Breathing New Life Into Dealership Ownership By kz1000st (Read 2,094 times)

[cookees]

I have a friend who operates a repair and restoration shop for old British Automobiles. He has his used car dealers license and garage liability insurance in place. He's offered me space, both showroom and service. I'm thinking about it.......

[bintelli]

Oct 2, 2016 13:57:11 GMT -6 cookees said:

I have a friend who operates a repair and restoration shop for old British Automobiles. He has his used car dealers license and garage liability insurance in place. He's offered me space, both showroom and service. I'm thinking about it.......

One thing worth noting is what our products extend past just Chinese scooters. Our dealers have access to Bintelli Scooters, Adly Scooters (Taiwan), citEcar Electric Vehicles, and we also have plenty of experience in atvs, dirt bikes, used motorcycles, used cars, etc. Additionally, because we cover product liability insurance, it is much easier for our dealers to get the required insurances they need (garage, general liability, contents, etc).

[bintelli]

Oct 2, 2016 12:37:19 GMT -6 cyborg said:

From a Liability standpoint it's a crusher,,, I love bikes and scooters and have had moments of mental instability thinking of getting into the game,,,,then I come to my senses and sh!tcan the idea,,,the racing analogy comes to mind ,,,, " how do you make a small fortune racing?,,,, start with a big one"

Not necessarily. When distributors like us operate the correct way, product liability coverage extends to our dealerships, our products, and all that use them. Additionally, our dealerships are not just scooter dealers. We represent 2 brands of scooters, citEcar electric vehicles, atvs, dirt bikes, used motorcycles, etc. In just their second month in business under our Flagship Program, ScootTribe was #3 in the USA out of all Bintelli dealers for sales for the month of August. A very good living can be made out of being a powersports dealership, especially if in a program that reduces the learning curve needed.

[tvnacman]

I had a few in the shop for service, they seem to be solid. They are also a little different than the typical Chinese scooter.

If your selling online or drop shipping these machines. I'm in an outer borough of New York City. I'm not sure if you have a local dealer. I would be happy to offer my services.

John

[cookees]

Oct 2, 2016 10:58:10 GMT -6 cookees said:

Chief among them certainly has to be demographics as well as geographical location. ( Think colleges and beach/vacation locales.)
The further north of the Mason-Dixon line, the shorter the scooter season.That goes for topography as well. Mountains and hills do not play well with 49cc scooters.As easy as it is to get a motorcycle learners permit,it is still a major hurdle to selling scooters that are able to hold their own in urban traffic.

Again, in my six years of selling scooters, I can count on two hands the number of 49cc scooters we sold. What with the gas crunch, 2008 and 2009 were banner years for scooter dealers. However once gas prices eased we saw a downward slide in yearly scooter sales. So I agree wholeheartedly with you that at least here in the northern states, one cannot live by scooters alone. I was able to make a decent living by maintain an inventory level of between 30K and 40K. Once we started to dabble in bigger powersports I was loathe to follow my predecessors business plan of securing floorplanning. I witnessed their financial death spiral during the economic downturn/crash of 2009. My main mantra became "turns, turns, and turns"

So at least in my experience, I'd have to either acquire a wealth of mechanical ability or find another partner with said experience. So you either have to go big or go home. And at 63, in the immortal words of Danny Glover, " I'm getting to old for this shiat"


BTW....if you want to see a textbook example of how to build and run a successful dealership, check out Tim at Carolina Fun Machines.
www.carolinafunmachines.com/Pages/default.aspx

[bintelli]

Oct 2, 2016 15:52:26 GMT -6 tvnacman said:

I had a few in the shop for service, they seem to be solid. They are also a little different than the typical Chinese scooter.

If your selling online or drop shipping these machines. I'm in an outer borough of New York City. I'm not sure if you have a local dealer. I would be happy to offer my services.

John

John, we do not offer any online or drop shipping... our products are only sold through storefronts. Would love to discuss getting a few units in your store so you can start profiting from our line up. Let me know if you'd be interested.

[tvnacman]

bintelli I would entertain the idea. I'm a little strange. There would need some things in place before hand. Full wiring diagrams, mechanical drawings, tagged exploded diagrams of every part (nut bolt waster spacer etc). There would need to be a supply chain in place as well (3 day delivery).

Depends on who you ask riding season will be closing soon. I ride till the roads are iced, others are off the road very soon.

I would listen to where you are and what the mind set is. Lets see if there is a part I can play in this.

John

[fugaziiv]

Oct 2, 2016 15:24:57 GMT -6 bintelli said:

Oct 2, 2016 12:37:19 GMT -6 cyborg said:

From a Liability standpoint it's a crusher,,, I love bikes and scooters and have had moments of mental instability thinking of getting into the game,,,,then I come to my senses and sh!tcan the idea,,,the racing analogy comes to mind ,,,, " how do you make a small fortune racing?,,,, start with a big one"

Not necessarily. When distributors like us operate the correct way, product liability coverage extends to our dealerships, our products, and all that use them. Additionally, our dealerships are not just scooter dealers. We represent 2 brands of scooters, citEcar electric vehicles, atvs, dirt bikes, used motorcycles, etc. In just their second month in business under our Flagship Program, ScootTribe was #3 in the USA out of all Bintelli dealers for sales for the month of August. A very good living can be made out of being a powersports dealership, especially if in a program that reduces the learning curve needed.

Also, when it comes to parts and accessories, if you qualify for the Flagship program you'll also now have the qualifications to get set up as a wholesale customer with us as well. What Justin is doing is really good for the industry as a whole, it creates a lot of satellite opportunity for companies like mine as well. Taking the time to identify the gaps in dealer ownership, and facilitating the closing of said gaps is just spectacular.

Matt

[jct842]

As gas prices decline this forum suffers too. Just showing most of those signed up here are not real riders but those who can hardly afford higher gas prices.

[fugaziiv]

Oct 3, 2016 8:01:35 GMT -6 jct842 said:

As gas prices decline this forum suffers too. Just showing most of those signed up here are not real riders but those who can hardly afford higher gas prices.

Low fuel costs have hit the scooter industry pretty hard this year indeed. There's still a core of riders however that keep trucking along. Bringing new riders in is vitally important, and a challenge for all of us.

Matt

[bintelli]

Oct 3, 2016 6:00:24 GMT -6 tvnacman said:

bintelli I would entertain the idea. I'm a little strange. There would need some things in place before hand. Full wiring diagrams, mechanical drawings, tagged exploded diagrams of every part (nut bolt waster spacer etc). There would need to be a supply chain in place as well (3 day delivery).

Depends on who you ask riding season will be closing soon. I ride till the roads are iced, others are off the road very soon.

I would listen to where you are and what the mind set is. Lets see if there is a part I can play in this.

John

John, give Jason a call at 843-531-6833 and we will see if there's a program that fits what you are looking for. Most of what you said you would require are offered on our website for the general public to view.

[bintelli]

Oct 3, 2016 8:41:17 GMT -6 fugaziiv said:

Oct 3, 2016 8:01:35 GMT -6 jct842 said:

As gas prices decline this forum suffers too. Just showing most of those signed up here are not real riders but those who can hardly afford higher gas prices.

Low fuel costs have hit the scooter industry pretty hard this year indeed. There's still a core of riders however that keep trucking along. Bringing new riders in is vitally important, and a challenge for all of us.

Matt

Additionally, scooter usage at college campuses across the country are on a steep rise. We track permits issued at the top 100 or so colleges every year and there's some colleges where as much as 9.7%+ of the enrollment are now riding scooters. That's a lot of scooters when the university has over 50,000 students enrolled! We're also starting to see many students keeping their scooters after graduation because of how much they enjoyed them. This will continue to fuel more riders in the scooter market nationwide.

[kz1000st]

I'd like to think that all these rentals aren't heading to the crusher after a sentence of being flogged like a rented mule. I would also like to think that the impressionable Tourists at Vacation spots might be lured into trying ownership later. I only saw Chinese scooters in Myrtle Beach all week. It might bode well for future business for everybody.

[jct842]

I think if I was a whole lot younger I would be very interested in a scooter shop. At my age being able to get onto any thing with 2 wheels is a big accomplishment for the day. Sales and service of a line such as Bintelly would be a piece of cake especially with suport. A nice looking shop in a college town with young and possibly students as sales staff that can relate to the needs of your customers.

On the other hand it would be a bit rough working on the run of mill used chinese scooters that joes buddy couldn't fix.

As a side note I rode to the senior center to eat today and had to toss every thing on the tray but a tiny square of cake, my tv dinner in microwave just dinged. Its a real shame they treat seniors like the garbage they heap on your tray.

[sillylittleboy]

Excellent article and for me it sounds like a well designed and administered roadmap for success for both the young dealer and Flagship Powersports. I think it was Tony Robbins who said something like, "By helping others to grow and be successful will bring more growth and success back to you."

This program really sounds like a WIN-WIN situation or might I say a WIN-WIN-WIN. A win for the young new business men and women you help get started right. A win for you and your team with the joy and satisfaction of helping others, which helps yourself and both parties make money. And finally a win for the rider, the buyer, the community that now has place in town where you can go see, feel, and test ride that scooter, ATV, or other powersports product that was previously only available via far-off mail order companies where you'd have to purchase sight-unseen and hope you could service it yourself.

I know for me and my local area in Des Moines, Iowa the one lone dealer that sold powersports products (something other than Harley Davidson - we've got one or two of those) in Des Moines is just about gone. I would love it if we had a local scooter dealership / service center where I could enjoy real hands-on shopping for scooters, etc. A place where I could stop in and find a lot of the parts I need in stock. A place with a knowledgeable and (dare I say it) a caring staff?

I hear a number of folks lamenting the fact that gas prices just haven't been real high or at least not high enough to drive scooter sales, but I beg to disagree. I didn't buy my scooter to save me money on gas commuting to work. That's one of the advantages to owning and operating a scooter, but I've always wanted one because I just thought they were... COOL. Okay, maybe I'm a freak like that, but I think the right dealer with the right resources and mentoring (like this program) could be the catalyst the attracts customers and drives scooter sales. If driving home each night folks had to pass by this cool Scooter Dealership with a bunch of shiny scooters all lined up outside, I bet it wouldn't be too long before a good percentage of them would stop in to check them out. And once you've got them in the door, then it won't take much to talk someone into making a small investment with big rewards.

I didn't buy a scooter to save me money on my commute or to reduce my monthly gasoline costs, but whenever someone sees me filling my tank for less than $3 and ask me about gas mileage, I tell them that $3 worth of gas will get me back and forth to work for the week. Eyes widen, smiles broaden, and minds wander, but there's just no place for them to go shopping for their own.

But if there were? Who knows... EXCELLENT program that I hope and believe will bring success to all. The Best of Luck.