Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/743349
OPINION FROM THE EDITOR www.PowersportsBusiness.com Powersports Business • November 7, 2016 • 15 It's amazing what you can learn by attending the Power 50 Awards Dinner. The Powers- ports Business team, fresh off what felt like a double-digit number of rehearsal ses- sions in the friendly confines of our offices, embarked to AIMExpo in Orlando with visions of another gather- ing of passionate dealership staff members. We got all of that, and more. Some attendees had owned their dealerships for decades; others were rewarded the trip for a job well done in parts or service, and asked by the boss to smile nicely for the camera on stage as they accepted their award. That's the beauty of our annual gather- ing of the top 50 powersports dealers in North America — it's a great mix of youth and veterans; owners and hope- to-be-someday-owners. We understand that life happens and sometimes it's not pos- sible for the dealer principal or owner to attend; that's why it's so refreshing to see the young faces in attendance, those who have been asked to represent the dealership in place of the owner who could not attend, and an owner who under- stands the value of spending time with some visionary deal- ers who set the retailing stan- dard in our industry. In fact, the October trip to Orlando was the first- ever industry event for at least one of the Power 50 representatives in attendance. So if you're planning to join the Power 50 elite next year but can't commit to the awards dinner, apply anyway. There's a hard- working, eager and ambitious member of your staff who would make an ideal fill-in. And as one newbie and Power 50 dinner rookie told me at the end of the night: "Why would anyone miss this?" I couldn't have said it better myself. And thanks to a record-breaking number of dealerships in attendance, others continue to echo those Power 50 sentiments. And while we're on the topic of making plans, please, industry that we all have a passion for, DO NOT make plans to be anywhere else except Columbus, Ohio, during the dates of Sept. 21-24, 2017. Go ahead and schedule in that week for AIMExpo and let everyone in the industry know that you will not be available. In fact, call folks out if they make plans the week of AIM- Expo next year. And yes, Kawasaki, you are expected to be in attendance at AIMExpo. If I heard it once in Orlando I heard it 1,000 times: "How come Kawasaki isn't here?" Me: "Don't know, but they should be here. Period." Triumph? Ducati? Where are ye? And BMW. Please do not schedule your U.S. dealer meeting for the week of Sept. 21-24, 2017, in anywhere other than Columbus. I'm still not sure how that OEM managed to host their dealer meeting in Orlando at AIMExpo last year, then up and move it to California the same week as AIMExpo in 2016. I couldn't make any sense of that one. Must have been the warm temps in Orlando getting to me. Oh yes, book your rooms soon, as the Ohio State Buckeyes also will be welcoming a few of their fans to Columbus that weekend. About 100,000 of them, precisely. POWER 50 SPOTLIGHT Here's what some of our Power 50 winners have been up to in the past year that have helped them stand out among their peers… For a $5,000 fee, Southern Honda Powersports gets to display at their 10x10 tent (with three units) for 17 consecutive Fridays in the summer at a concert venue. Hattiesburg Cycles connected with its local uni- versity to provide support for the athletic department. Rec-Tec Power Products, located in economically challenged Alberta, brought not one but two princi- pals to the Power 50 dinner. We're looking forward to joining them for an ATV ride in the near future. Include a bounce house for the kids to make your events a family-friendly event. Did a member of your sales staff sell three bikes in a one day? A triple sales spiff goes to the staff- ers who do that at Wildcat Harley-Davidson. When you move into a shiny new 40,000-square-foot location, don't just shift product into the new spot. Add a new brand like Ducati, ramp up your clothing and gear department and hire more staff. That's what happened at Mosites Motorsports, and growth continues because of it. Still haven't updated that dull website of yours? Do it! Boswell's Harley-Davidson did so and saw leads increase by 150 percent after going to a fully responsive design. Got a Santa suit in storage? Did one of your customers just talk about buying a dirt bike for his kid for Christmas? Wilkins Harley-Davidson sent a staff member dressed as Santa to make a Christmas morning delivery of a motorcycle. A video of the stop got 10,000 views on the store's Facebook page. The beauty of the Power 50 dinner is the take- aways. It doesn't matter if you have 14 stores or a 14,000-square-foot store. Freedom Powersports part- nered with a local nonprofit and by doing so, allowed the organization to double the number of veterans to whom it offers support. Charlie's Harley-Davidson gives the slow season a boost by hosting professional and amateur box- ing matches at the dealership. Get people into the store, and watch them buy. On that night, apparel sales tripled. Power 50 sponsoring companies CyclePro, Manheim Specialty Auctions, EFG Companies, Syn- chrony Financial and RpmOne made it all happen. I'd encourage your potential sponsoring business to get ahold of us at PSB in the near future if you want to see how the editorial staff incorporates songs from artists like Jason Aldean, Daya and Justin Timber- lake into the awards dinner production. You won't believe it until you see it, so consider joining us in 2017 in Columbus. We've had four years of growth with the Power 50 and are looking forward to taking another step in Year 5. PSB Dave McMahon is editor in chief of Powersports Business. Contact him at 763/383-4411 or dmcmahon@powersportsbusiness.com. 1. Multi-dealership group shuts down 2. CFMOTO launches 1000 UTV with $13,999 MSRP 3. Law firm files lawsuit against Polaris 4. Triumph unveils 2017 bikes 5. Kawasaki launches stand-up Jet Ski 6. Polaris announces 2017 RZR XP Turbo models 7. Suzuki releases 2017-18 lineup 8. Company launches new toy Slingshot (video) 9. BMW introduces 2017 models 10. 2016 Power 50 dealers named by Powersports Business 11. Polaris acquires 4 Wheel Parts parent Transamerican Auto Parts 12. Tucker Rocky/Biker's Choice welcomes new president 13. Breathing new life into dealership ownership 14. Hoonigan releases 'Battle BRoyale' feature (video) 15. Kawasaki announces 2017 side-by-side model The headlines above belong to the most frequently viewed articles from Powersports Business' three-times weekly e-news during the September 21 - October 24 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.bit.ly/PSBEnewsSignup. 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. Power 50 dinner spotlights retailing passion, excellence Visit powersportsbusiness.com/blogs Check us out on Instagram! The PSB team recently returned from our 2016 Power 50 awards program during the 2016 AIMExpo at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, and we've got the pictures to prove it. Be sure to check out our Instagram page for fun moments from our trip and to stay updated with the Power 50 progress. For our Power 50 dealers, use the #PSBPower50 to tag your photos from the event; we'd love to see your smiles. Follow @power50dealers to see moments from our 2016 program. FORREST FLINN Managing Partner, Powersports Management Concepts Remember: It is OK to bill certain things internally, but always be on the lookout as to why. Is your staff processing things normally through an approved procedure? Is someone trying to cover up a mistake so that no one finds out about it? KIM ROCCO Director of Marketing, DX1 Running a successful powersports dealership requires dealers to embrace the technology that allows them to adapt to the changing retail expectations of their customers. Deal- ership management platforms are now more essential than ever before. JIM JABAAY Vice President of Sales & Marketing, LotVantage Your dealership, if it has a Facebook page, has an audience. Your audience has told you that they're interested in what you have to say, and you have to find ways to engage them, in order for them to stick around. GLENICE WILDER Vice President of Powersports, EFG Companies Hold a "dry run" with your entire deal- ership, identifying roles each depart- ment plays and answering potential questions. Your compliance leader can champion this dry run and be the model for your team members to take compliance seriously. It's amazing what you can learn by attending the Power 50 Awards Dinner. The ports Business what felt like a double-digit number of rehearsal ses- sions in the friendly confines DAVE McMAHON Mike Ratz from Logan Powersports Group was glad to accept the No. 1 dealer award.