Having recently expanded its membership to include powersports dealers and retailers, the Motorcycle Industry Council is now proactively reaching out to them regarding the new membership class and its significant benefits. So far, the MIC has signed up more than 150 dealer/retailer locations representing congressional districts in 38 states.
Initially, the MIC is contacting the 900 dealers currently participating in Revive Your Ride, the MIC’s industry-wide contest that draws consumers into powersports retailers. Since its inception in 2010, dealer participation has increased exponentially and Revive Your Ride has awarded more than $120,000 in prizes to help increase retailer floor traffic. Building on the momentum from Revive Your Ride, the MIC takes its dealer support to an entirely new level to include advocacy, market expansion, and training and education via this new membership class.
As new MIC members, these dealers and retailers join the organization’s nearly 300 existing member companies, which include motorcycle manufacturers and distributors, aftermarket product manufacturers, insurance companies, retail finance sources and more. All of these businesses work closely with dealers and retailers, and share with them the end goal of better serving current and prospective enthusiasts.
In an effort to encourage dealers to sign up and help increase the MIC’s support for and strength of the powersports industry overall, the MIC has streamlined the dealer membership application process. Easy online registration is available at www.mic.org with annual dues being paid on a quarterly basis.
“I was one of 25 dealers who joined the MIC within days of the announcement that dealers would be encouraged to join their ranks,” said Bob Althoff, owner of A.D. Farrow Co. in Columbus, Ohio, and 2013 Don J. Brown Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “The MIC needs us. Our voice is critical. The dialogue between us and the MIC’s industry membership [regarding] our common issues can only strengthen us all, and improved advocacy will result. United, we are formidable. Failure to come together will only lead to more industry threat and lost opportunity for us all. I applaud what this organization is trying to do and want to support those efforts.”
Dealers who join the MIC prior to May 31 will receive Charter Memberships and access to growth strategist David Nour’s “Social & Mobile Innovation Webinar Series,” free of charge. Other MIC benefits available to new dealer and retailer members include access to the MIC’s proprietary market research, sales data, industry news, legislative support, media relations support, discounted fees for MIC Bankcard Program, information on local laws and much more.
“In addition to being a dealer, I am also chairman of the Arkansas Motor Vehicle Commission and president of the Arkansas Motorcycle Dealer Association,” said Sandy Stroope, owner of Boat World Honda Polaris in Harrison, Ark. “In this capacity, I’ve worked with the MIC over the last five years on three different issues and was impressed by how the whole organization handled the issues and problems. I felt like they had a lot of good information to offer and that it was worth my while to be a member of the MIC when they opened it up to dealers such as myself.”
