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FOCUS PSB Power 50 www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • March 17, 2014 • 25 24 • March 17, 2014 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Movie night a hit, and cheap If you haven't made plans to host or sponsor a showing of "Why We Ride" yet, there's no better time than now to get your dealership on board. Dealerships nationwide are using the critically acclaimed film to generate interest in the spring riding season. At Power 50 dealership Leo's South in Lakeville, Minn., co-owner Wayne Bedeaux first offered a Movie Night at the store last year, when he showed the "Colorado Back- country Discovery Route" to the local BMW owners group. "I had never even thought about doing something like that until the guys from the movie contacted us," he said. "We got about 50 people for that one." So it made sense to feature "Why We Ride" for the dealership's second annual Movie Night. Bedeaux estimates the crowd grew to 70 for the recent Saturday evening showing. He promoted the event in-store and via the dealership's e-newsletter, which also included a link to the movie's trailer. He again reached out the BMW owners group, along with the dealership's enews subscribers. A section of the dealership that houses clothing was turned into the seating area, with a capacity of about 75. No reservations were needed, although early attendees could get dibs on one of three couches, which were billed as premium seating at no charge. At 5:30, the dealer- ship opened for the showing with brown- ies, cookies, meet and cheese trays, pop, water and coffee. The popcorn machine that Bedeaux recently added to the dealership also got a workout. Bedeaux showed the film on a rented six- foot screen via a projector that he had pur- chased. "The screen was $11 to rent; I should have rented the projector also," he said. "And I'll get an 8-foot screen next time." His post-event assessment? "It was very successful," he said. "I talked to a bunch of people afterwards, and they enjoyed it and thanked us for having it. It brought more of a mix of riders than the first one we did. We did it as a fun event, not really to make sales. Of course we sold a couple of movies and some things before the movie started, which is nice and appreciated. But it didn't cost us much at all. We might have had $150 in food and stuff, not very much." THUNDERBIRD TAKES GOLD Scott Fischer Enterprises announced that is primary Albuquerque Harley-Davidson location, Thunderbird Harley-Davidson, was recognized with the Gold Bar & Shield Award from the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. The recognition solidifies the company's effort to invest in their people and DIGEST couple reasons. First, two days allow for more visitors to access the show, especially as the 120-spot parking lot and nearby streets fill up in a hurry. And second, the show takes two days to set up, not including the preparation time that goes into sifting through builders' applica- tions and booking vendors. "We take a lot of time and effort to move stuff around and to get things ready for this, and to do it in one night would be a colossal waste of time," Schaller said. To set up for the show, all 120-plus show- room bikes are moved into the service depart- ment, meaning the service bays must be cleaned and cleared of bikes in advance. The show bikes also have to be rolled in, and ven- dors have to be given time to set up. SALES BOOST But in the end, all the effort is worth it. On top of seeing a boost in PG&A sales, House of Harley was able to sell nine bikes during the show. "Any time we can sell nine bikes on a Fri- day, Saturday in January, we're happy about that. Until Milwaukee can move to Miami, it's a struggle to get people in here in the winter," Schaller said. Salespeople are able to make their pitches while people are excited about the upcoming riding season. They can also explain that the new and pre-owned selection is at its peak pre- season and an early sale gives the riders more time to get their new bikes prepared for spring. "Every one of our bike buyers spends some time with the chrome consultant, and we have more time in the winter to accessorize bikes than we do at any time in the year," Schaller said, adding that the dealership will also store buyers' bikes until the spring. Though selling motorcycles is the dealer- ship's ultimate goal, the purpose of the Indoor Bike Show is also to meet new customers and build loyalty with those who have already pur- chased from House of Harley. "The winter show is really directed at any- one who wants to see cool bikes when there's not really a lot going on a Friday or a Saturday," Schaller said. As the show continues to be successful — with vendors already asking to sign up for next year — House of Harley-Davidson will continue to host it annually. Schaller says it's the one event he's discovered that can spur sales in January. "Honestly it's important in my life and I think the life of the dealership and probably the life of the industry that we have people thinking about motorcycles year-round," he said. PSB HOUSE OF HARLEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 (Above) Eight judged bike classes were eligible for cash and prizes during the House of Harley-Davidson event. (Right) The Indoor Bike Show attracted long-time motorcycle enthusiasts and newcomers alike. DeLand has increased its pre-owned inventory in recent years, and includes about 40 used bikes as part of its inventory at all times. "We've cut back a little bit on our new bike orders, because we've bought heavier on the used side," he said. "Our used sales have been very good. We've embraced the used market. You make a higher margin on it and people are asking for those types of bikes." At DeLand, sales of Suzuki Burgman 400 and 650 scooters have been outstanding, according to Stickney. "We have seen a spike on the scooter side. People who buy those are constantly coming back and praising them," he said. "Of course, the Boulevard M109 B.O.S.S. and the GSXR and Hayabusa sport bikes are our bread and butter." And while the typical scooter buyer at DeLand is older and paying cash, sport bike buyers are seeing somewhat better retail financ- ing success. "It's hit and miss," Stickney said. "We've really embraced some of the sub-prime lend- ers and credit unions that are working with first-time buyers. We've found a niche group of credit unions that are taking a little more risk on the younger guy. As long as they're employed and they're coming to the table with some cash, we can get those people bought. That's helping out, for sure." Unit sales via a variety of sources on the Inter- net continue to bring rewards to the dealership. Craigslist, eBay, Amazon and CycleTrader.com bring the dealership business on a daily basis. "Our guys know they have to grind every- day and they understand that the Internet is a major sales tool," Stickney said. "It's a major sales tool and you have to be on top of it daily. They understand it and embrace it." DeLand has already seen the benefits of Stickney's membership in a 20 Group facilitated by Spader Business Management. And while he's the youngest member age 33 and one of only a handful members who don't actually own the dealership, he's finding it an enormous tool for the store. "It's been a mindblowing experience, really, as far as digging into the nuts and bolts of the business, every square inch of the dealership beyond just selling," Stickney said. "And I'm a salesperson at heart. I love to get out there and sell, sell sell. I pump my guys up and train the hell out of them. But at the end of the day you have to make sound decisions and look at the internal components of the business. "There are a couple of us who just getting our feet wet who want to be owners at some point. It's good to get in there and find out what it's all about." PSB Belinda Phillips looks ready to take over the keys to her KYMCO Super 8 50 2T scooter from GM Nate Stickney of DeLand Motorsports. Phillips won the scooter as part of AIMExpo's 3-Way Giveaway contest. OEM exhibitors KYMCO, Suzuki and Yamaha Star provided the prizes, which also included a Suzuki Boulevard C90T B.O.S.S. and a customized Star Bolt featuring Kenny Roberts replica graphics. DELAND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 P16x25-PSB4-Focus.indd 24 3/5/14 11:44 AM