working in the motorcycle industry so long that we forget to refer to it as the “powersports” industry now. Sorry, it’s a force of habit. Because we have been here so long, all of our connections are within the industry, too. What I mean by this is connecting with others that already work in the industry might be your best chance to open the door to land a job elsewhere. When opportunity comes a knockin’, you want to be the one on the forefront of someone’s mind. As someone recently told me, “it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.”
Personnel Files By Jason Gearld
Hey J, How Do I Get Into The Industry? Follow These 486 Simple Rules
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t’s a question I’ve been asked countless times since moving to California 21 short years ago and found myself living a lot of people’s dream job(s). People want to know how they go about working in our rad little industry as well. Of course there is no hard and fast rule, but I am happy to share my opinion on how to go about getting here. Asking how to get in the industry normally results in me asking several questions back. Questions like “What is it that you want to do in the motorcycle industry?” If just being around motorcycles and talking about them all day is good enough, then get to your local dealer and apply to the sales or parts department. They need someone that has that kind of passion and enthusiasm working in there. Or if the answer is working for an OEM or doing marketing for Fly Racing, then my reply is likely still the same. Get a job at your local dealer. Why? Regardless of what position you want in this industry, I believe it’s nice to have experience at every level of the industry, starting on the front lines in a local dealership. If you work in construction, medical, pet care or refrigerator repair, you likely have have friends that do the same. Yeah, I’m talking about networking. This industry is more of the same. A lot of us have been
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Here is a likely example of how things could go. You cruise down to your local shop and get a job working in the parts and accessories department. You learn the ropes and are happy to be selling carb parts and helping to properly fit customers with a new lid. Every couple of weeks the outside road rep for your favorite distributor shows up to count batteries and spark plugs. The rep sees your knowledge continue to grow. Inevitably you develop a nice friendship. One day the rep hears that another nearby territory will become available and the distributor will be looking for a new rep. Thanks to your friend, she happily throws your name in the hat and vouches for your work ethic. Let’s say for this example that you land the gig. I could easily go on and this story would lead to regional sales manager followed by national sales manager and maybe even VP. Or maybe it goes from outside sales rep to marketing. Who knows? That part of the story is up to you. But hopefully you could see how easily just getting your foot in the door combined with a good attitude and work ethic could take you to where you want to be. I have seen this story lots of times play out in 20 years. Need examples? I have plenty. I had a conversation last night with a guy that is currently sitting on the couch and contemplating accepting a position that is paying way less than he expects of himself. My advice, right or wrong, is to take the job and do good work for his new employer. By being out there on the front lines and connecting with people, he’s far more likely to hear about a position better suited for him than he would be while sitting on the couch watching Donahue. It’s still on, right? Maybe Days of Our Lives then? Being more relevant than my TV references is key. Again, it’s not just who you know, it’s who knows you. You have to be willing to connect with people and let them know you are interested in working within the industry. People won’t naturally assume you would jump at the chance to do an entry-level job working at their employer unless they know you’d love the opportunity. Let friends know you are looking and they will let you know when something good is coming.
