13 minute read
DEALER PROFILE
TEAM WORK REALLY DOES MAKE THE DREAM WORK
Ducati Newport Beach #1, Again!
Agood ‘ESI’ makes for a great CSI,” says Mike Guerin, president of Ducati Newport Beach. The Employee Satisfaction Index is more important to Guerin than just about any award. However being named the Ducati Dealer Of The Americas is not just any award. It is an accolade that only three dealers in the world receive! However he is quick to point out this honor is a testament to the team. “They are the best!” Ducati didn’t disagree and honored the group virtually during the 2020 Global Dealer Conference (see sidebar on page 26).
Located a mile from the beach, selling more Ducati’s than any dealership in the Americas and pretty much living the dream should be enough… but it isn’t for Mike. “What can we do better is what keeps me up at night.” The focus is always on what’s next and what is better for his customers and his co-workers.
In fact, part time CEO/partner/wife Judy has to remind him to enjoy the Southern California sun and reflect on some of the amazing accomplishments Ducati Newport Beach has achieved since it opened the doors back in 2009. That, and a quick ride down PCH, does the trick to keep Guerin coming back to work… well that, and the team he has assembled. They are friends and family (literally in the case of VP of operations and Mike & Judy’s son Brandon). His sales manager Aaron Klink and service manager Adrian Stanner have been with the operation since day 1, and Mike was a customer of theirs long before that.
“We really do have some fun around here,” he admits. Plus there are three shop dogs, with at least one on duty all the time.
LESSONS LEARNED
Guerin spent 35 years in the automotive industry, but at the urging of Judy… okay insistence, he decided to make his passion his profession. He also handpicked a couple of co-workers to make the leap of faith and open a stand-alone Ducati store. “We started with three desks from Ikea and a couple of bikes from Ducati, that was it.” Talk about a clean slate.
“It is crazy,” Guerin admits. “In the car business you can throw money and resources at it, in this industry it is a LOT different. What drove me towards this business is the passion for the brand itself.” While being selfprofessed “risk adverse” (“I’m a complete chickensh!t when it comes to taking chances with the business), he made the leap of faith to become Ducati dealer (with a healthy nudge from Judy… it is true that behind every successful man is a great woman).
In the end, it was my relationship with the brand, the response from the consumer for the brand and the opportunities it offered… Ducati has evolved a lot from being a two-model brand sitting in the corner of a multiline operation. We did start out as Ducati only… that was the whole premise in 2009 when we opened,” he recollects. “We obviously didn’t know what was going to happen with the financial crisis and how long it would last!” Timing is everything, but maybe it would have been easier for Mike to stay in the car game making some easy money…
“We did add another brand, actually two brands because we couldn’t make it as a Ducati-only dealer back then. Of course that didn’t make Ducati very happy, but we felt that we didn’t have any choice at that time.” But things have come full circle and Ducati Newport Beach is not only back to being a standalone store, they are one off Ducati’s flagship stores. “That is where we are most comfortable… I think that is where the crew is most comfortable.” Again deferring to the team concept that has held the operation together through recessions and pandemics alike.
“With the evolution of the brand and Volkswagen Group buying Ducati it opened up the brand to go further along with development and make the product that much better.” Mike adds, “I knew VW had the ability to take this and really run with it! That is what we banked on a year and a half ago when we went back to being a single line store.”
He cites the new Multistrada as a prime example of the benefits that came from being under the Volkswagen umbrella. “The 36,000 mile service interval — the bike is a game-changer. As a team, for us, it is all about Ducati. We don’t have to learn other brands, stock other parts, get other special tools and get other tech training. Instead we are focused on the brand… and I feel Ducati is the same way.” Focus on dealers and Ducatisti the brand is paying off for the risk-adverse Guerin, and keeping the team in its happy place. “I feel that Ducati does the same, the focus is on those that support them. That’s the feeling we get as a dealer.”
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There is also some of the professionalism from the car side coming through, he adds. “If you are to look at our service department, it looks like an Audi service area… they understand the importance of the service side of the operation. You can certainly see the tie-in with a high end automotive operation and how our service department is structured. Certainly a lot more organization.
SERVICE SELLS!
One of the lessons learned in the auto industry that still drives the dealership forward is the importance of the service department. Mike truly believes that “sales sells the first 1, service sells the next 5! I was a Ducati owner and at that time it was hard to find dealership that even sold the product, but it was even harder to find people to work on them.
Enter service manager par excellence Adrian Stanners. After escaping a desk job back home in the U.K. he joined the group where Mike and Brandon were working… and had been running the back end of the house since the beginning with the same mixture of passion and professionalism as Mike.
“Adrian doesn’t even own a car, he literally rides every day of the year and on any type of motorcycle,” notes Guerin. The window from the show room into the service area is right next to Stanners’ station in the middle of everything. “Somebody has to keep that lot in line,” he says of the three techs working six lifts (BTW they are looking to hire another tech if you are looking to move to the beach and enjoy year-round riding).
There is a seventh lift, but that has Mike’s Bultaco Pursang on it and Adrian is not allowed to put that work station online. Despite the accent, “Southern… it is a San Clemente accent, Stanners quips, he definitely speaks the customer’s language and it was his masterminding of the service work that kept the operation going during the early days of the pandemic.
SALES, TOO
Not that sales is an afterthought to service, but Sales Manager Aaron Klink says the bikes sell themselves. “I’m just here to wheel them out of the show room,” he laughs. No joke, though as he was literally wheeling a new Desert Sled out of the showroom when we walked in… of course Mike was sweeping the front mat. Nobody on the team is too important to do anything and everything. Don’t let the casual ease that Service and Sales interact fool you though. “Aaron is the best slinger of metal I have ever seen… his customers trust him and buy from him as much as they buy from the store or the brand,” Guerin claims. Again with Mike’s motto about ESI driving CSI…Klink and his customers make each other happy.
“I just help the customers find the right bike for them… not what we have on sale, or what is collecting dust in the corner or what has the best spiff,” Klink explains. His approach may be casual, but it is anything but laissez faire — he is hands on all the time! He knows his customers, how they ride, what they ride and where their next ride will be… and he will probably be out riding with them on his day off. “We all ride, that is what makes it fun.’
In years past when it came to a choice of going to the dealer meeting in Italy, or the riding intro for a new model, Aaron has always opted for the ride. Always. In fact, he has never even been to the factory once. “This year because we won the sales award for the region, the nation and overall, so I was going to get to go to Italy.” Stupid COVID!
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DUCATI GLOBAL DEALER MEETING GOES OFF…
Virtually, Anyway
While the pandemic prevented Ducati’s Global Dealer Conference from taking place in person, it didn’t diminish the honors achieved by the Borgo Panigale-based brand’s retailers. In addition to taking stock of the year just ended and previewing the new models in the range, international accolades were bestowed upon dealerships, including the North American Sales Award presented to Ducati Newport Beach.
“Newport Beach continues to be one of our strongest dealerships, residing in the center of motorcycling culture in Southern California,” said Jason Chinnock, CEO of Ducati North America. “The dealership consistently invests in the motorcycling community, and their sales numbers show it’s working. This year has seen challenges for our dealers when interacting with customers, and many of our dealerships made extra effort to be successful, which is obvious in the instance of the results from Newport Beach.”
“We’re proud to be part of the Ducati family,” said Mike Guerin, dealer principal of Ducati Newport Beach. “Ducati continues to bring out great products and this year is no exception. Coupled with Ducati North America’s invaluable support, we were able to rally our team here in Newport Beach and provide the best service possible for our customers in 2020 which we will continue with dedication through to next year.”
The complicated global health situation made it impossible to conduct the dealer meeting in person, which in years past had taken place in Italy. So Ducati chose to revitalize the event, organizing the first virtual edition in history. It worked as the Global Dealer Conference drew more than 5,000 participants from 87 different countries.
The highlight of the 2020 edition of the Global Dealer Conference was the live streaming with the preview presentation of the Ducati models for 2021. Thanks to translation in 8 languages, dealers from all over the world were able to discover the new bikes simultaneously. In addition, a “closed room” was exclusively dedicated to the Multistrada V4 with direct chat to answer any dealer’s questions.
As usual, the convention ended with the Ducati Dealer Awards ceremony. An addition to this year’s ceremony was introduction of the new “Best Adapter Ducati Cares & Online Sales” award, dedicated to the dealer who has most distinguished themselves on digital issues and the Ducati Cares program.
Despite the difficult situation, Ducati tried to communicate confidence to all its dealers. Initial feedback was positive on the organizational level of the virtual event as it “virtually” conveyed Ducati values of Style, Sophistication, Performance and Trust.
United States of America
Top Growth – Northeast Region – Valley Motorsports – Northampton, MA
Top Sales Volume – Northeast Region – Hudson Valley Motorcycles – Ossining, NY
Top Growth – Southeast Region – Touring Sport – Greenville, SC
Top Sales Volume – Southeast Region – Ducati Miami – Miami, FL
Top Growth – Southwest Region – Herwaldt Motorsports – Fresno, CA
Top Sales Volume – Southwest Region – Ducati Newport Beach – Costa Mesa, CA
Top Growth – South Central Region – Ducati St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
Top Sales Volume – South Central Region – Advanced Motorsports Ducati Dallas – Dallas, TX
Top Growth – Northwest Region – South Sound Motorcycles – Fife, WA
Top Sales Volume – Northwest Region – MotoCorsa – Portland, OR
Top Growth – Midwest Region – Pony Powersports – Westerville, OH
Top Sales Volume – Midwest Region – Ducati Detroit – Birmingham, MI
Top Growth – Mid Atlantic Region – Coleman Powersports Falls Church – Falls Church, VA
Top Sales Volume – Mid Atlantic Region – Coleman Powersports Falls Church – Falls Church, VA
Top Sales Volume – United States of America – Ducati Newport Beach – Costa Mesa, CA
Canada
Top Growth – Ducati Richmond – Richmond, BC
Top Sales Volume – Motos Illimitées Ducati Montréal – Montréal, QC
México
Top Growth – Ducati Mérida – Mérida, Yuc
Top Sales Volume – DLG Moto Art – México City, DF
AWARD-WINNING!
While winning Ducati’s top honors, and top sales volume in the middle of a pandemic may be a new experience, this is by no means Mike’s first rodeo. In fact, Ducati Newport Beach’s first accolades came soon after opening in 2009, when it won Ducati’s Best New Dealer award.
The following year, the shop was runner-up in Southwest region sales. Building on this momentum, the dealership sold more Ducatis than any other in North America and topped the Southwest sales charts again last year.
This early success launched the shop on a series of Top 100 wins from 2011-2015, including Best Use of Space honors (twice) and Best Service Department in 2015… and culminated with a Dealernews cover story.
“But what I am most proud of is that we won based on KPI — Key Performance Indicators — which includes CSI, market share, units in operation… Basically the full operation of the dealer, not just sales volume.” But for the record Ducati Newport Beach was also the top volume sales in 2020 as well. “I find KPI to be the most rewarding of all the awards the store has gotten over the years because it reflects a team effort.”
ESI drives CSI… indeed!
1601 NEWPORT BLVD COSTA MESA, CA 92627 949.706.1616 www.ducatinewportbeach.com
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