Subject: Sad Marketing - SF Guzzi
Author: Patrick Hayes
Date: Aug 12, 2002, 1:48 PM
Post ID: 1710789378
What's wrong with this picture?
I just traveled 3,000 miles to the Adirondack Mountains, spent $350 on an
airplane ticket, $400 on a motel, and $200 on a rental car so that John
Stoddard of MGNA could tell me that there is a new Guzzi dealer conducting an
Open House next weekend, 20 miles from my home.
Surely, MGNA has a computerized database of Guzzi owners and any competent
database geek should be able to search and select entries for a nearby range
of postal zip codes.
Surely, the parent Aprilia has a similar database of owners who might have
some interest in supporting their comrades at Guzzi.
(Actually, I reside under current warranty in BOTH of these databases.)
Surely, the MGNOC database can be similarly searched and selected and
presumably Frank Wedge would supply mailing addresses of nearby club members
to MGNA if they requested. (Maybe he has a data privacy rule.)
My brief rant is over. As many in the SF Bay area know, the ancient
Schleicher Motors of Oakland either gave up its Guzzi dealership or had it
taken away some time back. A new dealership is opening in San Leandro, CA
and will be an authorized Guzzi dealer. Please visit www.vacaindian.com for
details and information about Indian Motorcycles of San Leandro. The
official open house will be Sunday, August 18 from 11 am to 4 pm. There is a
link to the Open House on the home page. John Stoddard himself will be there
if you wish to visit and ask questions.
I really suspect that if I had not submitted this e-message, the Open House
would have gone on without a single Guzzi enthusiast in attendance. Don't
get your hopes up too high. The home page and web flyer for the Open House
don't even mention Guzzi as brand. Just Indian and some other boulevard hot
rod clones called Panzer and Indenpendence.
What a way to run a business! There are still a few mail days left in the
week, but I'm not holding my breath.
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA