Press

All major motorcycle manufacturers exhibited at the Long Beach Motorcycle Show this year, but while they all started with the same empty show floor, their displays were each very different. Similarly, each manufacturer was assigned the same amount of time — 15 minutes — for a press conference to share their message with gathered journalists, but the presentations were strikingly different.

Some displays and presentations were full of energy and emotion. The subject matter tended to be what the motorcycles would do for the rider — how they would make a rider feel, how much enjoyment the bike would bring to its owner. Some of the presenters were clearly enjoying themselves, too, with a gleam in their eye when they spoke of their products.

In contrast, other manufacturer displays showed companies only going through the motions. Their displays were uninspired, and the press conferences for these manufacturers tended to be company employees talking in a monotone about how one brake disc weighed six ounces less than another. No energy, no emotion; clearly just going through the motions.

Think of the parallels at your dealership. Is a customer who walks into your dealership met with a business that pumps-up energy and emotion? Or are your dealership and the employees who work there only going through the motions? Motorcycling is all about excitement and emotion, since few riders must buy a motorcycle. The most successful manufacturers and dealers understand how important it is to embrace emotion instead of just going through the motions.