What could dealers do to get us (back) in their door?

[Stig / Major Tom]

Can we throw down some ideas that might keep dealers afloat?

This is made harder because darn few dealers just deal scooters. So we end up being 2nd class customers on the showroom floor and at the parts counter and in the service bays.

Some ideas that would get me back in their doors after the initial purchase:

Quick turnaround on parts orders.
"Tire install days" with special prices, on the rim or on the bike.
"Oil and filter change days" with special prices.
"Tune up" specials for you guys with carbs.
Winter storage.

Since most of us have figured out (it's in the warranty fine print) that we do not void our warranty by having the scheduled maintenance done elsewhere (like in our driveway), we are not often revisiting our dealers after the initial scooter purchase.

IMHO - They could use a little imaginative customer stuff to get us back in their shops, if only they'd give it some thought.
And while we're in there waiting for our tire mounts, we'd be looking at stuff.....and maybe even sitting on some new scooters or motorcycles. (I once bought a new VW while waiting to buy some points and a condenser - like that)

What would get you back in the door?

Stig

[Snorvey]

Some of it is down to good old politeness and customer service - something that some motorbike shops in the UK  sorely lack.

Then there's the internet.  In days gone by I would have bought everything at my local bike dealer, from parts to clothing.  Not anymore though. 

One idea could be making a bike shop a fully fledged social hub. There was a dealer in Germany a number of years ago who had a cafe/coffee shop, large tv showing bike racing etc.  He had the room though and he was well funded. .  Many aren't

[ophelia]

Wealth of knowledge.
Follow-through.
A desire to do you right.
Treat you like family.
No gimmicks.

Back when I worked regularly in a small family dealership, we had regular customers that would seek us out. We'd take on customers burnt from elsewhere. They'd drop by to chat and have coffee with us, even. Sure they can get parts cheaper online from parts warehouses. But what they can't get is reliable advice from people who actually work on the vehicles and daily drive them. People who study and understand the workings of vehicles new and old. And if the customers receive a bum part, then they have the confidence that dedicated staff would take care of them and not leave them hanging. I have never sold a customer a part they didn't need; I double-checked their homework especially with electronics which are totally non-refundable.

If you find smaller, dedicated shops like these, or a particular parts person or service manager that knows what they're doing, cherish and support them. Otherwise, you might be doomed dealing with a disinterested part ordering and swapping monkey while your ride sits inoperable.

[LidoCA]

 I do my own maintenance, so I don't use them for that. I went to a dealer the other day to have a tire mounted, and cruised the showroom for a while. Not many scoots there. They had 2 PCX's, 1 Zuma, 1 Xmax. (Honda, Yamaha dealer).
 I priced checked Yamaha replacement body panels online, then checked the dealer prices. The dealer was very close in price, so I ordered them through the dealer. Stay local, if possible.
 A local Kymco dealer had the parts fische with prices on the internet, it was good. I would order them and pick them up at the store. They sold the business to another dealer, then the prices doubled. I never used them again.

 Several dealers do a "bike night" on occasion. They may do a ride or bbq, or sale of some sort. Customer service is big. I will go out of my way to visit a dealer that goes out of their way to be polite and courteous to me.

[CROSSBOLT]

Good ideas, Stig with more good ideas plus proofs they work from the rest of you. Now all that is needed is to facilitate the individual dealers thinking it was THEIR idea!

[LidoCA]

 Recently, I have noticed dealerships being bought up by others. They may have several dealerships with the same name under the same type of management style. It used to be just the large mega stores that were like this. Now the smaller stores have become part of the larger operations. It would seem to be more difficult to get around the MBA mentality, as competition goes away.
 As pressure for sales and margins for the individual stores increase, morale and customer service would seem to suffer. There are still some independent dealers that get up and try to be helpful. As motorcycle sales drop, i believe that as a business owner they would want to try anything to get people in the door.

[klaviator]

I have a good local dealer.  I bought a scooter from them last year and another the year before.  I buy parts and oil from them on occasion.  I try to support them but there is only so much I can do.  I have five bikes and no more room in the garage.

[TroutBum]

One thing a lot of Harley dealers do very will is put on weekly themed events. They have food, drinks, music and other entertainment. Tons of folks show up and it a lot of fun hanging out. I brought my family to a BBQ event my local dealer put on. We had a blast! The dealers also have regularly sanctioned HOG rides where you can earn a patch. I think if scooter dealers did something like this it would go along way in building community and help bring customers into the dealerships.

[CROSSBOLT]

Performance Plus in the Memphis area has this for scooters, sort of. Tim Adair, the store Service guru, is the spark of The Memphis Road Kings scoot club. Quite a following for the annual scooter Cannonball ride-along. Nothing at the dealer store like modern Harley shops. I guess it is better than nothing.

[Tromper]

+1 for what troutbum's about, but if the local dealers got serious about it & did something a bit more, had some instructors out & a few demos (I know..insurance) to try out, you'd at least catch a few of those who were "Bike Curious" as new customers/addicts..The first one's always free ya know...

[Viper254]

For me, it's all about the individual at the garage. I've kept going to the Suzuki garage where i live now (despite no longer having a Suzuki) because they remember my name, what I ride, and what bike I'm lusting after next.

The dealer market's changed a fair bit since I came out of the trade in 2015. A lot of dealers are relying on PCP (essentially leasing bikes on a monthly rate for fixed period, after which time they're either bought outright or traded in) or finance deals that they then take a percentage of. Margins are really tight, especially for the big four, and the Taiwanese brands are snapping at their heels at the lower end of the market.

If a dealership wants to survive, they can't rely on litre sportsbikes alone, nor learner-legal stuff alone; they need a full range, and need to cater to as many different customers as they can get through the door. The older riders of the golden generation are beginning to get towards the end of their riding lives in many cases and the high-value bikes that they bought need to be bought by younger customers. However, you can't get new people into the system without... a good learner range. And if you want people to buy your high-end products, brand loyalty is a big thing; you want to get them in on your learner-legal models, and retain them.

Until a few years ago I would have said I was Kawasaki to the core, but now I'd say the same about Suzuki - which is all the direct result of a positive dealer experience with the only new bike I ever owned, a 110cc for two and half years. Now, I'd go back just to buy from that dealer again.