Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/626951
FOCUS PSB Service Dept. www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • January 25, 2016 • 17 Backstage Pass to Service builds rapport St. Paul, Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson showcase service department to customers BY DAVE McMAHON EDITOR IN CHIEF The Backstage Pass to Service event is the kickoff to the 2016 season at St. Paul Harley- Davidson and Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson in Minnesota. And while the temperature was blustery with a "minus" sign in front of the single digit, the service bays at both three-time Power 50 dealerships were warming up with customers in January looking forward to warmer days ahead. St. Paul Harley-Davidson service manager Brent Godwin has enjoyed the results of the day-long event for the past four years, and this year was no different as it builds a closer customer relationship, not to mention prod- uct interest. "It's been a really good event for us at both locations," Godwin said. "This was the fourth year we've done it, and the main objective is allow the customers a chance to meet and greet the service techs, get to know the guys spinning wrenches on their bikes. They build that rap- port, and you can't go wrong after that. It leads to sales down the road, if not right then." Godwin estimated that attendance was up compared to the 2015 event, which is a good sign heading into the spring selling season. "We do get a lot of residual sales from it, but it's also been a great team building event for the staff also," Godwin said. The dozen or so vendors on hand set up shop on small tables adjacents to the service bays. Godwin reported that many customers who are already in the store's winter storage program are always sure things at the event, but there were more new faces than a typical Janu- ary event. "We do have a pretty loyal customer base, and they enjoy coming out here to see what's going on. Plus it seemed like there was a lot of interaction with new customers this year," Godwin added. "So looking ahead to the year, it's good start." The 9 a.m.-4 p.m. event, held simultane- ously at both St. Paul Harley-Davidson and Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson in Eden Prairie, Minn., provides customers with a behind-the- scenes look at the service department. Among the stations were: Paint protectants and installation Clear coat repair processes Maintenance requirements Diagnostic equipment and testing procedures Tuning tools and techniques Current jobs and customization work in-progress More specifically, each store had a lineup of experts who set up tables in the service bay area to educate cus- tomers as they strolled past. The St. Paul Harley-David- son event featured experts in the fields of Paint and Body, along with Performance and Custom- ization. Paint and Body experts included Rob Broker, owner and operator of Adrenaline Customs; Dusty Gilbertson, certified and preferred installer at Ron Gilb- ertson Enterprises; Reese Weber, technical service engineer at 3M; and Aaron Wachholz, owner and operator of X-treme Paint. On the Performance and Cus- tomization side, experts included Pat Cun- ningham, service and customization consultant from Harley-Davidson Motor Co., R.J. Clutter, national sales rep at RC Components; Mary Fuller, regional sales rep at Drag Specialties; Eric Miller, motorcycle tire key account man- ager at Michelin; Geoff Sheldon, Midwest Territory manager at S&S Cycle; and Dave Wendinger, product and training specialist at Progressive Suspension. The dealership's own service advisor lineup on hand included Sam Hacker, Phil Gork, Tom Zechmeister and How- ard Hirsch, in addition to Godwin. At Wild Prairie Harley-Davidson, the experts included Derek Kern from Skip Chips (paint protection film); Tracy Hilgers, owner of TJ Design (custom paint); and Rick Ward, owner of Ward Performance (performance head work). Jerry Kamrow in sales at Wild Prairie H-D customs presented the store's 2016 Road Glide Special. Harley-Davidson Manu- facturer Design and Manufacturer Paint were showcased on the bike. Parts and service experts on hand from the dealership included Mike Burke, P&A manager; and Toby Borger, P&A associate. Also, service manager Doug Hough was joined by service writer Mark VandenBosch; service writer/accident specialist Aaron Brasch; service writer Chris Dorman; and service advisor John Keller. Technicians Dan Erickson, Eric Gilb- ertson, Anthony Helmer, Adam Huberty, Jeff Thesius, George Tix and John Wickham also met with customers. PSB a 12-volt lithium-polymer jump starter that offers up to 1,000 charging cycles and is com- pact enough to fit in the user's pocket. In addi- tion to jump-starting vehicle batteries, each can also charge any USB-powered device, such as a cell phone, tablet or speakers. As a powersports enthusiast himself, Toscani believes this product is needed in the powersports industry. "I've had motorcycles, ATVs, boats going back 30 years. I've got four kids; I'm very active, so I'm the target customer. … I have tractors; I have crazy stuff like that, and I've dealt with dead batteries for the last 45 years, so I know specifically who these people are, what the solution is and how valuable it is." Toscani said he's learned from experience that most powersports enthusiasts have at least 10 dead battery stories, so a jump starter that fits in a glove box or under a seat is ideal for this market. And so far Toscani has enjoyed meet- ing and working with powersports dealers. "I love dealing with the powersports people because they're entrepreneurial. I get them; they get me. We're both service people like that. Their customers are spending money, and they appre- ciate the value of what a Weego does," he said. Though Weego has a number of competi- tors in the jump starter market, what makes Weego different is its quality, service and sup- port, Toscani said. "We have engineers on staff. We have inde- pendent testing done in independent labs. We have our own internal testing. We have factory process testing. We are just absolute fanatics about high quality, and that's our position for Weego: We have the highest quality, safest products on the market because we spec the highest quality components, and we test, test, test to make sure that they work." Toscani said Weego jump starters aren't the cheapest on the market, but he stands by the quality and safety of the product. Each Weego jump starter and battery pack has an 18-month warranty, and Weego has seen a warranty return rate of less than half of one percent. Weego also leans on Paris Corporation's decades-long experience in the business-to- business market. Paris runs all of Weego's back office functions, including shipping, customer service and accounting. "We're very responsive to dealer needs. The Paris paper business is all dealer oriented, so we have 50 years of making dealers successful in our DNA," Toscani said. "I also think the train- ing that we offer, field training, merchandising aids, make a difference." Weego also has a strong focus on branding, with its red and white logo reflected on its signa- ture red and white Ford Falcon, and family and fun taking front and center in its messaging. "Weego represents who we are — very high quality, very serious in the service area, but we don't take ourselves too seriously, and we're very family oriented. So if you look at our branding, our positing, our marketing, it's all about fun, family, functional, affordable. … Weego represents who we are, is the best I can say, the best way to describe it," said Toscani. Toscani has also put a big emphasis on Weego's MAP policy, which is followed strictly. "I can't tell you how many times at AIM- Expo in particular dealers said, 'My customer comes in, and they're whipping out their cell phone checking my price on Amazon, and if I'm not near it or at it, they walk.' And that's a huge business issue in this channel. So the fact that we have a MAP policy with integrity, I think means a lot," he said. 2015 was big year for Weego, as it was the first full year for the brand, and Weego exceeded its goals for the year and in Q4. Toscani says 2016 will bring more outreach, promotions and product. PSB WEEGO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Customers who attended the Backstage Pass to Service at St. Paul Harley-Davidson got acquainted with the service department staff while learning about department offerings.