Shot taken at the Lysakov Gallery in Pacific Grove - 65° Magazine

PERSONA 90
They must sell more
than motorcycles,
they must sell their
store, their service
department, their
parts department,
even themselves…
People who buy John’s motorcycles buy into
the dealership and become like family. Bringing
your motorcycle in for repairs entitles you to an
introduction to the technician who will be working
on your bike.
Continual change is their only constant. Nobody in
this business ever outgrows the need to learn and
improve. Dealerships must keep adapting just to
stay even. It’s a different business now than it was
five years ago.
They’re not selling your grandfather’s motorcycles, or
even your older brother’s. Technology itself is always
moving forward. Advance is relentless because the
industry is continually reinventing itself. Every year
their plants, systems, materials, and designs raise the
technology bar; thus, marketing and sales programs
must evolve every year.
John had to learn to focus upon customer experiences
more than any practical consideration. John
learned to capture customers’ energy, to sell them
dreams and visions.
At Monterey Peninsula Sports Center, the dealership
is big, but it has heart. They will never
succumb to the temptation of becoming big box
retail. They remember who their customers are;
they remember the names of their regulars.
Life In A Two-Wheel Fastlane
CONTINUED FROM PG 30
Instituting a practice called Customer Relationship
Management, they keep in contact with their
customers, following up with and taking care of
them. John and his staff continue in various ways
to develop relationships that were formed at the
time of purchase.
Monterey Peninsula Sports Center has actually
become some customer’s Third Place where they
can drink coffee, share experiences, and engage
in some “bench racing.” John feels it’s a privilege
to share in other people’s enthusiasms. Talking
shop with these guys is a pleasant part of the
business, which is partly why they sponsor special
events called Bike Nights, complete with BBQ, a
band, and shop talk.
John’s customers actually represent a wide demographic
range from younger sport bike enthusiasts
to more mature cruiser devotees. In light of the
current gas crisis, Peninsula residents are also
starting to get the idea of commute bikes. A Vespa
scooter might get 70 miles per gallon while some
of the smaller scooters might get 110 miles per
gallon. Some people who have never been motorcyclists
are throwing off the shackles of the Ford
and GMC psychology.
ON TO THE FUTURE
Monterey Peninsula Sports Center is in a good
place but the fact remains that a business like
this demands constant attention. They’re always
thinking about what’s ahead and are moving into
an exciting and undifferentiated future. One of
John’s heroes, Wayne Huizenga, began with a
single garbage truck and grew his Waste Management
service into the country’s largest waste
disposal company, and leveraged the company in
founding three Fortune 500 companies.
Following Huizenga’s business model, John plans
to acquire other underperforming dealerships,
make them profitable, and then sell them, leveraging
profits for ever-more-ambitious acquisitions.
John is an ambitious 20-something-year-old who
has found it tough to be as young as he is and lead
such a sizable company — managing people who
are, in some cases, three times his age. He has
hidden his age, even grew a mustache and a beard
to look older.
Fast forward six years to today and John’s dad is
pleased with the results of his investment. Present
during the struggles and challenges, Dad is now
retired, but John consults with him. John never
imagined while growing up that he would have
such a phenomenal relationship with his father.
John doesn’t have much personal time but
manages to get away to Laguna Seca on some
days. He gets on his 170 HP Ducati 1098 Superbike
and on one of the straight-aways, when he’s hitting
140 MPH, caught up in the grace of the experience;
he understands what ballet must be like.
It’s these times especially that John’s one with
the experience and becomes brother with their
customers. He’s with them and shares in their
passion for the power and freedom that motorcycles
provide. °
To learn more about John and his Monterey
Peninsula Sports Center go to www.sports-center.
com, call 888-286-4890, email him at sales@
montereypotheyrsports.com, or visit him at 1020
Auto Center Parkway Seaside.