This posting was taken from Slingshot Nation on Facebook. It was posted on September 24 by Glenn Carpenter.
I agree with him completely about Polaris. Their marketing dept. is composed of idiots, I wonder if any of them have even driven a slingshot. The comments about dealerships will depend on the dealer involved good or bad. His comments on accessories are spot on.
(walking up to the Soapbox to vent)
The Polaris business model is real inefficient and makes absolutely no sense. Whomever developed it really needs to go back to business school.
First: Branding and lack thereof. You go to dealers and see no banners, no merchandizing, and no part supplies. How do you get customers excited if you aren’t excited too? At a minimum, there should be banners, clothing, and parts/accessories to show potential new customers/returning customers what is possible. The dealerships should also have a basic set of parts so that they can do simple maintenances.
Second: Centralization. The dealers need to go to Polaris for their approval on EVERYTHING. The dealers should be able to do any basic warranty work without needing to get prior approval from Polaris. A gasket leaks on a three month old vehicle, the dealer should not need to go to Polaris for permission to repair it. It’s obvious that it’s not wear and tear at three months old and clearly under warranty! Think about the inefficiency of having to centrally address each/every little issue. This slows things down immensely and irritates (at a minimum) customers/dealers.
Knowledge base is also too centralized. Polaris does not adequately train its mechanics/service writers. A constant issue you see is where dealers do not know about their products and must contact Polaris for explanation/direction/guidance on how it works, how to maintain it, or repair it.
Third: Customer support/appreciation: Harley Davidson, Honda, et al understand that along with “branding”, that you need to support your customer base, and encourage them to like/want/need your brand. Harley Davidson has Harley Owners Group (HOG) at each dealership. Honda has a similar program, etc. These groups encourage people to be excited about their product, compare what others have done to their vehicles, use them (hear service/maintenance money being made), and promote their product to others (hear free advertising).
Mind you that: a) I have had my Slingshot for a short time now; b) have limited experience with the Slingshot community; c) LOVE my Slingshot; and d) in three months have over 4,000 miles on it - but I am at a total loss as to how Polaris seems to think that this business model works.
My experience in buying my Slingshot was painful. All seven dealerships, I dealt with, offered the exact same “discount”; no negotiations on service packages; extended warranties; and had to be forced to take a trade-in (but only well under bottom Kelly Blue Book/NADA values). I was literally told at four dealerships that I could “take it or leave it”. Two dealerships told me that they sold Slingshots only because they had to otherwise they have absolutely no interest in them.
After signing the last purchase document, I was told that the Slingshot I was buying was not available to take home due to “throwing a service code” that they needed to call Polaris for explanation/approval to fix. After spending all of this money, I went home with only paper in my hand and it would not be for 5 days before I was able to drive the Slingshot home. How exciting is that? How much faith does this give a new customer about his new purchase? How likely is this new customer to sing your dealership or product praises?
The day after I made my purchase (and still before I got my SS), I was sent a survey from Polaris about my purchase. I completed the survey (as I would normally do as a Yelp Elite reviewer) factually explaining my entire experience. The response to the survey? I had the dealership general manager call me - trying to explain more than apologize - and ask me to change my survey. He offered nothing to appease me - like offer me a t-shirt, reduction in cost for accessories/add-ons/service or even telling me my Slingshot was available.
I have purchased/owned 53 street bikes; 13 cars and numerous dirt/off road vehicles. Yes, I am that old. I have never had this kind of experience after purchasing a vehicle. Never have I walked away wondering what just happened or regretting my making a purchase. Again, I LOVE my Slingshot. The fact that I’ve put 4000 miles in three months attests to my “smiles per mile”. I just can’t understand this company model.
(slowly steps off soapbox and walks away)…..
