“Every day, technology plays a greater role in making businesses more efficient, more profitable and more sustainable,” said Cinnamon Kernes, vice president, market expansion at the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). “We’re inviting all attendees to stop by The Digital & Tech Sector, centrally located on the show floor, and visit with some of the country’s leading digital solution providers and take advantage of the fireside-chat style Tech Talks.”

The Digital & Tech Sector was created when Bob Lettis, senior vice president, business development and partnerships at 700Credit, and Chris Yeloushan, vice president of dealer development and industry relations at Rollick Inc., approached the AIMExpo team after this year’s show with the idea of curating such a space to make it easier for dealers to connect with this important, fast-growing market segment.

“We listened to direct dealer feedback, which led us to seek an easy way to create a digital tech hub that would feature the top digital solutions companies in the industry,” said Yeloushan. “By consolidating these innovative partners in a single place and providing Tech Talks, dealers have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation and problem-solving sessions with one another and with our panel speakers. AIMExpo provides the perfect platform for this experience, given its impact in the industry by recognizing the role technology plays in today’s dealerships.”

“Technology is driving the industry, and it’s important for dealers to adapt and adopt new innovations so they don’t get left behind,” said Lettis. “We wanted to make it easier for dealers to quickly see how some of the latest software can help them enhance their sales processes, and having this central hub allows them to quickly evaluate multiple options and offerings, since dealer needs are not all the same. We thought AIMExpo would be the perfect place to showcase The Digital & Tech Sector because it is the premier event for the powersports community to connect and learn.”

“We have always said that AIMExpo is your show, so we’re thrilled to see our exhibitors take an active role in the evolution of this event,” Kernes said. “This is one of the most valuable ways our exhibiting partners can contribute, and it helps us better serve dealers and deliver a better experience for all; it’s important that we listen to the wants and needs of the industry and pivot when it makes the most sense. The Digital & Tech Sector is a fantastic idea, and we are very thankful to Bob and Chris for coming to us with it.”

Brands participating in The Digital & Tech Sector include:

• 700Credit
• Accelerate2Compliance 
• AppOne
• Auto Data Direct
• Avonbrook Software Solutions
• Cycle News – Digital Throttle
• Cycle Trader
• Data Here-to-There Inc.
• Dealer Spike
• FlexPath DXP
• Horsepower Financial
• Impel
• LeadHelm
• Lightspeed
• Podium
• Rollick Inc.
• Service Manager Pro and ZPlan
• Spader Business Management/NCM Associates
• Statistical Surveys, Inc. 
• The Accounting Guys.

Note: This list does not include all digital and tech services brands at AIMExpo.

AIMExpo 2025 will be taking over more than 300,000 square feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Feb. 5-7. The powersports industry experiential event will offer many new additions, including The Digital & Tech Sector and the AIMExpo Starting Line, featuring the free Launch Coffee Lounge fueled by Dealer Rocket, a charity auction hosted by NPA, race simulators and more.

Registration is open, and as always, it’s free for dealers. AIMExpo has also partnered with Connections Housing for discounted rates at the Renaissance Las Vegas, Sahara Las Vegas, The Westgate and The Las Vegas Marriott. Book soon to get your preferred hotel.

The post New Digital & Tech Sector for Dealer Solutions at AIMExpo appeared first on Motorcycle & Powersports News.

In this session, Jones and the panel discuss how to maximize every sale beyond the bike with F&I and parts, gear and accessories (PG&A). The panel advises on best practices, how to make the purchase process more exciting, how to utilize technology in this process and more.

The post Maximize Every Sale With F&I and PG&A appeared first on Motorcycle & Powersports News.

To read the full article about Lightspeed and dealership profitability, click here.

The post PODCAST: Embracing Opportunity Leads to Dealership Profitability appeared first on Motorcycle & Powersports News.

“I think it offered a wakeup call for dealers as a whole. The pandemic really provided a catalyst for change,” said Robert Grant, director of manufacturer solutions at Lightspeed. “In a lot of ways, there was opportunity where dealers had to reinvent their business overall.”

Putting safety first, dealers have implemented sales appointments to accommodate social distancing guidelines, they had to get creative in order to offer demos and some dealers even offered mobile service or drop off appointments, while following mask mandates and sanitation protocols.

No time to read? Listen instead!

The trickle-down effect from international manufacturing shutdowns led to inventory shortages across the country.

“We’re currently seeing demand for inventory because as far as looking at the numbers, inventory levels are actually down quite considerably, year over year,” Grant explained. “We’ve seen anywhere between 30% to 50% for side-by-sides and off-road vehicles, as well as motorcycles and on-road inventory. As part of the supply and demand aspect of it, you’ve got improved margins as well. I think initially when dealers were reopening, they probably didn’t have as high of margins from what we’ve seen. But at this point, we’ve seen a considerable rebound on those margins. There had been an erosion of that over the last few years, and we’ve seen almost double compared to the same time the prior year.”

Lockdowns opened the door for new riders to enter the industry. Through powersports, they were able to learn a new sport, while social distancing and driving new business to dealerships.

“Looking more on a long-term basis, the retention of those new riders is key,” Grant said. “There have been discussions and it’s yet to be seen what the economic conditions will bring, but potentially, there could be an influx of used inventory at some point, and that could have a positive or a negative effect depending on where we stand at that time.”

While dealers may be overwhelmed trying to keep up with demand, Lightspeed gives dealerships innovative tools to help them manage, along with solutions to increase profitability.

 “At Lightspeed, we strive to provide the tools dealerships need to run their businesses and work efficiently,” Grant said. “With a lot of these conditions: the current environment, new riders, inventory management, managing margins and deals; there’s opportunity within Lightspeed to help dealerships.”

To maintain these conditions, communication is key, and the solution is right at your fingertips via texting. In fact, according to G2, 82% of people say that they open every single text message they receive.

“We all have our phones in our pockets. Being able to quickly communicate with customers and provide updates as needed via text messaging is a critical aspect,” Grant said. “Lightspeed offers a CRM package, which allows the dealership right within their normal day-to-day workflow to easily communicate.”

The Lightspeed CRM facilitates customer relationships through three stages of the customer lifecycle.

• Acquisition: Lead management is a vital part of the sales process. Salespeople can quickly track and update dealership leads right in the Lightspeed workflow.
• Retention: After a customer buys, the next phase of the relationship is supporting them with great service. Parts, service and sales employees can easily text, email and set appointments all while documenting and tracking the communication for better service.
• Communication: Since the customer’s information is already in the Lightspeed CRM, dealers can put that valuable data to good use with customized messages, seamless campaign management and segmented lists — all while having profitable conversations.

“There’s automation that can be built into place with follow-up chains that can send automated text messages and email communications with consumers, updating them on the service status of bikes that they may have in the shop, or whether there are unit updates based on inventory that’s being received,” Grant said. “We also offer Voice Connect, which allows dealerships to integrate their phone systems with Lightspeed. As a customer calls, dealerships can quickly and easily find out more information about them; if their bike is in the shop or if there are other transactions that are being worked on. Also, with the market as volatile as it is, dealers have access to the Lightspeed Value Guide, which provides real-time value updates on units and inventory.”

As the country moves into the second half of the year that is still recovering from the pandemic, Lightspeed is here to support dealerships.

“We’re really trying to provide tools to help dealerships be profitable and work more efficiently, to better engage with the customer, especially those first-time buyers, and keep that long-term picture in mind.”

For more information about Lightspeed and all they offer to powersports dealers, visit lightspeeddms.com.

The post Catalyst for Change: Embracing Opportunity Leads to Dealership Profitability appeared first on Motorcycle & Powersports News.

Did you know that 89% of your customers and prospects would rather communicate with you via text message instead of a phone call? The way we communicate with our customers is changing every day, and many of the industries we do business with each day (ex: auto dealerships) have been using text messaging for years.

Attend this free webinar on April 17, at 2 p.m. ET for members of the powersports industry to learn about how business texting can impact a powersports dealership.

Some of the details that we’ll cover on this webinar include how to:

• Attract and convert more customers via text messaging from your website, Google, and more
• Text from your existing business line instead of personal cell phones
• Reduce phone traffic by up to 35% and eliminate customer wait times
• Generate dozens of 5-star reviews each month to help you convert more prospects and sell more units
• Schedule service appointments and send text reminders to reduce no-shows
• Send photos, attachments and service updates via text message
• Seamlessly integrate with Lightspeed EVO and NXT

To register, click here!

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“This integration will give our recreation dealers fast and easy access to the critical vehicle data available through NADAguides directly through their DMS,” said Kris Denos, vice president and general manager of recreation and heavy equipment at CDK Global. “This will not only speed up their ability to pull this information but also provide a faster and more personalized experience for their customers.”

NADAguides is the largest publisher of the most market-reflective vehicle pricing, values, and information available for motorcycles, boats and RVs, as well as new, used and classic cars and manufactured homes. The integration into the Lightspeed EVO DMS will help recreation dealers by connecting the data and information provided by NADAguides with the tools that business functions, such as sales and finance and insurance, accounting, service and parts operations, need to do business.

“The integration of our data into the CDK Lightspeed EVO DMS provides dealers with a perfect match of products and services,” said Lenny Sims, vice president of business development and strategy, JD Power’s NADAguides division. “This will enable a faster, more accurate and efficient way to do business on a daily basis.”

Recreation dealers currently using CDK Lightspeed EVO DMS who are interested in learning more about the NADAguides integration can visit CDKGlobalRecreation.com/Nada-Guidesor contact their local CDK sales representative.

Link: CDK Global

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This data integration will increase efficiency for Dealership Performance CRM’s customers and help to increase profits and customer satisfaction. Customers will have the ability to track all lead opportunities and utilize Lightspeed solutions to maximize those opportunities for sales.

“Our integration with Lightspeed brings a new added value to our dealer clients,” says Tod Kilgore, owner of Dealership Performance CRM. “We now have one of the largest data footprints in the business. Our systems now have the ability to define parts, service, and sales customers with details coming directly out of the Lightspeed DMS.”

For more info: www.DealershipPerformanceCRM.com.

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