Are bike sales in the doldrums?
Discussion
And if they are, is it because the sales guys can't be arsed?
In the past 2 years I have visited several big bike shops with the idea of buying a particular model but still pretty much undecided.
Ridden since 1979 and have owned many bikes, partly because of good salesmen.
But lately I can wander around a showroom for ages, try and catch the eye of the disinterested guy filing papers or looking at his computer and even ask questions but no one tries to sell me a motorbike.
So being easily unpersuaded, I walk out, still with a tidy sum in my bank account.
Take today. I see in BikeTrader that a local bike shop in SW London has a secondhand TMax for sale and as I have become obsessed with twist and goes since getting my Vespa GT 300 in 2015 (Sadly stolen in Jan), I rang yesterday to see if they still had it and today walked the 3 miles to the shop.
I must of walked around the small showroom for 20 minutes, being the only person there bar a guy sitting in his glass walled sales office, he did not look up once.
I finally walked into the workshop and asked a young lad in there. The TMax had gone.
I waited a short while, smiling, even egging him on to maybe suggest a test ride of the new one, or peek my interest in a proper bike that could be had for similar money new ie Tracer 700. But nothing.
I said no worries and walked out of the dealership.
This is the same site that was known as Mocheck in the 80s. I bought a Kawasaki GpZ900R there in '87. In 1988 I dropped the Kawasaki off for a service and the salesman, who sold me it, turned up to say hello.
Instead of handing me some old snotter as a spare he suggested I take the just out brand new CBR600 for a run. Don't come back till closing time, he said, take it to the coast.
I did, and fell in love. When I returned at 6pm he was waiting with his hand out, asking for the deposit.
You bastaard, I said, grinning.
The CBR got stolen in France that summer but I did buy another one in the early 90s. Now that is a good salesman.
Maybe I should try it as a career change, or maybe they don't get commission anymore thus can't be arsed.
In the past 2 years I have visited several big bike shops with the idea of buying a particular model but still pretty much undecided.
Ridden since 1979 and have owned many bikes, partly because of good salesmen.
But lately I can wander around a showroom for ages, try and catch the eye of the disinterested guy filing papers or looking at his computer and even ask questions but no one tries to sell me a motorbike.
So being easily unpersuaded, I walk out, still with a tidy sum in my bank account.
Take today. I see in BikeTrader that a local bike shop in SW London has a secondhand TMax for sale and as I have become obsessed with twist and goes since getting my Vespa GT 300 in 2015 (Sadly stolen in Jan), I rang yesterday to see if they still had it and today walked the 3 miles to the shop.
I must of walked around the small showroom for 20 minutes, being the only person there bar a guy sitting in his glass walled sales office, he did not look up once.
I finally walked into the workshop and asked a young lad in there. The TMax had gone.
I waited a short while, smiling, even egging him on to maybe suggest a test ride of the new one, or peek my interest in a proper bike that could be had for similar money new ie Tracer 700. But nothing.
I said no worries and walked out of the dealership.
This is the same site that was known as Mocheck in the 80s. I bought a Kawasaki GpZ900R there in '87. In 1988 I dropped the Kawasaki off for a service and the salesman, who sold me it, turned up to say hello.
Instead of handing me some old snotter as a spare he suggested I take the just out brand new CBR600 for a run. Don't come back till closing time, he said, take it to the coast.
I did, and fell in love. When I returned at 6pm he was waiting with his hand out, asking for the deposit.
You bastaard, I said, grinning.
The CBR got stolen in France that summer but I did buy another one in the early 90s. Now that is a good salesman.
Maybe I should try it as a career change, or maybe they don't get commission anymore thus can't be arsed.
Edited by croyde on Saturday 19th May 13:33
I think vehicle sales have changed since the “old days” due to the internet.
People have a look around online, read reviews on bikes they like the look of, search for the lowest price they can find and then just go and buy it.
The salesman’s role no longer needed as such because they don’t need to persuade the customer to buy a vehicle anymore, they’re mainly just there now to do the paperwork and hand over the keys/arrange a courier.
People have a look around online, read reviews on bikes they like the look of, search for the lowest price they can find and then just go and buy it.
The salesman’s role no longer needed as such because they don’t need to persuade the customer to buy a vehicle anymore, they’re mainly just there now to do the paperwork and hand over the keys/arrange a courier.
Good point.
No wonder there only seems to be one guy for a whole showroom floor.
In 2005 I was bored and ended up wandering around a Porsche showroom. I was dressed much as I was today. T shirt, shorts and trainers.
They treated me well, let me sit in a few cars and have a chat about cars in general.
I left about an hour or so later having ordered a 987 Boxster.
Cut to 2015 where I had been waiting for the news and the prices of the new UK bound V8 Mustang and every Ford showroom I visited had no idea.
By the time the prices were released and I was on the phone to the dealership nearest to me that would be stocking the Mustang, I was more of an expert on the car than the CEO of Ford himself.
Thanks to forums I suppose.
No wonder there only seems to be one guy for a whole showroom floor.
In 2005 I was bored and ended up wandering around a Porsche showroom. I was dressed much as I was today. T shirt, shorts and trainers.
They treated me well, let me sit in a few cars and have a chat about cars in general.
I left about an hour or so later having ordered a 987 Boxster.
Cut to 2015 where I had been waiting for the news and the prices of the new UK bound V8 Mustang and every Ford showroom I visited had no idea.
By the time the prices were released and I was on the phone to the dealership nearest to me that would be stocking the Mustang, I was more of an expert on the car than the CEO of Ford himself.
Thanks to forums I suppose.
Op, don't take it the wrong way, but threads like this are always the same. You went to see a bike that had gone. If it was really important to you, you could have checked that before you went. The fact you didn't suggests you were not "that" serious.
You spent 20 mins there, you could see someone who you say ignored you, but did you go and ask him for help etc>? No, again, suggesting you were not that serious.
You spoke to a workshop guy, (not a salesman). He said the bike (used) had gone. Then you complain this workshop guy did not try to sell you or show you a new version of the bike, or a totally different bike...….But again, he was a workshop bloke, and you did not ask him about a new model or different bike...again, this suggests you were not that serious.
Let's face it, you were not that serious.
Sounds like the sales guy in the glass office qualified you without you even realising, ie he sussed you were not that serious. Or maybe he was busy selling something to someone else. If you were serious, you'd have made sure you received the help you needed.
You spent 20 mins there, you could see someone who you say ignored you, but did you go and ask him for help etc>? No, again, suggesting you were not that serious.
You spoke to a workshop guy, (not a salesman). He said the bike (used) had gone. Then you complain this workshop guy did not try to sell you or show you a new version of the bike, or a totally different bike...….But again, he was a workshop bloke, and you did not ask him about a new model or different bike...again, this suggests you were not that serious.
Let's face it, you were not that serious.
Sounds like the sales guy in the glass office qualified you without you even realising, ie he sussed you were not that serious. Or maybe he was busy selling something to someone else. If you were serious, you'd have made sure you received the help you needed.
I recently bought a new bike. It took me several months to go from considering to wanting to buying. At every stage my local dealer was accommodating without being too pushy. He was confident in his product and accessible without being overbearing. I had a couple of no pressure test rides and at the end of the day was happy to make a deal.
Good dealers exist. Maybe they're just harder to find?
Good dealers exist. Maybe they're just harder to find?
croyde said:
Aha but he would have been wrong.
If he’d got off his arse and talked to me he would have had a very great chance of making a sale.
See my earlier examples of ending up with vehicles when I had no intention to buy.
Isn’t that what salesmen and women are supposed to be good at
But he wasn't wrong, was he. You didn't buy a bike today and likely you wont be buying one tomorrow. If you were serious, you'd have bought one today. If he’d got off his arse and talked to me he would have had a very great chance of making a sale.
See my earlier examples of ending up with vehicles when I had no intention to buy.
Isn’t that what salesmen and women are supposed to be good at
I wanted some bakes beans for breakfast, so I went to the co-op, spoke to the woman who works there and bought them. I didn't f
k about wandering the shop for 20 minutes waiting for her to approach me, then nip out the back to ask the shelf stacker about it. If you'd have rung ahead, he'd have been expecting you and 1) told you the one you were enquiring about was sold, 2) been expecting you if you were interested in a totally different bike.
I bought two bikes in the 3 months, both from dealers, one new, one used. In both cases i was serious about them, called about them, went to see them at an arranged time, (one round trip of 200 miles) and bought both. Yes, the odd customer may wander into a bike shop and buy a bike on a whim, but most half serious buyers done wander in sculp about, speak to the to the workshop grunt, and leave in a huff because the bike they came to see had been sold.
But of course, it is all the shop/ saleman's fault you didn't buy the bike! But if he was such a crap salesman, how did he manage to sell the bike you went to see?
Ed. said:
Last bike I bought from a dealer I saw on their website the night before. Turned up and asked to sit on it, was offered a test ride, I left a deposit.
I haven't been back there because I know there are a couple of bikes I could be easily be persuaded to buy.
Presumably you went back after the deposit to pick the actual bike up!! lolI haven't been back there because I know there are a couple of bikes I could be easily be persuaded to buy.
I know the feeling you describe. When I picked up my little SRAD, there was this GPz1000 sat there, minter and cheap as chips...……..loaded up the van and f
ked off quick!! You haven't read my post. I did call ahead.
I can't be arsed with people that can't be bothered.
I did say that I had bought a couple of bikes off the same site back in the 80s. Thanks to the salesman getting out of his seat. It's simple to do and it's what I would do.
I'm seeing a bike tomorrow. It's 50 miles away this time but I shan't be walking
I can't be arsed with people that can't be bothered.
I did say that I had bought a couple of bikes off the same site back in the 80s. Thanks to the salesman getting out of his seat. It's simple to do and it's what I would do.
I'm seeing a bike tomorrow. It's 50 miles away this time but I shan't be walking
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I don't think they do. Unless you're totally lacking in the ability to read people you should be able to tell fairly easily who's serious and who's not. I wouldn't say I was ever a hotshot salesman, but when I sold bikes (Harley & Norton franchise and high quality S/H superbikes - admittedly back in the late 80s early 90s, but still...) the other sales guys used to adopt a similar approach to that described by the OP. I, on the other hand, greeted everyone who came in and was happy, when the shop was empty (most weekdays) to chat about bikes in general and the customer's needs and wants in particular...I loved bikes and had nothing better to do, having done all my paperwork from the weekend on Monday morning instead of stringing it out because it was "so boring". One particular bloke who kept coming in and looking at a BMW R100 G/S was pointed out specifically as a waste of time. I chatted to him on a few consecutive Wednesday afternoons and found out he was saving up and was desperately hoping the bike didn't seel before he had enough. Eventually he told me he was 4 weeks away from having enough saved. I organised with the sales manager that we would consider the bike sold and hold it for him. Sweet commission for me, happy customer, pissed off team cos they couldn't be arsed to make a sale. I was top sales person for the 5 months I was there, just by being prepared to actually talk to people to sort the wheat from the chaff rather than judging by appearances.Pothole said:
I was top sales person for the 5 months I was there, just by being prepared to actually talk to people to sort the wheat from the chaff rather than judging by appearances.
Very much this.A good salesman (or woman) speaks to everyone who comes in, treats them all as potential customers and puts up with no end of waffle.
90% of the time a customer will already know what sort of bike they want and will probably know more about it than the person selling; the salesperson is there to facilitate their dream, whether it be a test-ride, finance, or the persuasion that yes, they really can afford a new bike.
EazyDuz said:
So you expected the mechanic to sell you a bike which you, yourself didn't know you wanted and had not even considered?
You'd be better off finding the dealership Mystic Meg works at.
I expected the mechanic to get a salesman. It's about customer service. The shop failed and won't get my business. You'd be better off finding the dealership Mystic Meg works at.
I get asked if I want help as soon as I walk into a clothes shop despite being an old fella with absolutely no fashion sense
The question hasn't really been answered, just the usual PH thing of having a little go, so despite cost, insurance and Brexit, are bike sales suffering and wouldn't it be helpful if the showroom staff were more pro active and helpful whether a customer looks like he/she is about to buy or not.
I say again, see earlier where I had no intention of buying a car but thanks to friendly chatty staff, I left a deposit and waited 7 months for a car to arrive.
Surely no salesperson can afford to let potential customers walk out.
Edited by croyde on Sunday 20th May 07:44
If you want to buy a bike you go to somewhere they sell them. If you dont get a good feeling/deal there, you still want the bike and go look elsewhere and buy the bike. This experience does not take away your demand for a bike, just your choice of where you buy from.....
Updated with latest news
"Motorcycle sales in the United States might be tanking, but things are looking fairly positive across the pond in Europe, as the ACEM reports a 4.7% increase in motorcycle sales for Q1 2018, for a total of 203,853 units sold in the first three months of this year. The increase in sales is due to key markets like France (+9.1%), Germany (+1.9%), and the UK (+7.4%) showing good growth, compared to Q1 2017. However, not all the European countries are showing increases in motorcycle sales, with the Czech Republic (-17.3%), Poland (-28.7%), and Austria (-18.9%) pulling the sales growth figure down considerably. Not all segments are growing too. While the big bikes are seeing sales increases, European sales for mopeds are down considerably for Q1 2018 (40.2%), to the tune of a 24,996 unit sales decline "
Updated with latest news
"Motorcycle sales in the United States might be tanking, but things are looking fairly positive across the pond in Europe, as the ACEM reports a 4.7% increase in motorcycle sales for Q1 2018, for a total of 203,853 units sold in the first three months of this year. The increase in sales is due to key markets like France (+9.1%), Germany (+1.9%), and the UK (+7.4%) showing good growth, compared to Q1 2017. However, not all the European countries are showing increases in motorcycle sales, with the Czech Republic (-17.3%), Poland (-28.7%), and Austria (-18.9%) pulling the sales growth figure down considerably. Not all segments are growing too. While the big bikes are seeing sales increases, European sales for mopeds are down considerably for Q1 2018 (40.2%), to the tune of a 24,996 unit sales decline "
Edited by bogie on Sunday 20th May 19:06
Similar-ish experience looking for a Superduke. Went to test ride one, mentioned I was considering swapping to one. After the test ride the sales guy asked if I enjoyed it and just said ‘if you fancy another go give me a call’, didn’t even try and start talking about a sale.
After that I went the internet route of filling in about 4 ‘Contact Us’ forms and detailed my potential trade ins. Only one dealer came back to me so we sorted something out and they delivered the bike on Friday.
After that I went the internet route of filling in about 4 ‘Contact Us’ forms and detailed my potential trade ins. Only one dealer came back to me so we sorted something out and they delivered the bike on Friday.
Just bought a T120 Bonneville from a main Dealer.
Only went in for a look see.....sales guy asked me if I needed any help or information. I was looking at a newly arrived T120 that they were preparing for sale.
He asked if I had ridden one, what I would be using it for etc. and then whether I would like to try both the T100 (900cc) and the T120 (1200cc).
Took the T100 out, and to be honest, I was sold within 500 yards. Took a short (5 miles or so) test ride on the little one, and then back to take out the T120.
This I kept a good while longer, but was offered an hour and a half or so, just put some fuel in it to replace what I'd used.
Back to the dealer, and did the deal there and then, he arranged for collection the next day, and that was that. No pressure selling, but polite, and courteous service.
Can't ask for more than that.
Only went in for a look see.....sales guy asked me if I needed any help or information. I was looking at a newly arrived T120 that they were preparing for sale.
He asked if I had ridden one, what I would be using it for etc. and then whether I would like to try both the T100 (900cc) and the T120 (1200cc).
Took the T100 out, and to be honest, I was sold within 500 yards. Took a short (5 miles or so) test ride on the little one, and then back to take out the T120.
This I kept a good while longer, but was offered an hour and a half or so, just put some fuel in it to replace what I'd used.
Back to the dealer, and did the deal there and then, he arranged for collection the next day, and that was that. No pressure selling, but polite, and courteous service.
Can't ask for more than that.
croyde said:
I
I get asked if I want help as soon as I walk into a clothes shop despite being an old fella with absolutely no fashion senseThey know you need help, they're just being kind asking you?
The question hasn't really been answered, just the usual PH thing of having a little go, so despite cost, insurance and Brexit, are bike sales suffering and wouldn't it be helpful if the showroom staff were more pro active and helpful whether a customer looks like he/she is about to buy or not.
You don't want your question answered except in the affirmative. You've already decided. Your one piece of anecdata is too small a sample size, obvs.I get asked if I want help as soon as I walk into a clothes shop despite being an old fella with absolutely no fashion sense
They know you need help, they're just being kind asking you?The question hasn't really been answered, just the usual PH thing of having a little go, so despite cost, insurance and Brexit, are bike sales suffering and wouldn't it be helpful if the showroom staff were more pro active and helpful whether a customer looks like he/she is about to buy or not.
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