Subject: Re: Sad Marketing - SF Guzzi
Author: Jay Williams
Date: Aug 12, 2002, 2:33 PM
Post ID: 1710789674
I share your concerns about Guzzi marketing and dealerships. I recently
spent a week in Colorado on a Guzzi, and decided to visit the local
dealerships while I was there.
I came up with addresses for two before I left, one in Colorado Springs and
one in Denver.
Turns out the one in Colorado Springs recently gave up its Guzzi franchise
and is now exclusively BMW.
The Denver "dealer" turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall shop without a
single new bike on display. The proprietor was friendly and had some cool
old stuff to look at, but in the half-hour or more I was there, I didn't see
another customer.
Here in Oklahoma there is only one Guzzi dealer, in Tulsa, but their
inventoty is sparse. They have more Aprilias on the floor than Guzzis, and
more Triumphs, BMWs and Ducatis than either. (The Moto Guzzi section does
edge out the MuZ display, at least.)
The next closest dealer used to be in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but they've
dropped Guzzi as well.
Now, I kind of like being part of an exclusive Guzzi "club" but it would be
a very bad thing, even for the old bike fans, if Guzzi picked up its marbles
and went home. Yet they won't stay in the North American market if they
can't sell bikes, and they can't sell bikes if they don't have dealers.
In Colorado, for instance, it seemed that half the bikes with in-state
plates (and there were LOTS of them) were late-model BMWs. I suspect that
many of those riders would consider a new Guzzi if given the chance, but
without a serious dealer anywhere in the state, what are they gonna do?
Seems that Guzzi N.A. needs to pay some serious attention to the needs of
its existing dealer network and when it manages to woo new ones into the
fold, give them the support they need to be viable.
Jay Williams
From: Patrick Hayes <peha-@aol.com>
Reply-To: Loopfram-@topica.com
To: mg-@topica.com, Loopfram-@topica.com, guzzi_s-@topica.com,
mgno-@topica.com
Subject: Sad Marketing - SF Guzzi
Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2002 16:48:21 EDT
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
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