Reno, Nevada is a tourist city with lots of activities. In winter there is skiing and snowmobiling. There are huge motorcycle rallies, off-road and dirt biking in the fall and spring, and there is gambling and entertainment all year round. Bill Hermant has been running a dealership in Reno since the 1990s and has figured out how to be successful in this environment. Indeed Hermants is Reno cycles and equipment has been the No. 1 Polaris dealer in the west for years.
Click here to read more
Hermant began to drive both cars and motorcycles and still has a soft spot for the flat stretches. He opened a dealership in the San Francisco Bay Area and kept racing. Eventually Hermant decided to move to Nevada. Reno cycles and equipment opened its doors in 1999 and has been going strong ever since. One big reason for this – the first thing Hermant learned about selling motorcycles in Reno was selling to locals, not tourists.
“The crowds that come in aren’t buyers,” says Hermant. “We have some souvenir items for visitors to purchase and we have an exhibit at Spring and Fall Street vibration rallies, but we’re really there to promote the Polaris brand, not our business. When visitors want to shop, they usually go home and buy from the local dealer. “
The profit margin on t-shirts is pretty low. Reno cycles and equipment has kept its doors open by selling what the locals want and providing customer service that makes them happy after the sale.
“Our customer base is snowmobiles – we are the largest snowmobile dealer in the region – and motorcycles, especially off-road motorcycles,” says Hermant.
So far, 2021 has been good for Hermant, largely due to the off-road explosion the industry has seen. Reno is located in the middle of a varied terrain – mountains and forests in the west, desert in the east – which offers numerous opportunities for off-road driving with four and two wheels. Much of the surrounding land is public, with established off-road areas and trails for all skill levels.
While Reno Cycles and Gear has a thriving business selling Native American Indians and Polaris Slingshots, many of the dealer’s customers are interested in ATVs and 4x4s for work and leisure. Hermant also sells the SSR line of dirt bikes and CFMoto ATVs to customers who want a lower cost option.
“My average off-road customer is around 40 years old and fed up with being inside,” he says. “He’s going outside and enjoying it. A lot of my customers have children, and the SSRs I sell are kid-friendly. Much of my business is word of mouth – one family sees what another is doing and is referred to me. “
New drivers mean training courses are important. For road drivers, Hermant works with the training program of the local university. There is also a new riding school about 30 miles away. For off-road people, he trains in the parking lot before a customer drives and lets them watch a safety video.
“I am pleased that the training for new drivers is fully booked,” he says. “We are surrounded by open land. Most of my drivers have lived here for a while and Offroad brings young people who want to get out. “
In order to maintain off-road driving, everyone involved needs to be responsible. When it comes to off-road driving, Hermant says there are environmental guys and hooligans, but his customers are people in the middle – motorized but responsible.
“There are 2,000 to 3,000 people in the clubs I support,” says Hermant. “They sponsor clean-up days. The people who tip over aren’t off-roaders. Most off-roaders are conscientious and education is a top priority. I have a final sheet that I have to sign from the customer. I am presenting information about the product I am selling and the final point is, ‘I promise to keep the land available for recreation by being responsible.’ “
Reno is very close to the California border and Hermant needs to be aware of not only California laws but California off-road regulations as many of its customers want to drive in California. Another concern he has is managing the space in his dealership.
“In 2008 I moved from a 7,000 square meter property. Location at 21,000 sq.-ft. It seemed like a lot of space at the time, but it really wasn’t. The side-by-sides that I sell take up a lot of space. You have revitalized our industry, but at the same time you need a lot of space. I’m always looking for better products and better ways to use my space. “
Concern for space led Hermant to drop several other brands he carried in order to focus on Polaris products.
“I made the decision to become a full-time Polaris dealer,” he says. “I chose Indians. Polaris makes a quality product and customers can see the built-in quality when they come to the dealer. Polaris also stands behind their products. “
A big attraction for Reno Cycles and Gear is the service department. Hermant recognized early on that nobody would want to wait a few weeks for an oil change and new tires. He created “No Appointment Tuesdays,” where a customer who wants something as simple as an oil change or a basic set-up can bring his bike or SUV and get it back at the end of the day. The service department has never turned a Tuesday appointment into a large profit center.
Reno Cycle also sells accessories in a steady clip. Hermant says the best way to sell accessories is to install them on a vehicle on the showroom floor.
“People can see the quality of our accessories and also get new ideas for how to use the machine they are buying,” he says. “I put a snow plow on a 4 × 4. The boys come in and say, ‘I didn’t know you could do that with a 4 × 4.’ “
Despite the ability to showcase vehicles and accessories in the exhibition space, Hermant says its biggest challenge is the internet.
“The internet is the worst for business,” he says. “It’s not as bad as it used to be because they forced internet companies to pay sales tax. There are all of these cheap helmets on the internet. I explain to the people who come in why they need to buy their child a good helmet – don’t they care about the child? However, many parents say the child will outgrow it in a year and there is no need to spend a lot of money, so buy a cheap helmet anyway. “
Reno Cycles is fighting the Internet by keeping inventory available and on display. Donna, Bill’s wife, runs the parts department and makes a point of having inventory available.
“I can show people what quality I’m selling,” says Hermant. “It is also important to customers not to have to wait for their item. ‘You got it right here,’ they say and pick up their wallet. “
Unlike many retailers, Reno Cycles and Gear is still a family affair, with Donna Hermant partially overseeing the finances and her daughter Kim. And Bill still enjoys coming to work after all these years.
“In five years, I’ll still be sitting at the same desk. I like it, ”admits Hermant.
Reno cycles and equipment
3445 Kietzke Ln, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 355-8810
OEM: Polaris, Indian, CFMoto, CCR
Aftermarket: Drag Specialties, Icon, Speed and Strength, Alpinestars, Throttlethreads, Moose Racing, FMF Racing.
Number of employees: 30
Comments are closed.