SERVICING THE SECOND SALE

Sales May Sell The First Bike…

But Service Sells

The Second One!

Most customers have more than one machine in their garage. It’s an obsession. We know one motorcycle can’t do it all, so several bikes, ATVs, personal watercraft, Side-by-Sides and snowmobiles are in order to completely scratch the powersports itch. But when it comes time to satisfy our needs, dealers should remember customers have choices — LOTS of choices! The days of a franchised dealer having a protected territory and a captive audience have been replaced by a new business model that features multiple ways for us to fulfill our machinery needs.

In addition to the traditional dealership, we can buy from a friend or an unknown source across town courtesy of Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or CycleTrader. While we would all like to believe the pros outweigh the cons, the typical customer really is going to choose the path of least resistance… and the best deal! Sure, selecting a new or used machine at a franchised dealership is reassuring — you know you will get a reliable unit and the dealership will be there tomorrow, unlike that “owner” who insists on meeting you in the Denny’s parking lot with his uninspected motorcycle and “misplaced” paperwork.

Shopping the pre-owned options does not come without risk. Many private sellers are either ignorant, or unscrupulous, so buying something from them can be a roll of the dice.

Buying a bike should not be a crapshoot! Used or new, I hope your sales staff is skilled at finding the customer the right unit for his needs and budget. It should be disconcerting to all dealers that 75% of all motorcycle transactions in America are still driveway-to-driveway. That is without your involvement!

One major red flag to the private party sale is that no trained mechanic ever gets a chance to inspect any of these machines before they are sold. Knowing that most Millennials and “Busy Boomers” have the mechanical aptitude of a wingless tsetse fly makes this even more worrisome. If it can’t be fixed with a text, e-mail or an app on a smartphone, an oil change, valve adjustment or tire replacement simply won’t happen.

Your salesman undoubtedly makes the first sale to a new customer, but does he sell your customer that second unit? I doubt it. It’s usually the service department that makes the second sale with customer service that convinces us customers to come back for more. Treat us right the first time in service and we will buy again… and again!

A friend of mine from Vista, California, who owned a dealership for years has always trained his service staff to synergize with the sales staff. The customer has a contiguous “hand-off” experience from one department to another. It was Mark who enlightened me to something I hadn’t realized before. Many new bike buyers have a break-in maintenance experience that is oftentimes very different from the sales experience a few weeks previously. It’s that secondary visit to the service department which “makes or breaks” the longtime bond with that dealership. The customer truly has to ask himself: “Did they just sucker me for a new machine once… or sell me a new lifestyle forever?”

Even if your customer didn’t buy his used or new toy from you, he did bring it to you to service… for a reason. Trust? Desperation? Lack of choice? No matter the reason, you have a HUGE opportunity to make a lifelong relationship. Is your service manager trained and ready to help you cement this bond? More repeat services and unit sales can result from proper training here. Make it happen now… or lose lifetime customers.

You may not have thought this through… and neither have your customers. We were all transfixed on buying/ selling the unit during the sales process. Neither of us was really thinking of “the first service” while deep in price negotiation or dreaming of the first ride. The fact is that second “service experience” is what cements the long-term bond. Think of it like the second date… sealed with a kiss1

Service with a smile should never be forgotten. That’s how your service department needs to be remembered!