When it comes to brand loyalty, Ducati aficionados (Ducatisti) are right up there with Harley-Davidson enthusiasts. World Ducati Week in Northern Italy drew 94,000 fans from 86 countries this year. MotoCorsa, a single brand dealership in a world of multiline retailers, manages to thrive, both by tapping into the love for the brand and by providing its customers a world-class experience.
A one-brand dealership has its plusses and minuses. As General Manager (GM) Shahin Alvandi explains, “One brand means you work with one set of circumstances. It’s easier to deal with one set of intercompany cultures. On the other hand, you are looking at smaller margins. Ducati is a premium brand, so we are selling to a niche within a niche.”
In the 26 years MotoCorsa has been in existence, the dealership has perfected the art of selling to that niche. MotoCorsa was started in Portland, Oregon, by Brad Tonkin, the scion of a well-known family of car dealers.
“It was a passion project,” says Alvandi. Such projects often don’t go much of anywhere, but MotoCorsa grew and grew to become a very big, single-line dealership. On the way, the company had to deal with a few bumps in the road.
One of the biggest was the 2007-2008 recession. MotoCorsa responded by starting Project 51, the brainchild of the previous GM, Arun Sharma.
“At the time, no dealer in North America had sold more than 50 Ducatis in a month,” Alvandi shares. “We started an initiative to sell 51 Ducatis in a month. Just because the economy is falling through the floor doesn’t mean we can’t have fun! Ducati North America worked with us and we went all out on a sales effort. We ended up selling 60 Ducatis one month. We got through 2008 and grew. We maintained and kept our customers.”
Constant marketing is the key to MotoCorsa’s success. The dealership prospers by trying all sorts of marketing ideas and following through on the ones with measurable results.
“We have a brilliant guy, Ryan, who is always coming up with the next marketing idea,” he says.
One obvious source of ideas is the perception of Italian products as elegant, stylish and sexy, positive concepts that people want to associate themselves with. Before the pandemic, the Portland retailers of Italian motorcycles, cars, clothing, food and wine would join for a Made in Italy Festival.
When MotoCorsa found that none of the other retailers were interested in reviving the event post-pandemic, MotoCorsa decided to put on its own event — an Italian motorcycle apparel fashion show featuring Ducati’s clothing line. The show, featuring two bars and antipasti, was a hit that attracted hundreds of people.
MotoCorsa supports the local Ducati club, Ducati Pacific, an all-volunteer effort that has meetings at the dealership and starts rides in the parking lot. This very active organization has regular rides and events run by the club’s officers, especially the president and long-time client of MotoCorsa, Tamer Riad. The dealership posts the schedule on the website. Given how isolated many urban people are, the existence of a friendly and publicly active organization draws a lot of attention and interest.
A Ducati is not known as a beginner’s bike, but, in part due to the attractiveness of the local club and also in part due to the elegant styling of the Ducati range, MotoCorsa sees a fair number of beginning riders.
“We partner with the Oregon Safety Counsel and answer any and all questions,” Alvandi says. “We do our best to be inclusive and inviting.”
Ducati’s Scrambler is the only model which has any beginner potential, which is why used Scramblers fly out of MotoCorsa. With the recent entry of Ducati into the adventure (ADV) and dual sport field, MotoCorsa is promoting ADV101, a two-day, off-road training event at a local facility.
The elegance and style of Ducati’s offerings also attract women riders. MotoCorsa sees women as a demographic that can help grow the business and has spent time and effort in making the dealership inviting to the female customer. The sight of female employees helps a woman who walks in the door relax, as does the clean and bright environment and the smell of freshly made espresso. Sales personnel are trained to direct questions to potential woman customers.
Another initiative is cheering on local Ducati racers. Ducati, after all, prides itself on achieving campione del mondo (World Champion) status in many forms of racing and sells some very sporting machinery. MotoCorsa has many customers who race, or want to learn, and facilitates their need for speed.
“We arrange track days and support local clubs,” he says. “For a while, we had an employee who raced regularly, and we continue to provide some support to her. Racing is expensive! However, the fact that we support a female racer has created a lot of interest in our dealership. Another racing-oriented event we participate in is Ducati Revs Northwest, a multi-dealer, two-day track experience with participation from MotoAmerica stars, run in conjunction with Ducati North America and The Factory Champion School.”
Interest in the dealership is pumped up by numerous events, posted on the website calendar. These include support of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, an international charity event, and Saturday Morning Bikes and Coffee, with free food and demonstrations. The 25th anniversary party was a blowout as well, with food trucks and a display of Italian cars.
While MotoCorsa works hard at making the dealership a destination, marketing online is an important source of customers. Alvandi sees the MotoCorsa website as “our digital gateway.” There is an extensive listing of used motorcycles, sold by TurnTwo, the sister used bike retailer, online shopping for Ducati clothing and e-bikes, and interesting articles by former magazine editor Brian Catterson. The dealership’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube sites are updated regularly as well. One video features Alvandi walking through the dealership, past circus performers and a light show in the parts department, to end up on his bike at Portland International Raceway.
MotoCorsa is having a good time at present and believes the future will hold what it does. “You never know what will happen next,” Alvandi states. “We want to maintain a healthy market and end the year in the black. We are now trying to grow used bike sales, grow the Ducati Pacific Club and keep our margins.”
As the video says, “MotoCorsa takes fun seriously.”
MotoCorsa
2170 NW Wilson St
Portland, Oregon 97210
503-292-7488
www.motocorsa.com
OEM: Ducati
Aftermarket: Shark Helmets, Arai
Employees: 19
