A few weeks ago, I rode all through Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and into California. It was a wonderful trip, and we saw a lot of scenery and did a lot of touristy things. Then, in Santa Monica, California, my Yamaha FJR1300 stopped running, and a whole lot of smoke came from below the fuel tank. There was so much smoke that I was concerned about fire, and I didn’t have a fire extinguisher.
After no fire, a few curse words and very little help from AAA, I finally called a friend who lived in Los Angeles, and he recommended Santa Monica Triumph as the shop to take it to. That seemed odd, but he assured me that was the right place. Even the tow truck driver was surprised and mentioned a Yamaha shop nearby. Being the trusting soul that I was, I told him that’s where I was referred to and that’s where I wanted to take it. Away we went.
Santa Monica Triumph was quite a small shop, and I found out it had only been open for a month or so. “Oh, great!” I thought. However, I cannot say enough about this dealership. They didn’t know who I was, had never seen me before, but I was a traveler, and they got the bike up on the lift right away.
It was then that I discovered that Rey, the tech taking my bike apart, was a certified Yamaha Tech and knew FJRs quite well. It was the end of the day, and Dave, the general manager (GM), lent me a bike to get to my motel for the night. Again, they didn’t know me, but they gave me a red carpet experience I’ve never seen before.
I told them I wouldn’t call until noon the next day, as I knew it would be some time before they could diagnose the problem. (Now I get why customers call every 10 minutes for a progress report). Around noon, I received a photo by text of a starter that was completely melted down inside. I’ve never seen anything like it. I rode over to talk to them.
In real life, the starter looked even worse than the photo. We had been riding in 125-degree Fahrenheit heat for a couple of days and not taking it easy whatsoever. That’s the only reason for the failure that we could think of.
I told them that if they could find me one locally, I would go and get it. Jennifer, their service writer, found out there were none in the U.S. — either at a Yamaha dealer or warehouse. Then, she told me there is an OEM one at an online parts supplier and they could get it expedited.
Unfortunately, this was Tuesday, the day before the July 4th holiday, which meant I had almost a week to kill before it arrived. Dave said I could borrow the bike for that time. I was totally amazed at the concern, effort and teamwork at this shop.
The following Tuesday, I got a call from Jennifer saying the starter was replaced and Rey was buttoning up my FJR1300 as we spoke. I paid the very fair bill and rode away. My bike was clean and in as good of shape as it ever had been. Kudos to Dave the GM; Adam the sales manager; Jennifer, who went above and beyond to find the parts (she didn’t even roll her eyes at my jokes); and Rey, the tech who did an amazing, efficient job.
After this experience, I decided I have to talk to Vance Harrison, the CEO of Motos America, which owns not only Santa Monica Triumph but also 10 other motorcycle dealerships. He has mostly concentrated on Triumph, BMW and Ducati.
He started off in the car business and moved over to motorcycle shops; usually that move does not go well. In this case, Vance has proven it can be done. I asked him a lot of questions; most of them I have asked many other dealer principals. Usually, I get an answer that just makes me want to smack my forehead, but not in this case.
My stores never had the critical mass to put in systems that would make the business of running a powersports store easier. With 11 stores, it can be done. That’s not to say that a single shop cannot do most of his innovations. It’s not easy, but we can always learn something new. I have always examined what more successful dealerships do and have tried to emulate them.
Vance has also surrounded himself with creative people who have an ability to build a culture in their stores — a culture that was evident at Santa Monica Triumph. He has also joined a 20 Group, something I fully believe in, and he has regular meetings with all of his managers to sort out any problems and changes procedures that need tweaking.
He has written a proper Policy and Procedures Manual, which a lot of dealerships don’t seem to have (and need to implement). This creates a guideline for his staff to follow and learn from.
Motos America is also creating an online training program to promote its culture and help train employees in every department.
One thing Vance mentioned over and over is the culture of his stores, something I experienced at Santa Monica Triumph. Everything that the staff did there was for my benefit. There was never any eye rolling or hesitation. They did what needed to be done to create an experience that most of us can only dream about. I told Vance that I would hire any of his staff without hesitation.
They also use local motorcycle clubs to help promote that culture, which is something I’ve been espousing for years. They are the “Centers of Enthusiasm” that can help you grow the business. I know that many of you don’t like clubs because they are always asking for freebies and discounts, but I also know that if you manage your contact with them, they can be very helpful in marketing your shops.
To me, this business epitomizes the way every powersports shop could be run. Certainly, some of the systems he has only work if you have several stores. Once you have a critical mass, these things become easier to implement.
Having said that, he uses social media very efficiently, has a performance-based pay system, trains his employees very well, uses clubs to spread the word and has created an amazing culture within the stores. I know I sound like a fanboy, and I guess I am. I’m enthusiastic about Motos America and believe that we could all learn something from Vance Harrison and what he’s done.
