Motorcycle Dealership Management System: Why Motorcyclists are Different from Car Owners

I remember a few years ago I was sitting in the office space our company was renting in the rural area of Riga, a city in the North of Europe and I could tell by sound who has just arrived at work. My desk was next to the window on the second floor, exactly above the narrow pavement where everyone would park their two-wheelers. Every time someone arrived I almost felt how our office plant called “Igor” was complaining about disturbing his peaceful existence.

Loud, medium frequency engine sound, almost annoying, but still bearable was signaling about marketing director Max was coming to work on his Suzuki Burgman. Low frequency, almost like a V-twin engine sound meant Jeff, CEO of the company has arrived on his newly bought Yamaha Super Tenere. A very loud, sportbike-ish sound would mean I’m in the hood with my street bike Yamaha MT-07 with a barely legal straight-through muffler.

Why Motorcyclists are Different?

For the last couple of years, our company was focusing a lot on automotive dealership systems and powersports industry implementations and recently we signed off our first motorcycle dealership management software p roject. We weren’t sure why, when, and what to expect in the powersports dealership world despite nine out of twelve of our employees being motorcyclists, and another one stuck with his A category license (but he’s not riding, no no no).

Contrary to car owners who usually have a certain budget, who buy a specific model and then keep it for several years, motorcyclists tend to be different. We enjoy customizing our bikes with aftermarket parts, we often ride without a destination or in bigger groups, and we are vulnerable to any kind of weather and road condition changes. Motorcyclists have different needs when it comes to buying a bike or servicing our motorcycles and probably that’s what makes us different from other automotive customers.

I remember buying my first bike. It was a second-hand beast that I put my eye on. When I arrived at the dealer to take a glance at the bike before I buy it I was already wearing Dainese trousers, a jacket, and gloves and had a shiny new AGV helmet which was almost a third of the price of the bike.

What is Motorcycle Dealer Management System?

Similar to Dealership Management System for cars, motorcycle dealership management software is designed to provide a full cycle of dealership business management, including lead management, motorcycle lifecycle management, invoicing, spare parts database, service scheduling, automatic service reminders,, quotes & offer management, and many other features. You name them. But the biggest difference, in my humble opinion, is the fact that it’s more about customer relationship management than one-off sales.

In case you love lists, here’s a short lost of most important aspect of Motorcycle dealership management software:

• Service operations automation
• Multiple locations management
• Service department management
• Inventory management
• Service history tracking
• Custom reports
• Accounting data
• Sales reporting
• Trade in management
• Overall dealership’s performance tracking

How Motorcycle Dealership Management Software is Different from Automobile DMS?

Motorcyclists tend to participate in social activities much more often, than car owners. I would say it’s part of the motorcycle ownership process. As a result in a motorcycle dealership management system event management becomes a thing.

For example, you would want to have a list of visitors, who are interested in your events, so you can send out an invitation the next time you have a track day, Saturday gathering, or whatever that is an event you are organizing. These visitors don’t necessarily have to have bought a motorcycle at your dealership in the past, but they still may leave tons of money buying gear, getting aftermarket parts installed with the potential to switch to your motorcycle brand. At the end of the day, you’ll end up knowing everyone in your city, which is also not a bad thing.

Motorcyclist Relationship Management

Let me give you an example. A few years ago I was happily owning my Ducatti. This brand is very sensitive to maintenance at the dealership, however, it didn’t stop me from going to other stores either to just hang around, have a test drive, or buy yet another pair of gloves. The other day I was sitting at the office, when Jeff, our ex. CEO run into the office shouting that Yamaha has pulled out five motorcycles for a test drive and we have to go and test them. The Yamaha dealer was literally next door to our office, we only had to come down and walk 100 feet.

So I put my jacket on, grabbed a helmet, and went downstairs. A few hours later I was sending my bank statements to the bank for credit background checks because I was buying a brand new MT-07 which was heavily modified by the dealer and which left an indelible impression on me.

This purchase was purely emotional, yet never regretted. It’s an illustration of how Motorcycle DMS could work. Just keep your potential customers on the radar for some time and your service appointment schedule is full, and your store is constantly having a list of backorders.

Why Modern Day Dealers Needs Motorcycle Dealership Software?

While I have already mentioned that events and long-term relationships are important for motorcycle dealers, how do you manage all that in long run? You may have already guessed that it’s about automation. When I say automation I do not mean emotionally dead robots, I mean the kind of automation which would act as an assistant to spread your message across the community. Mass mailing, SMS marketing, sales manager auto-reminders to call back to those who are interested in buying another bike, event reports, inventory data analysis, and maybe even partner management. Partnering with brands you sell is always a feasible option since you share a common commercial interest.

To be able to keep up with a large number of people for a prolonged period of time and at the same time without hiring an army of marketers you need simple and efficient tools. Such tools that you will be able to maintain yourself or with the help of already existing colleagues. And motorcycle dealer management system may be a great starting point.

Final Word

This article has a clear commercial intention to try and sell you the idea of having a motorcycle dealer management system. But it’s written by a motorcyclist and IT specialist. I want to think that I know both worlds well enough to make a recommendation. I think that the motorcycle dealership world would benefit from applying modern digital technologies and leveraging modern-day IT solutions and communication practices.

It’s a fact that motorcycle dealerships are often behind car dealerships when it comes to adopting new technology, which is why I believe this piece of text will be of good use to those who are willing to make the switch and leave a better impression on their customers and make a successful dealership. Good luck!

I hope this article has been helpful in understanding how Motorcycle Dealership Software can help manage relationships with your customer base, and how it can lead to increased sales, improved service, and long-term customer loyalty as well as generally contribut to Powersports dealership business. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, or book your free consultation in case you want to talk. See you on the road!

Cheers, J.