Smoke and mirrors are no longer the magic potion
Sam Dantzler, Columnist
February 12, 2013
It’s no secret that the motorcycle industry is far behind automobiles, even though I hope some pieces of the auto industry never make it into powersports (plaid suits, mainly). There are some things that they (The Car Guys — TCG) do incredibly well, and others that make me want to go and take a bath.... Read more »
Nifty 50 winners show aftermarket innovation
Dave McMahon, Editor-in-Chief
February 8, 2013
It’s always a blast to sort through the growing number of applications each year for our Nifty 50 contest. The selection is the culmination of hours of preparation by Managing Editor and Nifty 50 guru Liz Hochstedler, and the PowerPoint presentation of each nominated aftermarket product aprovides our... Read more »
Auction inventory now only a keystroke away
Dave McMahon, Editor-in-Chief
January 7, 2013
Dealers are becoming more and more comfortable with building their pre-owned inventory from the comfort of their office. Or home. Or anywhere that offers an Internet connection. I always look forward to catching up with folks like Jim Woodruff of National Powersport Auctions and Pete Trench from Manheim... Read more »
Lessening the struggle for F&I income
Peter Jones, Columnist
January 4, 2013
You’ve heard it many times, F&I is “found income,” and it most certainly is. It’s income you can generate without the need for a floorplan; there’s no inventory to do each year; and the shelf life of the products is better than even the late great Hostess Twinkie. It can also be one of... Read more »
Prepare to create opportunities, or beware of results
Steve Jones, Columnist
December 28, 2012
Well, the elections have been decided. At this point, it really doesn’t matter who won. What matters is how we interpret the impact on our business and what preparations we need to make. Regrettably, my crystal ball fell off the bike and got run over by a bulldozer some time ago or I would be able... Read more »
Black Friday 2012 and the motorcycle market
Hal Ethington, Columnist
December 27, 2012
Our annual ADP Lightspeed analysis of Black Friday retail sales provided us with some interesting data on V-twin and metric dealers in 2012. V-twin sales up 5.2 percent For V-twin dealers in 2012, Black Friday showed an increase of 5.2 percent over previous year. The year 2011 was 2.5 percent over 2010. In... Read more »
Power 15 to shed light on evolving dealerships
Dave McMahon, Senior Editor
November 30, 2012
We talk about growth plans for Powersports Business every week. Ideas come from a range of team members, from associate editor Liz Hochstedler and myself to advertising staff to our digital marketing experts. We acknowledge that industry personnel continue to turn to us for insight on a wide variety... Read more »
What will your dealership look like in 2050?
Hal Ethington, Columnist
November 12, 2012
Seven barns. Big ones. Empty every spring, and waiting for the hay that would carry the dairy herds through another winter. They had to be filled, and at 11 years old, I was old enough to join the crew. We baled it, hauled it in, and stuffed those bales clear to the top — up where the heat on the tin... Read more »
Johnson’s retirement to include saddle time
Dave McMahon, Senior Editor
October 5, 2012
“We stopped by their place one time on a ride in the Texas Hill Country one time just to say hello, see if we could do business with them,” Tucker Rocky Distributing president and COO Steve Johnson was telling me about one of the attendees at the company’s Dealer Show this summer in Fort Worth.... Read more »
Lessons from a teen lead to aid of CRM
Neil Pascale, Columnist
October 5, 2012
I’ve learned you have to be a parent of a teenager to really appreciate one of the finer parts of life. If your child hasn’t quite reached this stage, let me educate you. See, when the teenage years dawn, our youth suddenly become quite succinct when asked to perform certain duties. Say taking out... Read more »
