i have a question for every one?

[Osborne Performance]

i offer the same products that team 2 does as others that are around snowest . But we donot have a fancy website would it be worth the time to build one for you? Or is customer service more important ? And i use customer service as number 1 but as alot of you know we can not make it in the sleds only deal. I have had to take a job to support my family but still sell sled atv and motocross stuff. If you think it would increase my sales i would build a site but it saves you money in the end that i donot . alot of stuff that they do not.all it takes is a pm or a call i have what he has plus

 

[snow_knight]

IMO.. unless you keep a very up2date and informative website.. it isnt worth it.. I think its great that you guys are on here giving people more options when buying stuff.. but from a business stand point you have to out do the others in every aspect to strive above the rest.. you might find it profitable to find a little more of a niche market for different applications..

I know its hard making a business profitable these days.. best of luck to ya.. rocky

 

[jsledder]

In my 8 years of experience..... NO it isn't worth it to do the website deal, unless you don't value your time with your family or have anything else to do. The website will drain you, trying to keep up with new products, discontinued products, price changes and keeping it organized is really more than it's worth unless your a big time operator like SLP or HPE or someone like that who can afford to stick a couple full time employee's on website stuff. Then, finding a shopping cart program is a whole nother topic.... not cheap to just go out and find a decent, easy to use shopping cart program.

I continue to do it because I've got some time and get help from family when I need it plus I've got a 14 year old that's going to need something to do and I'd like to see him take this over and see how it goes. I could have a much better website and a pile of more products, if I worked a little harder at it and put in a ton more time.

Not trying to discourage you or anything, just giving you my opinion.

 

[mtn mike on boost]

just be alittle more active arround this site for your exposure.i have purchaced from you as well as my friends have, after my dealings w/ you and we have all been pleased w/ the pricing as well as the quick shipping. word of mouth will build a buisness alittle slower than advertising, but is much cheaper and alot more time friendly.just my 2 cents

 

[snow4321]

Keep up the good work man.

Rod is a very stand up guy to do business with, I don't know what the benefit to cost ratio would be for the website but myself and my buddies have purchased thousands and thousands of $ worth of merchandise from him and we have never been disappointed with the service or the price.

Give him a call if you need anything from snowmobile parts to rock crawler stuff to high performance diesel stuff he can and will get it to you for a great price.

Karl

:beer;:beer;

To the top for ya Rod....

Call me up I need some exhaust for the dodge:face-icon-small-win

 

[minet]

ttt

 

[Flit-e]

headache vs more customers vs time....time equals money.....dealer back home had one for a year and it was worthless becuase they never had time to update and other little things like that...word of mouth still works great to pass on good dealers names and such...so its not really worth it unless you have lots of time on your hands?

 

[rmkboxer]

the problem is you have good customer service so nobody bad mouths you so you can get your name out more.

its at the point I would rather buy from you then any of the shops around me.

 

[donbrown]

i sell chainsaw files on ebay and don't have a website.

I know I would make more money with a website but there is a hassle and cost to run the site.

 

[minet]

i think good biz practices will keep customers coming back. but as a consumer i buy alot online and frankly im willing to bet E commerce will only become more prevelint in the years to come. the easier you make it for people to give you money.. well you know the rest. some industries will fair better than others ,, auto for instance , no offence to any reading this , but the sales/admin in that industry from my expereince is stuck in the 70s .. sledding i dont think will be as slow to adopt.

you might not need huge bandwidth to host a full product spec sheet and whatnot on everything but having an online orderform i think would be a good thing from a consumer standpoint.

 

[MARV1]

I've had a couple great dealings with you and won't hesitate to buy from you again. Websites help alot on showing us what you have, but aren't necessary. Guess we just gotta PM you or give you a call and let you know what we want if you have all that he has and more. You have a great following on here and NO disappointments so far, keep up the great work and pricing for all of us!

 

[sledhead ut]

Hey Rod,
I don't think I would waste the time and money as long as SW allows you to advertise in your signature area. Key is to put yourself out there and make it very clear as to what products are available to you to pass on. Any sane person would buy from you if they new they could save money and get great service. Keep up the good work and get OTO plastered all over SW.
Ron

 

[moyiesledhead]

I guess it depends on how busy you want to be. I got fed up with the local dealers long ago, and now I buy virtually everything online....or at least that's how I find what I want. I won't hesitate to make phone calls, but I initially find out who has what by surfing. It's a great tool, at least for me. I have no idea what's involved from your end, but's that's how it gets used on mine.

 

[Snomofo]

I don't have a good answer for the website question, but Rod is an outstanding guy to do business with----I appreciate the great customer service I have recieved in the past.

 

[likkerpig]

From a consumer's standpoint, I want a website with up to date products and pricing. For me, it's a PITA PM'ing or emailing people...waiting and hoping for a response. I need to be able to shop and get pricing online without waiting to hear back from someone. At a minimum, if I can't get at least a product list and pricing, I'm off to someone else that does. Online sales are every bit as important as being a phone call away to help with any questions or problems. JMO.

 

[CoyoteGirl]

Hey cuz...

Here's my thoughts. In today's society you need a website if for nothing else but a mission statement and a overview of what you have to offer.

Unfortunately many dealers aren't good to deal with, this is a positive in your favor. But when you are miles away from people that makes it more difficult for them to develop a repor w/ you. Having a website to atleast show them what you offer bridges some of that gap.

My experience is that sledders are impatient and cheap. They want their parts NOW and they want the best deal. If you set up a website where they can see what you offer you've taken care of the NOW part.

I see now that WPS, Parts Unlimited Tucker Rocky, etc all have their catalogs available online. This makes your life easier to not have to list all of your products or pricing. Put a link to them up and we, the consumer, can browse until we go blind. It can also give them a way to help YOU out by maybe doing their own research on products and by having a part # for you when they are ready to order. It could also be a way to have many of their questions answered via email and you can get to them when you have the time.

A simple website from GoDaddy is not expensive and by using your supplier's websites as the catalog you don't have to spend all that time updating the information.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Osborne Performance]

thanks cuz. i was thinking of going that route we have a good but bad location we live in rural area and not to many people know we are here and i am a quiet person so we do not go to all the shows and stuff. i like that i have a great rep on this forum but would like to grow to the standreds of rocky mountain atv or hpe thanks every one for your comments

 

[NM]

Hey cuz...

Here's my thoughts. In today's society you need a website if for nothing else but a mission statement and a overview of what you have to offer.

Unfortunately many dealers aren't good to deal with, this is a positive in your favor. But when you are miles away from people that makes it more difficult for them to develop a repor w/ you. Having a website to atleast show them what you offer bridges some of that gap.

My experience is that sledders are impatient and cheap. They want their parts NOW and they want the best deal. If you set up a website where they can see what you offer you've taken care of the NOW part.

I see now that WPS, Parts Unlimited Tucker Rocky, etc all have their catalogs available online. This makes your life easier to not have to list all of your products or pricing. Put a link to them up and we, the consumer, can browse until we go blind. It can also give them a way to help YOU out by maybe doing their own research on products and by having a part # for you when they are ready to order. It could also be a way to have many of their questions answered via email and you can get to them when you have the time.

A simple website from GoDaddy is not expensive and by using your supplier's websites as the catalog you don't have to spend all that time updating the information.

Just some thoughts.

Yup!!! I think you said it perfect B. This industry needs more "good" retailers.

 

[matt]

Rod I've been buying from you on and off for 3 or 4 years now, frankly I'm happy with how it works.

I have to disagree with likkerpig above, I don't waste my time surfing other sites; I already know that 90% of those that i'll browse are listing at full retail anyway.

Besides I'm too busy with work and whatnot to kill 3 hours surfing to save $5. I know I can fire you a pm at 10pm before I go to bed, and have a pricing quote by the time I get home from work the following day.

I know I'm getting a good price from you, and I know I'll get it in 2 days (sometimes less) since your drop shipping from local Parts Unlimited distributors.

Save your money. Coyote girl's suggestion is pretty good. I do that already, SLPs site is good for pre-purchase research/part #'s, and there are other places to get parts unlimited reference #s.

Matt

 

[Clarke673]

I have been hear a long time and i have never even seen you before. If i was you and i was really giving a go at it, i would advertise on snowest some. Sponsor a film company. They don't need much and most pay for everything them selvs. If you gave a film company a discount such as Summit HD films, Thunderstruck, Alticity, or cough3 coughSW, than i am sure they would proudly brand decals all over they's sleds and mention you in a film or to. Ever drink red bull or monster? Tastes like S**T but people still drink it because they see all the best dirt bikers and snowmobilers in the world drinking it.

ON a side note, I tried to build my own hobby grade RC business and it failed because I realize the hundreds of hours that I would have to devote into the company to get it to work would pay less than if I was paid minimum wage, I hope it works out better for you.

If you made a sled shop that was this easy to buy from http://www.rcplanet.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y
and you had the right prices and enough parts to make it worth wile than you would be favored over Dennis Kirk in a heart beat!