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Powersports Business’ influence on the industry

Nearly 55 percent of Powersports Business readers either formed or changed their opinion about a subject after reading an article or advertisement in the magazine, according to a 2007 independent reader survey,
It’s that potential influence that has Greg Mackey, president of Honda of Jacksonville, which has seven dealerships in Florida and Georgia, making PSB required reading for his business partners.
“We require our banker and our lawyer to receive PSB,” Mackey said. “We absolutely send it to our banker. We make him sign up. We even made our attorney sign up, too. We tell those who want to be in business with us, ‘If you’re going to understand who we are and how we operate, you have to understand our industry.”
Mackey continues that PSB’s articles regarding timely and relevant industry topics are the best way for anyone to have a solid understanding of the industry.
“PSB, in my opinion is the best resource for anyone to really get a feel of what the current trends are.”

Thorough, in-depth coverage
The survey also revealed that PSB scores high in terms of providing the most thorough coverage on industry events, market analysis and reports. On a scale of one to five, with five being strongly agree and one being strongly disagree, readers were asked if they agree that PSB is the best magazine for thorough powersports industry coverage, and that it’s the industry leader for providing in-depth market analyses and reports. Their response? A resounding 4.25 and 4.23 average, respectively.
“I can tell you that we frequently keep copies of PSB articles on file for use in our new employee training, and even as a refresher for existing employees,” said Michael Simons, owner of Simons Powersports in Columbia, S.C. “I will sit down with each new copy of the magazine the first chance I get and read it cover-to-cover. I actually have two copies sent to our dealership, one for me and then one that I place in the employee lounge, and it’s strongly encouraged that each employee, from my district manager to our cashiers, read it as well.”
It’s not just dealers that say PSB is an important read for them to keep up-to-date on current news events in the industry.
The same goes for the manufacturers and other companies that typically end up headlined in various issues of the magazine at various times throughout the year.
“It’s so difficult to stay current on all that is going on in our busy industry,” said Jan Plessner, public relations manager for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. “Products are constantly updated, new trends surface, programs change and people move. When I read PSB magazine, it’s my way of plugging in and getting an industry download on a regular basis.”
Paolo Timoni, president of Piaggio Group USA, says he uses PSB to find information that in most cases wouldn’t be available to him.
“Very often I will look at the magazine to see how the industry segments, particularly scooters, are faring, but what separates the magazine from others is that it frequently goes beyond just printing numbers,” he said. “The interviews with industry executives and the dealer surveys are especially important for us as a company. It has been an especially useful tool to gauge the industry during what was a difficult 2007 for many companies.”

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