Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/410969
www.PowersportsBusiness.com POWER 50 Powersports Business • November 3, 2014 • 11 showroom. The results are astounding: water- craft sales were up 300 percent, and ATV sales were up 100 percent. In addition, the dealership built and remod- eled a new EagleRider room, customer lounge and new parts and accessory room. NO. 5 DEALER: COLEMAN POWERSPORTS, FALLS CHURCH, VA. The No. 2 dealer in the 2013 Power 50, Coleman PowerSports chalks up its success by "planning for the unforeseen. We want and strive to under- stand and stay on the edge of our industry. We watch for new ideas that can be implemented and watch for new, inventive products, like the Sling- shot. With 50-plus years of experience in the industry, we carefully examine new products for their quality and determine if they would benefit our customers. We grasp the need to understand our customers, which comes with excelling at customer service," according to general manager Kim Harrison. Inventory strategy includes six turns per year on the total parts inventory, and 3-4 turns per year in accessories. The strategy is to keep an approximately 4- to 6-week supply of parts on hand, and 8-10 weeks supply of accessories, and reorder as needed. The addition of dealership track days in 2013 included track day seminars leading up to each event, where a control rider presented the track and safety elements. The dealership then offers track-specific specials in-store to help prepare riders to consume as much knowledge from their track experience as possible. Coleman PowerSports continues to go to great lengths to grow its customer base by educating riders and non-riders alike. The dealership, with two Virginia locations, offers free two- and three-wheel motorcycle semi- nars in partnership with APEX Cycle Educa- tion. The dealership attracts customers with its strong marketing, which includes exhibiting at local motorcycle, boat, and hunting and game shows, along with hosting a slew of events at the dealerships. BEST IN CLASS DEALERS Powersports Business editors Dave McMahon and Liz Keener also handed out Best in Class Awards to the following dealerships. BEST IN CLASS: CUSTOMER SERVICE STEAMBOAT POWERSPORTS, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO. Steamboat focused much of its efforts over the past year on customer service. But the clincher for this dealership is its VIP customer event. Now three years running, the event "is the best marketing money spent for our store. We invite about 150 people for din- ner and provide lodging for approximately 60 of the 150," general manager Jason Stanhope said. "We trade for part of the event with a local lodge to help with the cost. We have 10-15 demo snowmobiles and a couple of ATVs and side-by-sides with tracks for customers to ride, if they would like to experience a new product. After dinner we have door prize giveaways and enjoy live music until midnight," Stanhope said. "They are telling their friends and their friends' friends that these people care, know what they are doing and can be trusted." BEST IN CLASS: EVENTS THE TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION, NEW ORLEANS When it comes to events, TTRNO always makes them memorable, and that's done with a relatively small staff. In fact, the dealership hired its second salesperson in the fall of 2013, part of a growth surge that since 2012 has seen the addition of two salespeople, an F&I man- ager, an accessory specialist, two service advi- sors and a mechanic. With a goal of selling 400 units per year, this dealership simply creates its own fun, and its customers follow in droves. Starting with quar- terly tech talks that feature topics like "How to change your oil" to "Everything you need for a track day," customers are given a reason to get into the dealership. As general manager Zach Materne says, "Contrary to what you would think, our service talks create service appoint- ments. Once we explain how we do things, customers appreciate our work even more." While those small, intimate events drive traf- fic and revenue, this dealership also hits mam- moth home runs by piggybacking onto a local event that attracts 20,000 to its urban neighbor- hood. The dealership's Summer Open House is held in conjunction with a popular art party. Finally, as we all know, November is now known as MOvember, and this dealership ensures that its customer base also knows that it's MOvember. A tire sale event called "Get New Rubber for Your Mustache Ride" saw pro- ceeds go to prostate cancer research. BEST IN CLASS: SERVICE DEPARTMENT CROSSROAD POWERSPORTS, UPPER DARBY, PA. At this Philadelphia-area dealership, a total revamp of the service department paid major dividends that led to a 61.15-percent increase in gross margin compared to the previous year. As manager Derek Osner said: "We com- pletely rearranged all four bays and added lock- ers next to each. Also we now have runners that grab parts for our service techs as needed. We have seen our labor hours dramatically grow just with a few simple tweaks." In addition, the service techs are provided with reports based on actual hours vs. billable hours. A time clock has been installed for the techs to clock in and out of for each RO. Service department employees are kept happy thanks to an annual survey sent out to all employees that asks questions like: "What is your favorite candy bar?" and "What is your favorite restaurant?" "It's amazing how a candy bar or gift card can motivate a person. We also do quarterly reviews on each tech and assess raises based on their performance," Osner said. Simply put, the service department make- over has been an important part of the dealer- ship's rising success. "Even in this troubled economy, we still have been able to succeed when other dealers around us have not. We have grown by double digits this year and plan on that same growth to continue for years to come," Osner said. PSB POWER 50 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9