[DarrenMember]

huskybloke wrote:

i didnt know you could survive on 12 hours sleep over 3 days but the opening is done

Photo’s???

[DarrenMember]

toes wrote:

Raz your bike isn’t run in yet:)

That’s just plain mean! :laugh: :laugh:

It spat me off and broke my bones … I consider it run in :blink: :whistle: :silly:

So run in, I’m willing to let you ride it.

[DarrenMember]

toes wrote:

Are there test rides available yet.
promise to go easy.
Hope all goes well.
I have an old TM in the shed.94 mod I think,was left by some dude who raced in the 4 days
that year.need some /lots of parts

You can ride my Berg Toes :S I’ll take the shiny new Sherco for a spin … or an MV :woohoo: always thought they were the sexiest bike ‘alive’ (for a road bike).

[DarrenMember]

Hey Ian

Been offline for a while (in a computer sense, not injury sense … I’m over that finally) and just found this topic.

Best of luck with this! It is a big change for you but I reckon youre going to smash it! How fantastic to be doing something you love for work!!

I’ll definitely drop in and say hi one day soon … not quite ready for a new bike yet so no sales-pitch please

Razz

[DarrenMember]

OMG Dickie!! Thats awesome!!! :laugh: :laugh:

And OUCH :pinch:

How amazing he had the sense to lock up the back end :woohoo:

[DarrenMember]

jtb2879 wrote:

huskybloke wrote:

Would u like some V8 juice to go with that…

Pit bunnies! About the only good thing at that circle racing… :dry:

Looks like Shane likes pit bunnies!

OK fine, Pit Bunnies too 😆 :whistle: Shane definitely wants to mount that bunny BAD! :woohoo: :laugh:

[DarrenMember]

Trailraider wrote:

I got more just gotta get my breath back first :laugh:

I think you and I went to the same school of “customer service expectations” 😆 😆 Or maybe you’re a Virgo like me (insert: anal retentive nightmare) ? :whistle: :pinch:

I’ve got LOTS more as well!! :woohoo:

[DarrenMember]

Ooooo, one more thing, EASY sale …. (best quality) UHD tubes for every enduro bike you sell!

Nobody wants punctures with the paper-thin standard tubes!

[DarrenMember]

huskybloke wrote:

Great info keep it coming, but what specific products would you need. ?? That seem to be used a lot but hard to get

That’s where your challenge will be because (almost) nothing is hard to get these days with Internet shopping … BUT there are definitely things that people have less confidence in buying off the net. Helmets, Boots, Body Armour, Neck Braces (and others) because they MUST fit perfectly. Plus, if you’re (mostly) price competitive with online then you run less risk of just being the “try it it on and by somewhere else” type of showroom.

There’s definitely the essentials as well like oils, grease, tools, spark plugs, replacement filters. Also there’s the impulse purchases items like Power Parts; Pipe Guards, Disc Guards etc … the “bling”, those are items that people may not ‘know’ to look for on the Net so if they see it in your store they’ll have an “I want it now” moment. Have a look at a site like Ballard’s or Slaven’s … These are both big concerns but some of the ‘cool’ stuff they have could be worth sourcing and stocking.

You could also strike a wholesale deal with one of the graphics companies, one of them is a site sponsor and did the cool OBT sticker kit that was in a thread recently and local?? Anyway, be good to offer to order and source race plate backgrounds and numbers, their name/nickname on the plate etc maybe??

Other thing is definitely the parts specific to the brand(s) you’ll be selling, nothing worse than dealer that doesn’t have (or takes ages to source) the parts for the bike you bought from them in the first place!

[DarrenMember]

I agree with TR, stock levels are important … it would be a fine line between TOO much and NOT ENOUGH though; so picking the needs and tastes of the local market would be important for things like Styles and Sizes (gear), and “what sells” for all the other stuff like parts, tyres etc etc

For the bikes, at LEAST have the ones in stock that you know will sell; when I bought my 300 there wasn’t even one on the floor, not a single two-stroke on the floor, the ‘salesperson’ (on a Sunday morning) said to me “the 300 is basically the same as that FE450, just two stoke” …. WTF! I went to another dealer, on another day after phoning first, to make sure they had one in stock and to get a ‘real’ salesperson.

For me it’s imperative too that it be displayed well, nothing worse than cool gear that’s just shoved on a dusty shelf or in a glass cabinet that doubles as the front counter which is covered in papers, brochures etc; ‘Display is King’ in retail. Also, get really knowledgable on the products you sell, be prepared to recommend and be confident in the recommendation. Make sure anyone you hire is the same, or that you take the time to skill them up. Again, nothing worse than coming into a shop and have some kid say “Umm, dunno? I only work 4 hours a week here …. You’d have to come back and ask the boss” (or something like that).

From day one “know your customer”, by that I mean be prepared to gather their basic details in a database, even if it’s Microsoft Excel to start with. Build on this over time with more details, what/when they’ve purchased etc and plan for email-blasts with Updates, Product Releases, New Models or even a basic NewsLetter which contains all previously mentioned. There are very easy and low cost marketing/email automation tools such as MailChimp which can do this, there are more powerful ones also that can track activity after you hit “Send” also but that can come later … you just need to get ‘technically’ comfortable with your database and the marketing tool to get started “engaging with you customers”.

I could go on forever on this subject But I’ll spare you …. :whistle:

[DarrenMember]

Ollie wrote:

Happy Birthday Razz, Thailand eh ? look out for those lady Boys :laugh: :laugh:

Ollie

Oooooops, too late :whistle: :whistle: :S

I’m kidding ….. Really I am :laugh: ….. But some (most) of them are so purty, and attentive, and well, PURTY!! :kiss: :silly:

[DarrenMember]

Thanks everyone, yep good day, lying by the pool in Thailand with (too many) Singha beers … So can’t complain really coz life is good

HB; nope not really the year of riding I’d planned; first six months were great, the next six non-existent :S Ahhh well, my own stupid fault. When I am back (very soon) I’ve now got so much armour, braces and padding that I’ll look like I’m wearing a sumo suit, so hopefully I ‘bounce and roll’ from now on (as opposed to splat and snap like last time).

Catch you all soon
Razz

[DarrenMember]

Couldn’t agree more with Ollie … bring on Rec Rego in NSW!!

Just had to re-reg the Berg, which I’ve hardly even ridden this year (you all know why), regardless it does bugger all Km’s on “the road” … why “FULL” rego? FULL CTP? etc.

I’m considering not bothering next year to be honest .. no cops anywhere to be seen where I ride (when I ride), no-one I ride with has rego … why bother??

If we had Rec in NSW I would not be asking the same questions … or considering the same “devil may care” situation

My Two Cents
Razz

[DarrenMember]

I thought they stopped selling bikes?? Or gear, or accessories, or something like that?

I’d be rapped to support (near by) locals … do they still sell GasGas?

Having said that … the Sherco is kinda sexy too What am I saying! I haven’t even got the “all clear” from the doc yet!! Haven’t even looked at the Berg for 5 months!! :pinch: :pinch:

[DarrenMember]

Nato wrote:

Go on mate get one.

Where’s the closest dealer though??

[Author]

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