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Powersports Business • April 2024 • 11

FROM THE EDITOR

INSTA TIPS

Is your dealership capitalizing on the top-of-mind marketing ease that Instagram offers ? Did you come up with an ideal way to showcase your customers in an effort to help spread the word about your shop and its employees ? If so , let us know . Powersports Business will highlight Instagram posts from a variety of dealerships in upcoming editions of the magazine .

Dealerships featured all follow the Powersports Business Instagram at @ powersportsbusiness . All posts featured will be photo or video in nature , with content from Instagram Stories not considered for this piece .

Got an Instagram tip that works at your dealership or one with which you do business ? Feel like raising the collective industry tide ? Let us know at mhubbard @ epgacceleration . com .

I try to do my part at home to recycle and reuse what I can . Some may say I keep too much junk , which is probably accurate . I am the guy who holds on to nuts and bolts from projects because one never knows when you might need them again .

BRENDAN BAKER

It ’ s a curse in some ways because I want to keep everything to “ upcycle ” or reuse someday . But how often do I put this into practice ? Admittedly , not much . I ’ ve got parts from motorcycles I ’ ve sold and cars I no longer own . But that ONE TIME when I find something of use in this pile , it justifies it all – at least in my mind , it does . My wife would prefer I get rid of it all . I find that there ’ s a fine line between trash and treasure . But I will confess my pile is mostly trash .

With Earth Day around the corner , the beginning of the selling season underway , and a solid outlook for the economy , what can powersports dealers expect for Q2 and beyond ?

First , Earth Day doesn ’ t have much to do with new unit sales , but it is a reminder that we , as an industry , should do our part in making the world a better place . Besides selling the fun , we must keep up with the waste we create . This time is an opportunity to look at processes and evaluate our kitchens honestly . We may be selling some electric bikes and e-motorcycles , which help reduce carbon emissions , depending on who you talk to or what you believe . But we can also make our stores run clean and green .

Honda ’ s Green Dealer Program has been around for a while , but car dealers have primarily taken advantage of it . Only a tiny handful of powersports dealers are currently participating in the program , which was designed for any dealership , not just Honda stores .

The program , launched in 2012 , has a website with cumulative CO2 reduction data , an updated Green Dealer Guide , new benchmark metrics for evaluation , and existing support for data collection , environmental assessment , expert advice , implementation , and results verification . In a nutshell , it ’ s pretty slick ( or perhaps green ).

Honda ’ s Green Dealer Program helps dealerships reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 19,000 metric tons annually . “ That ’ s equivalent to 2,800 homes worth of electricity each year ,” Honda notes . Participating dealers have demonstrated that reducing energy and water use is achievable and can save money , address climate change , and inspire others to “ make a difference for the future of our planet .”

The program awards participating dealers based on performance in the areas of energy and water efficiency , waste reduction , site attributes , and other sustainable best practices . More than 150 dealers across all of Honda ’ s product lines have received the Honda Environmental Leadership Award , earning Silver , Gold , or top-level Platinum designations . These dealers have collectively reduced CO2 emissions by more than 34,000 metric tons . And they get a ton of respect for their efforts in my book .

BRP has been doing some evaluations lately as the financial statements for Q4FY24 have come rolling in . With our mild winter , the snow market has seen sales drop off a cliff . As a result , the Canadian manufacturer has cut snowmobile production for MY25 sleds by 30 %. I have to give them kudos for not forcing units on dealers so that they can hit a specific share price . It ’ s not easy being a publicly traded company and then making tough decisions like this , even if it is the right thing to do . BRP says that things should be back on track for next year , but if we have more extreme weather swings like we have been having , it ’ s hard to say with confidence that it will turn around next year .

Whether you want to believe it or not , something is happening with our weather as the world heats up . We may be calling it climate sports before long . Last summer , the Southwest and West were also affected by record heat . It was almost too hot to ride in certain areas , affecting sales in these regions .

Scientists have recently discovered that Antarctica ’ s ice has been thinning on the “ Doomsday Glacier ” since the 1940s . The melting has been accelerating since the 1970s . So , basically , this effect has been going on my whole life and most of my parents ’ lifetimes . I don ’ t want to sound alarmist , but we may need to sound the alarm . There are other ways besides going electric to reduce your carbon footprint . I can ’ t judge anyone because I have gasoline in my veins , but I ’ d like our way of life to continue for future generations . I remain hopeful that it ’ s not too late .

In the meantime , any business owner interested in lowering energy costs and reducing environmental impact can download the Green Dealer Guide . It is available as a free , open-source download at greendealer . honda . com .

EVERETT POWERSPORTS @ everettpowersports

Followers 1,127 For dealerships looking for a new way to promote a unit , consider reviewing the machine on social media . Everett Powersports posted a teaser video announcing that , “ Our store owner , Matt Sterett , is gearing up to take the AJP PR7 650 for a spin and deliver an epic review ! Join him as he gives you an in-depth , full walk around review of this incredible versatile machine , showcasing its performance both on the pavement and off-road …” Feedback about a unit from an owner , manager or employee provides a credible review for customers .

MCGRATH HAWKEYE HARLEY-DAVIDSON

@ mcgrathhawkeyehd Followers 1,104 A McGrath Hawkeye Harley-Davidson employee shared a message reminding customers that the dealership offers an express lane in the service department and how to use it for those getting ready to ride this Spring . Are there any processes in one of your departments that customers may not know about or may need to be reminded of ? The caption reads , “ Riding season is on the way ! Make sure your bike is good to go this season ! Learn more here ,” followed by a link and eyecatching emojis .

IRON PONY MOTORSPORTS @ ironponymotorsports Followers 5,819 Iron Pony Motorsports recently shared an “ Employee Pick of the Week ” post that is captioned , “ Zach ’ s pick of the week is Jax Wax . Jax Wax is made here in Ohio , and Iron Pony Motorsports has many of their great products to choose from ! These products are great for cleaning and polishing your ride .” More details about the products are included in the caption and highlighted by the employee throughout the video posted by the dealership . This is a creative way to bring attention to products in your store and provide a reliable recommendation to try them out .