Lessons of a Harley Dealer

Sometimes the most effective way to learn what’s important when selling to small business is to appreciate what it is like to be a small business owner. 

This month’s cover story in Inc magazine profiles Mike’s Famous Harley-Davidson dealership in Delaware.  It was voted the #1 Harley dealership in the world.  It is owned by Mike Schwartz who turned it from sleepy underperforming motorcycle shop into a retail destination that includes a museum and a restaurant – in addition to a motorcycle store and service department.

He went through a common situation faced by many small business owners.  He expanded the business, hired all the right advisors, and was brilliant when it came to marketing.  But managing growth for productivity was the issue, as noted by a consultant hired to fix problems in the business:

“I’ve never seen so much traffic,” he told Schwartz. But what happened next shocked him. The customers weren’t greeted when they walked through the door, and those lucky enough to strike up a conversation with a salesperson were often interrupted when the main office sent telephone calls down to the floor. To Hackett, that was double trouble. The conversation on the retail floor was being interrupted, and the customer on the phone was given short shrift because the salespeople were too distracted to get their names and numbers.

Read the entire article at Inc.