Over the last month I’ve attended a couple of meetings for Motorcycle State Dealer Associations. One of these was well attended (thanks TMDA), and the other no so much.
I’d love to figure out how to improve association membership and attendance at these meetings (and for the States that don’t have them, to see associations formed).
Over the last 10 years, a lot of dealerships have changed hands. The generation who set up the original State Dealer Associations are now retiring out. The younger ones who are just getting started have never had to operate without some of the protections and laws that the prior generations worked hard to get enacted.
Being in one of these Associations isn’t just about getting together to joke around, there are multiple aspects including
- Updates on enacted legislation that impacts the dealers (from taxes and titling to consumer protections)
- Meeting with organizations that support the industry to discover new products and services
- Seminars on management and industry best practices
- Meeting with other dealers in the State (it’s not always easy, but most States are large enough that we can all be friends).
- Helping to determine the focus of the association for the upcoming year
Many of the younger owner’s haven’t realized that as a group they have the ability to guide and improve State legislation. Franchise and motor dealer statutes are also incredibly important, and they add value to your business (should you decide to sell). These statutes also help to determine how much support you’ll get from the OEM should you close the business. When a dealer closes, in some States, the OEM must repurchase vehicles, tools, parts, and signage. In other States (and some provinces of Canada), the OEM can just walk away leaving you to hold the bag. In some States the OEM can set up another dealer 2 miles down the road from you, in other States it’s much further than that. Which State would you rather operate in? In which State is a dealership worth more?
For motorcycle and off-road dealerships, it’s also easy to get caught up in legislation designed to impact other industries. Tesla is currently spending tens of millions of dollars across the country to chip away at franchise laws so they can sell direct to the consumer. Think hard about this point. When the OEM no longer needs the dealership, what happens to all of us? Instead of employees of each state having meaningful jobs, a few Billionaires and a bunch of boys on wall street will make all the money that currently is spread across our communities.
There are many lobbyists actively working to undermine our protections. It’s time that the members of our industry stand together and say “Enough!”. It’s time that the 20% of dealers who are active in these associations quit supporting the other 80%. It’s time for all of us to stand up and take control of our destiny.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/motorcycle-atv-state-dealer-associations-mark-sheffield/
Please forward this. Please share it. Please get active in your State Dealer’s Association. Here are some of the current associations I work with.
- TMDA – Texas Motorcycle Dealers Association
- RVDA – The National RV Dealers Association
- MRAA – Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
#DealerAssociation #TMDA #MRAA #RVDA #Franchise #Laws