Everybody, welcome back to the dealership.
Fix a podcast, you're listening to episode number 59 and I've
got with me today, a bring back. I got Jared Burt from hero Hub
to come back with me and man is the stuff that he's been putting
out, just become Ultra relevant with all of this coronavirus
stuff. I'm Jared.
Thanks for taking the time to get on with me today.
Hey, I'm excited to talk to you and join you today.
This is This is like you said very interesting times, you
know, I don't know if I think maybe the in my, in my depths, I
like big changes and and you know, I don't I would always
tell somebody like, I like to watch a thunderstorm and my just
weird because I like to see, you know, not like a train wreck but
like a thunderstorm big changes. You know, to me those things
mean something. And with all this stuff that's
going on right now and some of the Sponsors.
I've seen with some some guys on like Instagram some of the
dealerships and what they're putting out there.
I think being proactively you know to the direction of some of
sort of your teachings that you've been putting out there
this last let's say you're so I feel a lot of optimism am I
crazy right now to feel optimism for what we do and with all the
sort of the trepidation and the turmoil that we're in the middle
of with all the question marks. You know, not crazy at all.
No, I totally agree with you. And I think that the one of the
best examples I can think of that is a guy named Greg
Woodward recently bought a Harley Davidson dealership in
Idaho Falls, Idaho and I was I was talking to him.
I met him last week and we were speaking about the, you know,
Oh, the concerns. And the current conditions with
covid-19 and and he was he was just speaking to their
perspective and, you know, some of the adjustments and
accommodations that are meeting making for customers.
But something that he said, that really stuck out to me, was that
we our dealership is that Center for optimism.
And you could feel it in his dealership, the staff was had
that and radiated that ought optimism.
And and so it was it was great to see that from a dealership,
they know that customers their customers that can get out and
ride during these times, that that it does a lot of good for
just their Well, being their mental health, you know,
especially when with homeschooling, I've already
suspended my daughter from home school and we've expelled my
son, and it's only been five days in to home schooling, I can
appreciate the center for optimism.
That dealerships are You know, it makes me think of things, you
know, when all this sort of wackiness is going on.
And all these question marks, it makes me think of how you know,
if you've ever watched a like one of the big blockbuster
movies and it's showing the perspective of, you know,
somebody in prison and the life there, of course, you've you get
immersed in like, you know, hope to, you know, anything that's
good that I never have to be behind those walls myself, but
you live that during a movie. And you realize I think really
Lee how whatever? I think, they'd say dangerous.
But I how important hope is. Because obviously if you know,
like, we are now a depending on where you are in the country,
and exactly what your current jurisdiction is telling you,
stay in the house, you're okay to go outside or whatever you
think about a way to be able to to melt that away.
If you, if you either have the hope that in short order, I
should be able to view it back out doing my thing on my
motorcycle or name that other Device, you know, that sort of
hope. I think is so important right
now. Absolutely.
This time of year in Idaho where I'm at.
It's both snowmobile season. And, you know, now motorcycles
are coming. It's time to get motorcycles
out. And yesterday, I was on my bike,
and it felt so good to be on a motorcycle.
It did. So, it's just us so much.
For you, emotionally mentally was a reset.
So yeah, absolutely, totally agree.
So, you know, I think we're on the same page and I think
anybody that would be listening to this would be of a similar
persuasion to understand and know, but I just want to make
sure we've I've really beat that horse to death.
I think the organization that the industry that we're in or
you know, these other parallels, whether it's, you know, we're in
power sports you know the Marine industry RV industry.
These other areas, these are all want to do is not need to do is
I think we all know that as much as we want to help our customers
figure out a way to make it a half to do so that it's a part
of their life, they never go away.
Ultimately it's something they really are are passionate about
and you know, I'm really glad that we're a part of this even
in tough times because this is something that that people need
and want the old, you don't see a motorcycle parked outside the
psychiatric. Doctors you know officer
whatever you know that that whole like idea that it's a, you
know, it's therapy and itself and I totally believe in that.
But anyway, not to to beat that horse too far to death but I was
hoping to be able to talk with you about.
You had put out an article here not too long ago.
That really took some of the ideas and Concepts you've been
working with to the next level in an applied them right over
top of this, the coronavirus stuff.
It's All the 10 ways to protect dealerships in the post
coronavirus era. Yeah, like to talk with you a
little bit about that. Yeah, and I know it's not the
best title. Do your news is actually has
taken the article and they'll be publishing that this Monday in
their March issue. And they've retitled it beating
the covid-19 slump, which is probably more yellow easier and
cats. Here.
That's why they get paid the big bucks.
Actually the professional that actually publicist opposed to me
who's just an amateur but yeah, for sure.
It, you know, really the way that this came about I was I was
on the East Coast last week and I was I was flying back to
Idaho. And well, I was well, I was out
there. I had, I decided to check in
with some dealerships in Rochelle, New York and Seattle
Washington and those two areas. Those two regions are
significant because these are hot spots were early outbreaks.
Where there were a lot of confirmed cases in the United
States that we and Rochelle New York.
And that was, you know, that's five miles away from where I was
the week and a half ago in New York City but that's an area
where there's there was. There may still be but there was
at the time a containment order or National Guard was.
Was there to make sure that the folks in that Community were
quarantined? So pretty major stuff.
You know, in Idaho at the time we didn't have one case and in
the entire state so it felt pretty good.
Good. We were hope we held out pretty
pretty long but there were hot spots and so, the dealerships
that I spoke to at least here in my backyard a week ago, really
very little concern. But when I talked to a
dealership in Seattle, this was a Toyota dealership and they
said, you know, we take a lot of precautions.
We we take steering wheel covers and we put them on all the cars
before we check them into the shop.
Where were using clouds? We're taking extra precautions
to make sure we have a sanitary environment and it was
impressive. I was like whoa, they're really
taking this seriously and they're taking a lot of
precautions for employee and customer safety and and they and
I said, you know, and I mentioned that I said, well, you
guys are doing a lot. What, you know, why is that what
he's saying? And they said, well, a
dealership down. The road had an employee that
had a confirmed case a few days ago and they closed their
dealership over the weekend and they're open again.
So I thought. Wow, that's interesting.
I'll call them. So, so I called that dealership.
This is in the Seattle area and they were reopened.
They said, we cleaned everything, but they didn't
apply any of those same. They, you know, they said, hey
if a salesperson tries to shake your hand, just tell him to back
off. They, I said, well, what if I,
what if I need my car serviced, I'm not comfortable coming into
your dealership. Could you come pick it up and
they said, no, you we don't do that.
We don't have any way to pick up your car to have it serviced and
bring it back to the office and they said, if you wanted to, you
could take it up with management.
So it just Just that enlighten me, I talked to Harley
dealerships, I talked to multi-lane, Powersports
dealerships and you know at this point there wasn't much effect
on business. There wasn't a lot of concern, a
week ago, but just in a couple cases there were.
And so it made me think, you know, there's really there
really are some things like this one dealership that didn't want
to get shut down. They, they were applying some
things that I thought I need to get some of that out there.
And so a lot of what I what I got was from that viewership,
that was in this desperation mode and and so I put that
together with some other things that just from a customer's
perspective as a customer as a writer that and as a former
dealership. What I knew, what I knew that
customers would value especially During this during this pandemic
because we knew even a week ago, this is this is going to get
worse before it gets better. Yeah, you know what's tough as
you think about all the perceptions and how it's been?
I don't know if like for power sports where my home has been
for a lot of years. It's not like there's not plenty
of dealerships with wonderfully clean bathrooms and so on and so
forth. But ultimately, you know,
dealerships in general have I think been given quite a bit of
a pass because their dealerships, if we're talking
power sports, for example, and in a lot of cases, some RV.
Dealerships are the same way because they might operate out
of Some little trailer with a deck on it, you know.
And they're selling RVs out there and they don't mind sort
of the that that's how it set up its maybe keeping everything,
super sanitary hasn't been high on the priority list and give it
a pass and I think that's where I like to think.
Okay. So something drastic enough is
happening that it's a wake-up call because a guy's you're
saying you know the even if you were given a pass before and you
know we're I think we're past and through that.
Whether you're their shared with you or not by a customer or a
fundamentally changed, you know, at this point even though we're
not through it, right? Yeah exactly.
Yeah so my my motivation for writing this article really what
was which which it is available on my LinkedIn page and on
medium but on Monday it'll be available on, do your news.
But really my motivation for writing these things was in
talking to dealerships that were were in the thick of it,
affected the most early on, what did the best.
Of those, how did the best of those react and what are some of
the best things they did? And so, so that really was it
and you mentioned, you know, sanitary environment.
So the first view, you know, one was when I was a dealer it was
kind of a cold gold star for an employee to come in.
If you were a little sick like you just push through it, you
work through it. My granddad taught me that You
know you you you just work through it and you just become a
workaholic and you know a little fever shouldn't hold you back.
Well that's changed now there's no gold star for perfect
attendance and and who we've got to take that seriously, sanitary
environment. So I recommended a beaver
sanitation specialist. So imagine just someone in the
dealership that's assigned each day throughout the day.
To monitor high traffic areas, wipe them down and and just go
overboard on cleanliness and making sure the frequency is
there, especially in the higher traffic areas, all the counters
and you know, more more than ever.
It's critical that were organized and tidy and clean.
And so you know, maybe we You know, we tolerated messy service
counters and parts counters in the past.
Well we need to really make sure that in our dealerships.
We have this image of really, really great organization and
cleanliness. So, important now and then the
third item I talked about was just the handshaking.
If the social Norm that shake hands, hugging's become I'm a
pretty big thing. If you have, you noticed that,
is that the same on the west coast?
Absolutely. Well in some places more than
others, but yeah, a lot of the, you know, the big, whether it's,
you know, two dudes, the big man hug and they hit each other in
the back row. Hearted and yeah, become so
standard the handshake. You know, when would we go
without a handshake of course high-five or like, you're saying
a hug like that? So, Yeah yeah so it's just a
strict policy. Any we have to take it
seriously? Now no handshaking.
No hugging sound silly but need to find another way.
Other ways to show our our respect and appreciation but but
that's something that has to go away and then just the other
precautions. Number four, no Trace using.
Using disposable gloves to as we're handling vehicles and
going from one to another as to just take extra precaution.
Not to spread in this customers. See, service advisors doing that
as they call a motorcycle around, and then change out
their glove. That will give customers a
little more confident and and it also will help keep from
spreading infectious disease. And then, you know, the other
items that I talked about, those are kind of the first for the
other items are to promote employee and customer safety,
but also they're coupled with. With customer accommodation
during a time, when a lot of our customers, there's a lot of
anxiety. There's a lot of trepidation
just like I was a little concerned about going into the
dealership couple days after You know an employee was sent home
with convert confirm coronavirus, you don't know what
other employees have it. So during that time we can we
can accommodate customers in a marvelous way and and help them
have continuous service and the confidence that they have
support from dealerships to continue to pursue that passion
that we talked about, I call it social distance writing.
You know, we need, we've got to continue to enable that for
customers. That was in.
Were you saying that was number five on your list?
Yeah. So those are the first four so
so going through five through 10, okay?
You've got a virtual showroom, so The websites that dealerships
have now. Need transparent information on
everything. The dealership has in inventory
available to pick up or to be delivered today.
And so I think there's a lot of years that do a great job with
keeping their used inventory up to date, you know, every day at
least it's being updated. But this goes beyond that to
provide more information to customers online about parts
accessories, service, jobs that are available.
What the pricing is, so that customers can go onto the
website and have this virtual real-time virtual showroom.
That's a tougher one, because it's really not available yet,
but we've got to work towards that.
We've got to work towards that. It's you're speaking my language
from, you know, obviously the sort of what I do day in and day
out which is talking about you know, advertising in units
listed and and and and the depth of making sure what we see
obviously is that the better merchandise, the more of the
story, you're able to invest in it and it's displayed online for
someone obviously, the quicker, the turn happens on them,
becoming an owner, but in the same way, Is what you're talking
about. I've said for the last couple
years and talk to guys and I get a lot of pushback if I'm having
a conversation with somebody on like a Facebook group or
whatever. And I say, you know, I really
wish right now that when I'm interested in something for my
motorcycle motorcycle acts, I'd love to be able to jump on my
most close proximity dealership because I've got plenty of guys
here in different dealerships that I'm friends with I buy
from, you know, occasionally as I need things.
But why don't you begin to make it a little easier for me if I
want to be like, man, what do you have in stock for my
Goldwing by 2018 Goldwing? And, you know, I want something
new and snazzy on their, you know, whatever that is, you
know, not the kuryakin book. I do want to put the kuryakin
book at it but like, maybe I want a new windscreen.
Maybe I want a new see, baby. I want a new name that thing and
I said, you know, I know it's a big of a big hill to climb for
guys, especially with it with a decent sized inventory.
But shouldn't I be able to go to your website, Website and
shouldn't I be able to search and say, you know, name these
things that are for Goldwing or name that item.
Maybe if I do my own homework and find an item number, maybe
you've got them listed somewhere like you're saying in real time
and then I can blast out an email or I can pay ahead and
pull up and pick the thing up without, you know, blown my
whole day out, you know. So I think again, this is in the
times, we're in, I like to think maybe we'll move some of those
pieces because we have to in that direction.
I'd like to think that that's, Absolutely.
Yeah, we've got to get to real time, inventory.
What's available today in the dealership?
We got to think broader in terms of everything parts, accessories
services. In addition to the vehicle
number seven is is the oh I don't want to skip six number
six. It's just this idea of virtual
advising and sales and so this is the Cyber salesperson so
customer. MERS in Zoom.
If you want to stock that's on fire, invest in Zoom right now.
The web conference is is becoming a pretty big deal now
with all the work from home. So our customers more and more,
they'll be very, very comfortable.
A few months from now communicating over web
conferencing apps. So, this might be FaceTime.
Google me Google Hangouts Facebook, That I think it's
workplace Zoom meetings and our teams at the dealership need to
enable these kinds of interactions.
So if a customer is a customer's home or in the office and
they're interested in what that kuryakin, windshield maybe looks
like and to confirm that it fits, they might want to connect
over FaceTime with a parts expert that can talk to them
about that, face-to-face, through the foam and show them a
couple options that are available.
And so, you know, imagine them holding it up to a bike in the
showroom so that the customer can see what that looks like
this real-time. And so, this is this virtual
advising cyber salesperson. It's not futuristic.
We have the technology already to do that and we can
accommodate customers in that, That way the same is true for
service, how powerful will be for a service advisor to do a
FaceTime call with a customer to show them.
Show them, what is going to be repaired on their bike?
That's a powerful thing. We already have the tech to do
it, so why not? So the the next one is this idea
of the seven, which would be scheduled shopping Sprint, so a
customers prefer or need to visit the dealership then
scheduling appointments is even more critical and, and a lot of
dealerships, some are just getting shut down.
All together with Governor orders in some state.
Pennsylvania is one of Those that was that.
Just shut down all the dealerships there yesterday, but
those that are allowed to keep the doors open, at least the
back doors, could kill schedule. Private appointments with
customers, even if your showroom is open scheduling these
appointment and then ensuring that At the i's are dotted and
T's are crossed before the customers there.
So it's not a six-hour shopping experience, that's really
Unthinkable. The these appointments, these
shopping experiences to pick up a new motorcycle.
I should be able to go, go to the dealership and out the door
within 60 minutes and so improving that process.
So the customer that does come to visit so that they're not
stuck. In the dealership for six hours,
they can be outright. A lot quicker and then eight is
just closing the door on open houses.
There's no more no more hot dog parties.
At least I don't see it. The days of cramming as many
people in your showroom as possible, hoping that the fire
marshal doesn't doesn't shut you down.
That's just not realistic anymore.
So, individual experiences with customers, Hours and creating
personalized experiences is really the future.
And so instead of a big open house where you cram a bunch of
folks in identifying and customizing experience, for each
customer is is what will be preferred and this might be
hoping a future writer, a potential writer have a coaching
experience at the dealership where you're teaching them.
How to ride a motorcycle. This could be a number of
different things. But having personalized
experiences with customers is is even more important now, because
these big open houses and parties with hot dogs and
Macho's, that's a thing of the past.
Do you like hot dogs? Brian, you know, if I'm hungry
enough, I'll eat hotdogs, but I can tell you, it's funny.
It's been a lot of years since I've been a part of a dealer
open house in that sort of old school way, the way I grew up,
you know, that that was what they were.
You should up and hotdogs and look at the bike and throw your
leg over and hopefully, it doesn't fall down your kid.
You're not really supposed to be in there and sort of the, you
know, being in love with that, for the rest of my life.
But in more recent years, when I see open houses happening, it
doesn't Feel like an open house in most cases and I'm not
obviously some guys really do it up and they probably do a really
killer job on it, but I witnessed a lot more distancing
from that being a reality. It feels like over the last
couple of years. Yeah, so so if you're coming
into my dealership, maybe I'll find out if you're coming in
during lunch. Time, I'll find out what you
like to eat. I'll I'll order in lunch for you
and it'll be, it'll be personalized.
So if you don't want a hot dog, you want to do want a Philly,
cheesesteak wheel will make that happen and that'll be part of
your experience. So I think Hott Dogg.
I'm not against hot. I'm not anti hot dog.
I want to make that clear in a lobbyist going to call.
I'm just for individualized experiences, right?
And then and then nine is this, this idea of pickup and delivery
and there's a lot of other business models that have been
around for a while. Pizza made it, you know, made
their industry off of local delivery services and now it's
everything. You can get everything delivered
in food service. Isis now with with all the apps
and all the services, Uber Eats and everything else, but
customers have big becoming accustomed to that.
However, given covid-19 now it's, it's not just about
convenience but now it's about safety as well.
And so this is something that dealerships can get really all
in on and making it an Option with every customer interaction.
So finding out, would you prefer to come in at a specific time to
pick it up? Or would you like me to deliver
that to your home or storage unit or office?
Just two days ago, Camping World launched a campaign where
they're now big now enable customers to be able to go onto
their website select an RV. Buy it.
Print the paperwork sign it mail.
It back to Camping World and schedule a day for their new rvw
be delivered. Starting just two, just two days
ago. Camping world has made it
possible to buy an RV. Regardless of where you are and
you never have to set foot in that dealership.
I think that's powerful. I don't think everyone's going
to do that. I don't think everyone's going
to prefer to not go into the dealership but I think it's
brilliant given their older demographic that that is now a
service that they provide that's a possibility.
And so regardless of whether that Kuryakin accessories or a,
they knew four-wheeler, or a, a warranty repair that needs to be
performed pickup, and delivery needs to be a, just one of the
services that's available at local dealerships.
Soooo. What do you have delivered today
that you didn't have delivered ten years ago?
Friend, lots of things. My, my wife got real.
I don't know, I mean, I think Hillsboro Oregon where I sit
probably because they built one of the Amazon big old warehouses
and little Network that went with it of people delivering
within minutes of your order. Almost, you know, I mean, in
delivery times that are really close to real time.
Anyway, we started doing that and then I talk to people in
different parts of the country where I grew up in back east
and, you know, Midwest. And, you know, of course, that
they didn't know that existed, yet, when we started doing it, I
was like, oh wow, I didn't know where's Trailblazer just became
normal all of a sudden here because it existed, you know.
And then the idea that, of course, lots of food.
We're not doing a lot of that right now but we are in fact
we're doing it, maybe the other, wait, needing a reason to get
out of the house and running to a restaurant.
That doesn't let you dine in their dining room but you can
get some to-go order from them. Support local business that way.
But Yeah, honestly, it's a lot of things.
And I think that's maybe the big shift, you know what has
occurred? And here we go.
Anything motorcycle. I remember though, working at
Shops, let's call it in the late 90s, early 2000s and just
knowing as a parts guy parts manager doing that, like we
really should have a delivery service and of course then it
makes me think of like, you know, NAPA Auto Parts and you
picture the guy in the little, the little car, you know, with a
little baseball gonna happen. Yeah.
Yeah, and it was like well that's not we're not going to do
that, that's not gonna be us you know, it'll be just somebody in
their personal car, a little shop car whatever.
But you know, my mind it was like we should be doing that.
Like I can't get everybody to always come here.
Maybe the traffic some bear, you know, they don't really want to
deal with it. Or they don't really come to
this side of town. They don't really know where we
are, they have an ID, you know, whatever the holdup was, I
really thought, you know, this is that was 30 years ago or
whatever, 20, some years ago. I really thought we should have
been doing it then. But I should said now it's, you
know, it's a perception thing. Maybe it's actually a health
thing for somebody to be like, you know, I'd let you show up
and hand me something. At my doorstep.
I'm not setting foot in another location today or tomorrow or
next month or whatever. Yeah, used to just be about
yesterday, it was just about convenience for the customer
today. It's about convenience and
safety. And so with the weight of that,
it's a, it's a very relevant. It's something that every
dealership needs to, seriously, consider if it's not actively
being actively promoted. I dealership recently in
Arizona, closed closed through the end of the month and then
they're going to reassess because of the coronavirus
outbreak in that region. And They offered their eat an
email address. If you need anything email us
and I think that's good. I think it's good that you're
available. I think it better and I think
it's, you know, even if I would say best, if the communication
was so clear, that customers knew that we're available to
provide pickup and delivery rather than If you need
anything, let us know. Let's be very deliberate and
clear about providing that service to customers.
I think it's critical and then number 10 is on in a similar
vein mobile, mobile service, which is to say that there's a
lot of jobs. There's some maintenance and you
know the technicians would be the experts here.
How far you could or would want to go with mobile.
Service, but there's some repair maintenance or installation that
can happen on site and so rather than driving the customer's
vehicle back and forth. Going going to the customers
where the customer's vehicle is and Performing that repair on
site is a service. That is becoming more and more
popular in the Auto industry and other verticals.
For Powersports dealerships. This is something that that this
outbreak, this pandemic could increase demand for that and
dealerships that offer the Souris could retain and increase
customer lifetime value in addition to providing again.
Safety value prop for customers during this time.
I'm and that's that's that's my 10.
So I gave away the whole article.
Basically I think it'll it'll be okay.
It'll be very shareable, you know, definitely I'll put the
I'll put a link to dealer news even though I don't have the
actual URL for the link where it'll be, they'll be able to
find it on dealer news when they listen to this.
You know, if you're saying it's coming out on Monday plus you
know, if you guys don't know Jared, maybe connect with them
on LinkedIn. He's really just a lot of these
Resting articles. This isn't this isn't a One-Shot
deal for you to put out something that's just super
valuable for us from you know, me and then ideas that I
immediately I'm like yes yes, yes.
We should be doing that and in these times I was thinking if
there's a couple of these that it got me thinking about
different things and I guess I don't know.
I don't I mean hopefully you've got a few more minutes to chat.
I think we're talking about, you know, can we get it close to a
half hour? We've blown past that now but I
have more ideas or more questions maybe for you either.
The way to look at it. What?
Yeah certainly I guess my disclaimer as well as I am.
Definitely not the coronavirus expert and I'm I'm You know, I'm
a former dealer gone Rogue really.
And and the thing for me is I this is a nerve-wracking time as
a dealership, I bought out my boss in early, 1999, one year
later, the tech, the, the tech Bubble Burst, you know, and that
was the.com bubble, that that made it really tough for the
next couple of years. And And and this, this may be
even tougher, you know, 08-09 was was really tough and, and
hopefully we see a b curve with this and traffic is customer
traffic, is it something that lightens a little but picks
right back up. I'm optimistic, but we have to
prepare for the weeks potentially months that this may
last and then we've got to be ready for the long term.
The long term, cultural shift and how we adapt to customer
preferences going forward. So yeah.
So I would love to, I got a little more time so I'd love to
hear your your ideas and Question, well, definitely not
the coronavirus expert. No, yeah.
Yeah. I mean either unfortunately, and
it sounds like the people that are experts are still continuing
to learn is it you know as more information is made available or
as it becomes a bigger issue and they have a different sort of a
mental grasp on the situation where we're headed.
But I started thinking the other day about you know we go to we
go to name, you know, drive-thru restaurant and I am, you know
I'm not in there. My shoes aren't Germs on them
from their location, but I just handed them something out of my
wallet, to pay for my order, that they're then touching, and
then handing back to me and it goes back in my wallet, you
know, goes in my pocket, right? I've been thinking a literally
these last whatever handful of days.
With all this, I started thinking well I guess I'm about
to sign up for my, my phone's little, you know, internal chip
thingy that. I hold next to their credit card
machine, you know? Like I could do to Starbucks or
whatever, you know. Doc.
Okay. Yeah, exactly.
And I'm on an Android. But, you know, I've got Samsung
or Android versions of that. Same thing, I think even Google
has it or whatever now, but right, and it started making me
think like between that and like, you know, the idea that I
should be able to walk up to the doors at a dealership, a very
high touch area, right? Sort of the Fatal funnel, if you
will of high-touch, you know, that should have an automatic
door opener or should have the little foot thingy that I put my
foot on right, and pull the door open, instead of touching it
with the hands, right? Right.
Is there any reason that you feel like some of that stuff
hasn't caught on more in the retail stores that we interact
with? Yeah, I know.
And this, this list is not, for sure, not a comprehensive list.
I think that we need ideas to add to it.
And those are those kinds of things are Innovations and, you
know, improvements to accommodate the same things, the
same issues, you know, sliding Magic doors are in in some deers
but you rarely see them. They're just, you know, there's
there's a investment that you make as a dealer in upgrading
these kinds of things and and it can't happen overnight.
Because some of these adjustments are, you know,
they're they're expensive but I think adoption will definitely
be accelerated with things like that because of Of of the risks
that exist in today's environment.
So, absolutely, I think those are great ideas.
I'm going to I'm going to add those in as number 11 and 12.
There you go. Well and then I guess, you know,
for some, you know, feeling on real-life sort of strategies or
whatever, take those may be the worst case example.
Right now, you've got like you'd said, if it's if it's
Pennsylvania I'm not sure and you've got, you know, maybe
Varinia, these different places that have done some lockdown,
you know, where, what should a dealer be doing?
Let's say, for example, they, they can't have physical.
The doors open, people can come in, maybe they can't even do
appointment, setting appointments today, right?
So maybe they can't even do that.
Where should they go? So, they've got some action,
they've got something they're working on, would it be, would
you have them working on making sure their virtual showroom is?
Is like, what's the plan to ratchet and build that out?
Because, you know, I can tell you from the cycle trader, an RV
Trader side of things people haven't stopped shopping.
I mean, people are at home with time on their hands.
They're probably doing more. I haven't gotten to pull all the
analytics, but I'm still seeing lots of activity on my
customers. What would you say to someone
who's literally, you know, not in their store right now?
What would they be working on? I think you're spot on i instead
of visiting. All the way visiting a showroom
in favor of cycle trader today. So that I can gather as much
information as I can in, you know, in my own environment
because I know I can control that and then it's it's a
communication plan and do what you can.
So being available Through. With a virtual, you know, the
Cyber salesperson sounds like something from a futuristic
movie. But virtual advising and sales
is something that we can enable right away.
And and, you know, are all of our employees are armed with
cell phones and can FaceTime or Google meet the that's an
opportunity to just inform customers.
Hours that we can do that. And then establishing guidelines
with employees to enable the virtual advising and sales as
far as scheduling. If there's not the capability
and a deer's website today. Then let's start with with
implementing scheduling by a text or whatever Communications
are available today that we can Schedule on a calendar.
And for some two years this is just a paper calendar that they
keep on up on the wall for now until the Technologies
available. Some crms have some good
scheduling tools but but let's, let's accommodate customers with
what we have today and then get better with technology down the
road that there's so much that we can do today as far as
individualized experiences. You know, let's let's get the
team together at the dealership and brainstorm on what things we
can do to take a six-hour. What is normally a six-hour
ordeal? Tighten that up to 60 minutes
when the customer comes. But be so prepared, spend a
couple hours preparing for that customers and blowing their
socks off with this incredible organization, when they arrive
and, you know, to wipe them, with, with things that they
aren't expecting when they come in and help them get in.
And out, really quickly, these are things Are not you know yes
technology will enable some of this as we get better tools that
are accessible but but these are things that we can Implement.
Now with the tools that we have today, Sort of a ready shoot
aim. That's one of the big things I
go back to all the time is don't-don't-don't, forego taking
action because you don't have it all figured out, you know, make
your best, you know, shot at it. And then recalibrate and then go
at it again. Like you're saying, if you don't
have a digital calendar, you probably have a paper one.
Start start working on that work toward the next thing if you
want to fine-tune, right? Yeah, and it's just, it's just
hard work. I mean, local pickup and
delivery. Maybe we don't have a sprinter
van that, you know, decked out with a wrap and, you know, a
delivery driver in a special uniform.
Maybe it's, it's, you know, just reimbursing miles for now for
employees that are out there, doing pickup, and delivery, but
in a time where there's risk for lower floor, Catholic going out,
hustling for that business and working hard for every customer
might include pickup and delivery services in a local
market. And I think there's a lot of
cases where customers would even be willing to pay a little more
for the delivery service. I know, when I want Jimmy
John's, I'm definitely willing to pay a little more for them to
bring the sandwich to me. So, customers are accustomed to
that? That and they'll appreciate the
opportunity to have that service brought to their doorstep.
You know. I wonder to, you know, we said
for so long that you know, we you know, some of us have
worked, you know, like everybody listening to.
This is working in a dealership or has in the past.
I'm sure that or orange considering doing it or whatever
but we've all got our comfort zone as we are there and where
the service providers of sorts and you can come into my house,
meaning that into the dealership.
But I've always been highly aware of when I first started
going into dealerships how much I loved it.
But you know, it was your on somebody else's sort of ground
and I think there could be a real good breakthrough with the
fact that there are certain people who might have a
motorcycle. Well times are tough, you know,
gas prices are good but you know, maybe maybe they're like,
man. I really wish I could ride that
bike, but we're all in the house now, minimal days to get out.
I'm sure not gonna bring to a dealership.
That I may be uncomfortable in that zone because that's not my
comfort zone yet, you know? I only walk in as a customer
Maybe the ability to get a shot at serving them on, there's on
their Turf, which I measure their driveway, their garage.
Take a look at the bike. Well, you know what this job,
okay. So I checked it out, you know,
it's likely. Obviously a battery would be my
first guess and then we go from there.
You know, I can come back out to be another fee.
I'd recommend you, let me take it back to a one-hour diagnosis
and a battery, you know, authorized that the guys, on the
customers land, you know, literally on their doorstep, I
think a whole different Nation ship, can be formed and bring
those in who may have been a little bit more apprehensive to
be really a customers to us yet. Yeah, I love that.
I think this that breakthrough, Brian.
I think that you're right on point.
There's a lot of customers that are inspired by motorcycling for
example and maybe it's gen Z and Millennials that aren't
comfortable coming into the dealership.
But they they're spending a lot of time watching the cool videos
and content that's available on social media and there's
inspired by Motorcycling, but it's tough for them to break
through that barrier. Make the step to come into a
dealership, but if they can, if they can request, you know, if
they see on social media, that dealerships are willing to come
to them, with a motorcycle to do an orientation that I think,
that that's something that would just break that barrier of the
Comfort level. That's customer has even After
even after coronavirus passes over.
So yeah, I think that's a really great core point.
We could bring in new customers that buy quite going to them,
instead of requiring, this model of where you need to come into
the dealership. Well, you know, I think a lot of
the mindset could be obviously if there's fear, you know, it's
the old like, okay. This is what I know we had and
afraid we're beginning to lose this or whatever, you know, the
long term could be lost. Of this pie.
That's where I just, I guess I start thinking of like, okay
well why is the pi of stay the same size, right?
You know the if today if the roads are a lot more bear today
of cars, right man, but let's let's make sure that people are
engaging while they're stuck in their house.
They're dreaming about. I can't wait to get out and the
freedom, all these sort of things that are just tied in.
And I think maybe, maybe the long-term back is we've we've
stocked the or the market shares better on the street for
motorcycles and it Ever was before and maybe a little lesser
for cars. If you know if that's doable for
us in a time like this, Yeah, you know the motorcycle Industry
Council is launc, launched an initiative.
This last fall called more writers writing more and I know
you're familiar with that. A lot of dealerships are are
interested in. What the plan is.
They've laid out a Playbook that's available on the
motorcycle Industry, Council website, and my c.org where they
describe the culture code of motorcycling, which is that,
which is to say that customers value, You individual
sovereignty that personal sovereignty that comes with
motorcycling and happy into that.
And enabling that journey to ridership is, is enabled by what
the M IC has described as the portal de morte motorcycling.
I've talked to some that have said, you know that portal the
motorcycling, that's a website of some kind but really Part of
the portal. De motorcycling is dealership
and dealership that enable inspired future writers to
engage with them in easier ways, where there aren't as many
barriers that the portal the motorcycling.
That's the that's really the connection when, when that, that
future Rider engages with a dealer because that dealer is,
is Is accommodating them in so many ways, whether it be a
virtual chat from the showroom, or we're delivering a motorcycle
to the university where they're at, to show them, and their
group, what it's all about. I think that those are things
that deers are so creative. I know that dealerships in this
time, we're going to come up with great ideas, you know, this
is just a list of 10. There's, there's The hundreds of
things that dealerships will come up with that will Delight
customers Inspire writers and increase ridership in general.
So that's what's exciting. Is dealers, will they can and
will become the centers for optimism through all of this
craziness. I love it.
That's I mean, it really that hits me back.
Back, you know, to kind of the core of, you know, having been
in the business and just being like, man, with get to, we get
to do this for a living, you know.
Like, that's crazy. That's awesome.
You know, people and there's little reason why people come
into the business and never leave in some try to leave and
then I would back because they realized the reality of how it's
not, you know, it's definitely pretty great to be able to do
this in the business and even when times are tough, like now I
think there couldn't be a better group of people to get their
back against the wall, be scared.
Be Certain about what's going on and start you know following
leads like the ideas you have and start you know, spinning
those off in their own way and you know, will I think we're I
think we'll look back. You know we'll do an episode of
year from now and talk about the great changes that have happened
since that since this yeah, if anything, I hope that that this
list of 10 is just a starting point of inspiration for these
passionate, you know, passionate and committed dealers and their
teams to come up with the ways, the action plan and to
communicate, you know, put together robust communication
plan and communicate to To customers and potential Riders
so that they have this I love what vrp just did.
They they just published a kind of a mantra for this crazy time
which is that PRP Whether you're on a Can-Am Spyder or they have
a turbo, did you hear? They have a turbo 2 Strokes oval
now? Yeah, yes.
I've seen some videos looks pretty awesome.
They're crazy. So they're, they're promoting
kept promoting Escape therapy and I think that's really.
They captured the essence of it, like, in these crazy times, we
need Escape therapy and so, yeah, absolutely exciting time.
I'm a big opportunity for Devers to be the centers for optimism
here. Well I think you're right on the
money. I won't keep you anymore.
I know we've run the kind of longer than we had anticipated.
I appreciate you taking the time to jump on to do this.
I'm going to include a link to your LinkedIn and maybe the
article too but definitely a link for dealer news.
People can jump over there, you said as Monday and I'll be able
to check out your article there and do learn dealer news.
So it'd be a great night love. I'd love to hear from the
dealers out there that I know have You know, their own ideas
that they can share. So the other dealers can hear
those best practices know that like I said this is only 10 of
hundreds of opportunities to get through this.
And so I look forward to that engagement.
We have a incredibly tight knit and just a cool industry that
were a part of and sharing helping each other is how we're
going to get through this. Thanks for the time, your
podcasts are amazing. And well and appreciate all the
good that you're doing for for the industry is making a big
impact. So thanks for having me on
Brian. Thanks Jared.
We'll talk soon.