Have I changed my mind about “e-commerce” and “my” customers? ‘Yep! ’Do I contradict myself? Very well,” wrote Walt Whitman, “then I contradict myself. I contain multitudes.” As I reflect on the current state of our industry, I can’t help but think that there must be a hybrid way of doing what we do. To paraphrase Walt, “We contain multitudes.” What if there was a better way to drive customers/friends/riding partners into our brick and mortar stores? What if we actually took the compelling stories and content we have and utilized the digital highway of mass market via big screen, cable and yes, the Internet?
World’s Luckiest Man By Bob Althoff
TIME TO THINK BIG!
Do I Contradict Myself?
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’m old enough to remember the early days of the Internet. However, I am not so old that I have forgotten the initial response I had when a fellow Dealer suggested I get with the times. I respected this guy immensely, but when he urged me to pivot to “e-commerce” — I thought he was off his rocker. I had been trained to believe that our business was about “relationships” — Customers became friends, friends became riding partners, riding partners became life-long customers — for many of us, this symbiotic relationship based on personal interaction was the reason we got into powersports. Well, I thought, “How am I supposed to have a ‘relationship’ with an Internet customer? Nah… I’ll pass. I like my handshake business model, and I think my customers do, too.” Fast forward a decade or two. The Internet, you know, that thing invented by Al Gore, has become ubiquitous. It has changed consumer behavior; disrupted industries; bankrupted many and made hundreds of billions of dollars for others.
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Phil Ingrassia who heads the R.V. Dealers Association would tell you that Go RVing on Great American Channel has driven their revenues and profits to record after record over the past two decades. The Go RVing program is the consumer-facing voice of the RV industry with a mission to inspire potential RVers, spark curiosity and raise awareness about the benefits and accessibility of RVing through rich, authentic and diverse storytelling. I would argue the powersports industry has a richer, more authentic and much more diverse story to tell, going back to Lilly Farrow’s day! The national Go RVing campaign aims to educate consumers on the ease of incorporating RVing into activities they are already passionate about from camping, tailgating, vacationing, glamping, road tripping and more. Go RVing’s message is simple: RVs are for everyone; they come in all sizes and price points and are enjoyed by millions of people with varying interests, diverse backgrounds and across generations. Aren’t powersports products all of that and more? Yes, it is time to think big. Stimulus money is over. Interest rates are on the rise. Consumers are still very much attracted to all we possess. The pandemic vindicates that. But we simply must utilize the big megaphone to share our secret with the millions of “intenders” that there is a Dealer down the street that still looks to meet their individual needs. There is a Dealer like me who would like to make a new friend; and have someone to share that next great adventure with. Now that is a story that should go viral on the Internet! Bob