Motorcycles and the 5 Stars
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN LOOKING AT POWERSPORTS REVIEWS
Think of the last thing you bought. Breakfast? A new drill? Possibly a motorcycle? If your mind wasn’t already made up, chances are you began by jumping online looking for advice and guidance. In the form of customer reviews.
ROMNEY CYLES: WHY GO OUT OF YOUR WAY?
For instance, after hearing nothing but great things about Romney Cycles, a new customer drove four hours, passing eight other dealerships to get here. He later described an amazing experience highlighted by a salesman who “made my experience about me and what would suit me best.”
Who did he want to tell?
Everybody.
A REVIEW INSPIRED A VISIT THAT INSPIRED A REVIEW
Inspired to share the story of what we hope will be just the first of many visits to Romney Cycles, our new customer posted a glowing review, summing up his interaction with this telling statement: “He cemented in my mind what I already had been looking for while looking online”
Adding to a growing list of enthusiastic feedback.
With reviews in the hands of the people, the voice of authentic experience – word of mouth – is no longer the exclusive domain of so called “experts” or the media.
What’s worthy of our time, attention and money. What should we avoid?
We want to know what others like us think and feel.
POWERSPORTS FINANCING? DEALS? BUNIONS? ASK, AND YOU SHALL FIND
Looking for a product, doctor, plumber or entertainment? Who offers the best motorcycle financing options or service? Which Side-by-side has the power and handling to thrill without tossing the kids into a ravine? It’s natural instinct to turn to those whose experience can help point you in the right direction. Why? Because you can.
This seismic shift began when Amazon, at the time still known as an online bookseller, started offering customer reviews (Eyebrow raising note: Today, 5 to 10% of Amazon customers write reviews, driving 20% of all sales). And groundbreaking sites like Epinions, dedicated to reviews for nearly any product or service, first appeared. Now we find them on Google, Yelp! Rotten Tomatoes and countless other platforms. Influencers of every kind hold court with massive audiences. On social media, we ask for and share thoughts and feelings on anything and everything. Sometimes maybe a bit too much. Like the latest details on Aunt Millie’s bunion. Whether you wanted it or not.
Bunions aside, there’s a huge upside to all this.
Reviews have become an indispensable tool. An integral part of how we, as consumers, consume. We learn. We consider. Reviews provide information that help us make decisions with confidence. We gain insight from their successes of others.
As well as their mistakes.
A KAWASAKI DEALER THAT BELIEVES IN YOU
Which leads us to another key thing to consider – how to know what to believe? There are powerful emotions leading us to take the time to write reviews. We learn to evaluate, read between the stars. Even too many 5-star reviews can arouse suspicion. When taking into account high numbers of reviews, laws of probability and human nature, we should reasonably expect to find a few negative comments amongst even the most glowing feedback. As we’ll discuss in a moment, how a company handles this critical indicator is something we should take notice of.
Interestingly, a customer who has a negative experience is much more likely to leave a review. While it can take more than 40 positive reviews to overcome one bad review.
Making the response an even more crucial sign of how a business might treat you.
ROMNEY CYCLES, WHERE PERFORMANCE MEANS CUSTOMER SERVICE
Of course, at Romney Cycles, reviews are not our ultimate goal. Our mission has always been happy customers and great service is. We believe one will naturally lead to the other. And while we strive to deliver the kind of service that inspires great reviews right from the start, the way a company responds to criticism and customer service issues can also be one of the truest measuring sticks of its values, standards and level of commitment.
What matters most is how they treat people.
TREATING CUSTOMERS RIGHT BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING
A company that shows compassion, answers questions quickly and clearly, addresses concerns, going above and beyond to turn the dissatisfied into satisfied customers while maintaining a high percentage of positive reviews – their 5 stars have truly aligned.
We know motorcycles and ATVs are amongst the most significant purchases many people will ever make. And a very personal one. Accordingly, we always treat it as such. As we’ve seen, buyers consult online sources for guidance not just on products but regarding the dealer they choose to do business with. As part of such a considerable investment – one that could require financing, expertise, future advice, parts and service – consumers want a relationship. Someone they trust and know will be there when needed.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND REVIEWS WILL FOLLOW
At Romney Cycle, we’re proud of the relationships and community we have built with our customers over the years. And we believe the feelings you’ll find expressed by our customers are a reflection of that. It’s a connection we value and more anything. First and foremost, we believe it is the things we have always done and will continue to do that, in turn, have generated such a high level of enthusiasm amongst our community.
So next time you read a review, read between the stars. Look at the relationships built, and the responses made to the less than stellar reviews.
That review we mentioned earlier, he finished by saying:
“They have gained a customer for life out of me.”
That’s something no ad budget could ever buy.
It means everything to us.