Confessions Of A Customer® By Eric Anderson
TIME FOR A NEW ADVENTURE
Going WFO In Retail
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aybe we have been going about this all wrong. We still think we sell powersports machines, parts and accessories to make a living. What if you were a SCUBA dealer in Wisconsin or a ski dealer in San Diego? What would you sell in off seasons? Other adventure-some products, of course, or tours to somewhere else. With the pandemic-enforced “offseason” for an entire year, now is the time to rethink your business and go WFO into the recovery! Even if you own a powersports dealership in the sunbelt, ask yourself what you are really selling each and every month of the year. Motors… or music to my adventure-loving ears? FYI the vacation industry is about to BOOM starting this Summer as vaccinations increase and quarantines decrease! Everyone will be looking for a quick cure to cabin fever—are you ready? If you look at typical non-powersports brick and mortar retail operations, things are tough all over. Malls, chains, outlets and corporate stores have your same problems — a decrease in floor traffic with increasing expenses. A study from research firm Mintel (www.mintel.com) states “…the strongest growth from any spending category is vacation travel.” Sure your sociallydistanced related OHV sales were great last year, but people are going to be spending more money on “experiences” than “products” which to customers means less cluttered garages and more expensive trips.
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Hmmm — the American consumer is shifting his POV to “Get Out.” And it’s not just the GoPro/selfie generation that is experiencing this behavioral re-boot. Club Eagle Rider, the industry rental king and tour company, is thriving with its new pre-paid subscription model offering local or “fly and ride” programs… nationally and globally across all demographics. Why? Because they sell adventure (travel) first — then all the other motorized goodies come along for the experiential ride. Lots of add-on goodies include gear rentals, purchased gear, souvenirs, travel, meals, accommodations, group tours and… even used motorcycle sales. They are a well-branded adventure center… which also happens to rent what you are trying to sell. My Millennial-aged daughters and sons-in-law spend more of their time figuring out how to be “outside” than they actually spend outside. Why? Because their generation is burdened by fluorescent-lit labor pools and Zoom meetings brought about by the Age Of Information & Technology — cyber-savvy, dogfriendly, Red Bull-fueled, beanbag-equipped prisons. Just getting outside is increasingly becoming a problem in our society even if you live in the sunbelt — there just isn’t time! This paradigm shift in our working society — not to mention a recent pandemic — is not only cutting back on our Vitamin D intake but also your store’s floor traffic. Even with flex schedules and tele-commuting, it is tough for many people, young or old, to escape during business hours, breathe fresh air and put a little adventure in their lives… so they dream about it on social media and with exotic travelogues or e-zines. The definition of the word “adventure” may have devolved because of these societal and generational changes, but that has also made the word itself more applicable to the masses — not just the Thor Heyerdahls, Ernest Hemingways and Edmund Hillarys of the world. Adventure has meant so many different things to so many different people and different generations. To some, it is a ride to the corner tavern on a cruiser, to others it’s a trek to Tierra del Fuego. Some feel it is donning a pair of Oculus VR goggles (as used indoors at past OEM conventions) to “go for a ride.” Hey, the adrenaline flows there too, so no judging here! The definition of “adventure” should remain a personal decision because it “means what it means” to the customer. Now, your dealership should consider taking advantage of this word’s broader societal meaning. So what if your business started selling adventures instead of motor vehicles? Interpret that two ways — literally and metaphorically: 1) Start selling the escape, the wind in the hair and the excitement your marvelous machines offer instead of bullet points and specs. 2) Begin offering customer trips, clubs, group tours, trail rides or even GPS tracks where customers can use their personal machine locally or a rented one at a vacation destination. Everyone else is doing it. Zipline tours in Colorado. Hiking tours in Grand Canyon. Skydive over Maui. Snorkeling tours in the Keys. Yoga paddleboard excursions on Tahoe. Horseback camping in Idaho. Motorcycle tours in Alaska. Meditation escapes in Joshua Tree National Park. A Spartan race at an Army Fort. Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland — oops! Did I really say that? Why aren’t you offering similar adventures for local (and global) customers in your area… or are you taking your location for granted? Dealers used to leave this adventure part of the equation to the customers of the past, but not any longer. Modern customers don’t have the creativity or time to figure out the full puzzle. After selling the “why,” the dealer also needs to demonstrate “how, where and when” to use these machines, so get creative!
