Triumphrat

JohnRimmer · 12-18-2005

Some good points Saigon5.I have bought 5 Triumphs todate and none of them as a result of the shows.Magazines tend to give plenty of exposure to new models,although in the UK there is a massive journalistic bias towards GS1200s and Ducatis.Nothing aginst these bikes but in my opinion Triumph offers just as good a riding experience and is much better value for money.Plus it's a British company.I think the journos must be influenced by advertising budgets and lavish hospitality.
On the show front the people I know who go to the NEC show are getting more disappointed each year.The prices for admission,parking and refreshments are high and the show itself is less interesting and is smaller each year.I ride with various groups,Triumph and most other makes,and nobody has made a purchasing decision based on a visit to the show.
In my opinion it is all about finding a good dealer who will give test rides,provide good service and is looking to establish a long-term relationship with his customers.

jimmyj900 · 12-18-2005

Quote:

Let's make a quick poll here. We are all Triumph owners. How many of us bought there bike as a direct result of a show. Meaning that at the show the decision was made to buy it.

Me!

Jim

Saigon5 · 12-18-2005

Well Jim,

I am not sure if we can count you. You do your maintenance, your tweaking your bike, chances are you know more about your bike than a mechanic.

Basically said, you are not the customer Triumph is looking for, they make no money on service with you and this is where the dealer is making his money.

I hope you realized that I am just joking

Of course we need the exception that confirm the rule. Let's see if there are many more.

KingBear · 12-19-2005

Jimmy, I hate to tell you this but your $40,000 price tag is missing a zero or two. Floor space, carpeting, designing and constructing a big display, shipping it to each show, drayage, storage, construction and electrician labor for set-up and tear-down, bikes for display, catalogs, give-aways, show advertising, and that's before you even start on staff travel, lodging, meals, salaries... and you do it all over again week after week. The only thing that you re-use is the booth display itself, and it is only good for so many shows, so you can amortize that. The motorcycles may come from local dealers to save them the huge expense of shipping them from show to show. Everything else is an expense repeated over and over again at each city.

The convention and exhibit industry is a lot bigger than the motorcycle industry. As a thirteen-year veteran of this sort of thing in the firearms industry, I've played all of the biggest venues in the country – Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and too many small ones to count. I've done Germany (Nurnberg) myself, and I’ve seen the price tag there. It’s no bargain. I'm telling you guys that even though we'd all like to see Triumph flying their colors at a major show, I won't hold their decision not to spend that kind of cash against them. But I do expect them to make it up to us with smaller local promotions, customer support, and special financing packages. That’s what sells product, motorcycles and otherwise.

cafetbird · 12-19-2005

Quote:

Reality of a show is that most consumers go there to collect a pile of catalogue that they will put in a drawer when they get home and will put the same pile of catalogue in the garbage the following year.

Nah, I go there to check out the latest gadgets, and buy discounted Pakistani leather ;-)

fivehundo · 12-19-2005

Don't feel bad, man. We just had the Long Beach bike show and the only Triumphs that we there were the ones that were brought by South Bay Triumph.

No factory representation. I was not happy...