2004 Dealer Survey Results
As time goes on, the Sound RIDER! Dealer Survey Awards
seem to mean more and more to dealerships throughout the state. Winning dealers
place their plaques on the walls, customers take notice and readers write in
asking for results.
This year close to 700 people participated in the survey
from all over the state. Some of the winners were repeats from two years ago,
while others are new entries into the survey.
Above: The staff at Moto
International scooped up 6 awards this year!
All motorcycle stores in Washington State are eligible for voting. This
year we even added a category for independent service shops. It's not a
popularity contest, as all the voting is tabulated on a curve basis, not
cumulative numbers. However if a dealer receives only a few
entries they are disqualified on the basis of not enough data to assume a
reasonable sampling of their store.
Five categories make up the survey. The four primary categories are
Sales, Parts, Service and Store Look & Feel. Each category has four to
seven sub-categories. Points are awarded for each sub-category, the
statistical madness begins, and ultimately we wind up with a 100 point
possibility in each of the four major categories. A final Overall Store
is created that sums the four major categories for each dealer.
A fifth category was added this year - Top Dealer by Brand. The top stores
are tabulated then assigned the brand award based on who’s closest to the top.
To qualify, a dealer would have had to carry the line for two years (the time
between this and the last dealer survey in 2002).
Top Sales Departments
Where's the best place to buy a motorcycle in Puget Sound? Who has
the best customer service, selection, satisfaction, refund policy and is most
knowledgeable about their machines? This years winners are:
|
Moto International |
86.23 |
|
Eastside Harley-Davidson/Buell (Bellevue) |
81.31 |
|
Ride West BMW |
80.81 |
|
Destination Harley-Davidson/Buell (Tacoma) |
77.96 |
|
Ducati Seattle |
76.92 |
 It
takes a strong sales staff to win this award. Readers comment positively on
having personable experiences, straight shooters and the ability to get the bike
they need. Price is rarely a factor, with buyers more interested in an honest
deal – one that’s good for them, but good for the dealer as well. Four of these
dealers won in 2002, but Eastside Harley-Davidson muscled their way into the
competition coming in at #2. What’s the key to winning this category? – Build a
strong relationship with your customer based on honesty and the ability to make
the transaction smoothly without causing the customers adrenalin to run.
Above: Members of the Eastside
Harley-Davidson/Buell flash their bounty of three awards for 2004.
Top Parts and Accessories Department
Customer service, knowledge, selection, pricing, refund policy and special
order turnaround all play a role in the results of this category.
|
Moto International |
81.48 |
|
Ride West BMW |
80.18 |
|
Ducati Seattle |
77.83 |
|
Destination Harley-Davidson/Buell (Tacoma) |
75.80 |
|
University Honda/Yamaha |
73.98 |
 If
you own a number of bikes, or ride on one a lot, this category means a great
deal to you, no doubt. At one time or another we all need parts, and what one
dealer can make seem like a nightmare, another can make seem painless. Again a
personable relationship and the ability to get the job done in a timely manner
plays a key role. "He always takes care of me and I can count on him to get what
I need" is a reoccurring theme here. New to this category this year was
University Honda/Yamaha reflecting Mike Boersema and the rest of the crew's focus
to go out of their way for many customers getting the parts they need.
Above: Mike Boersema, Pete & Tom Wicken score two
awards for University Honda/Yamaha.
Top Service Department
'Department' is the operative word in each of these categories. It's
not just who the department manager is that makes these results wind up way they
are. Often it's the entire crew. As for service the question is -
who are these techs that send away customers with a smile; who is the service
writer that takes care of business and slips you in at the last minute for a
15,000 mile service? Turnaround, customer service, pricing and quality of
work are the major factors in these results.
|
Moto International |
89.58 |
|
Ducati Seattle |
76.48 |
|
Eastside MotoSports |
75.07 |
|
Ride West BMW |
75.05 |
|
Eastside Harley-Davidson/Buell (Bellevue) |
73.49 |
New to the category is Eastside MotoSports. The shop has a racing edge to it
and for the sportbike or off-road enthusiast, it’s got the wrenches with the
know-how. Also re-entering after an absence in 2002 is Ride West BMW. Ride West
has always taken these surveys to heart, utilizing the data to better understand
what direction to go next.
Top Store Look and Feel
Do you want to shop in a store that feels like Grand Pa's hardware store from
1960, or do you like the sleek clean makeovers and relocations that have been
all the rage the last few years? The later seems to be the answer.
Store cleanliness, parking and overall access are the critical factors for this
category.
|
Destination Harley-Davidson/Buell (Tacoma) |
87.78 |
|
Ducati Seattle |
87.22 |
|
Cycle Barn/Smokey Point |
82.59 |
|
Renton Motorcycles RMC |
82.26 |
|
Everett Powersports |
81.25 |
New to this category are Cycle Barn’s Smokey Point
location and Everett Powersports. Smokey Point now sports a clean cut motorcycle
dealership and customers like it. Everett did a major expansion and renovation
(as did Destination) and customers like it.
After a remodel in 2000, Renton Motorcycles moved and
built out a brand new store in the old HomeBase building in Renton – 70,000
square feet of sheer motorsports candy store with plenty of parking to boot.
Top OVERALL Dealer
The most distinctive of all categories, this is where the
rubber meets the road. One must perform well across all categories to wind up
here.
|
Moto International |
82.40 |
|
Ducati Seattle |
79.61 |
|
Ride West BMW |
79.32 |
|
Destination Harley-Davidson/Buell (Tacoma) |
77.92 |
|
Eastside Harley-Davidson/Buell (Bellevue) |
76.07 |
Again Moto International wins the category this year. You
see them as number one in all but one of the categories above. The dealership
has managed to build an extremely loyal customer base and keep them satisfied.
 Congrats
to Ducati Seattle, Ride West and Destination for their return. New for this year
is the top five placement of Eastside Harley-Davidson/Buell, which is a
reflection of their steady management team and efforts to better their
dealership.
Left/Above: Gene Cope, Ed Wallace and
Scott Stuempel picked up five awards again in 2004 for Destination
Harley-Davidson/Buell.
Top Dealer by Manufacturer
 A new
category and one we feel is relevant. Renton Motorcycles scored three
wards this year, but could not take the Yamaha award as they did not have
the line for the full 24 months between 2002 and 2004. Instead University
Honda/Yamaha scooped up that one.
While it's true that Ride West BMW is currently the only
BMW dealer in the state (they bought Tacoma BMW in December and Cascade closed
their doors in November) their rankings we're placed against the other previous
Washington State BMW dealers who operated during the two year period.
Above: Mike Dunaway and
Terry Stallcop of Renton Motorcycles picked up four awards for the dealership in
2004 making it the most popular dealer of Japanese brands in the state.
|
Ride West BMW |
#1
BMW Dealer |
|
Moto International |
#1
Aprilia Dealer |
|
Ducati Seattle |
#1
Ducati Dealer |
|
Destination Harley-Davidson/Buell - Tacoma |
#1
Harley-Davidson/Buell Dealer |
|
Renton Motorcycles |
#1
Honda Dealer |
|
Renton Motorcycles |
#1
Kawasaki Dealer |
|
Moto International |
#1
Moto Guzzi Dealer |
|
Renton Motorcycles |
#1
Suzuki Dealer |
|
I-90 Motorsports |
#1
Triumph Dealer |
|
University Honda/Yamaha |
#1
Yamaha Dealer |
|
Hinshaw's Motorcycle Store |
#1
KTM Dealer |
Top Independent Service
Many have requested this category over the years. In some
cases there were less than 10 entries for a shop. We have done our best to
represent the results accurately.
|
George Dean's Seattle Cycle Service |
#1
Independent Service Shop |
|
Motorcycle Works of Renton |
Top
5 Independent Service Shop |
|
Gervassi's Cycle Repair |
Top
5 Independent Service Shop |
|
CyclePath |
Top
5 Independent Service Shop |
|
Seattle Cycle Center |
Top
5 Independent Service Shop |
 And that's how the 2004 survey stacks up. Until 2006
that is...
At Left: George Dean and Walter Myers score for top
Independent Service at Seattle Cycle Service.
|
