referrals? GARY GUSTAFSON President, G-Force Consulting The underlying assumption is that powersports is a zero-sum game. If you win, I lose. It's time to challenge this assumption. Rather than fighting for a slightly bigger piece of the same pie, how about going and getting more pie, across the industry? LAURA REINDERS Marketing Manager, PowerSports Network & Traffic Log Pro January is the month of new begin- nings. New Year's Resolutions are tried out. Some are kept. Most aren't. But you still carry renewed ambition for improvement. So let's use that ambi- tion to sell more units in 2014 with improved online marketing. JENNIFER ROBISON National Retail Specialist, Tucker Rocky Distributing Even if I could drive more customers to you, what would you do then them? Customers know what retailers are good sources for them and for what products. If you're shrinking in P&A, but unit sales are up, you have a problem. P13-PSB3-Opinion.indd 13 2/5/14 10:22 AM