FOREWORD

Welcome to the completely updated Second Edition of my book, Mind Your Own Business.

MYOB - 2 contains over 100 pages of additional insights developed in the two decades since the original book was published.

The Second Edition has been updated to reflect the many changes in the industry over the past 20 years. Those changes include the increasing sophistication of dealerships.

The Second Edition also covers the growth of dealerships into what is now known as the powersports industry – beyond motorcycles, to categories including ATVs and watercraft.

It reflects changes in the way products are sold, including the influence of the Internet. It also reflects the greater knowledge today’s consumers have relating to the products, dealerships and P&A retailers.

Why I wrote this book

Throughout my 40-year career I've been studying and researching merchandising and marketing as it relates to recreational products. My main concern was how it pertains to the retail powersports business.

My travels have given me the opportunity to spend countless hours with many wonderful dealers around the world. Dealers who, collectively, know more about the business than any one person ever will. Many were kind enough to share some of their ideas with me. Those ideas have been corroborated and are incorporated in this book.

For the past two decades I've been conducting seminars and working with importers, manufacturers, warehouse distributors, dealers and their sales staffs. During the same time I've written marketing articles for trade and consumer motorcycle and powersports publications.

I wrote the original edition of the book because I’d been asked by some of those attending my seminars if the information we covered was available in book form. It wasn't. I referred them to a particular trade publication in hopes they could find what they were looking for. Sometimes I'd send them copies of articles from my library.

Eventually I wrote the book

The original edition has been out of print now for many years. Yet I continued to get requests for my book. That’s why I created this Second Edition, MYOB - 2.

More new people are entering the powersports industry every day. Most are coming in with very little training. Few have any sense of the history of our industry. Given the changing nature of the industry, including the influence of new entrants and new products, there is little chance these new people will be able to get the help, training and information they need to be successful.

The powersports business has been good to me. I'm a motorcyclist and like both the business, and the people in it. I know of no other industry where all the players know each other by first name. This industry is more like an extended family.

I’ve enjoyed riding my motorcycles and spending time with many of the riders I've met over the years. It is my honest belief that if more people rode motorcycles, there would be less crime and violence in the world. Motorcycle riding is a natural high.

Although I'm called an optimist (among other things), I believe I can have a positive impact on the industry by helping the people who work for the dealerships. When they become more professional, they'll introduce more people into the wonderful world of motorcycling and powersports. If more motorcycles and powersports units are sold, regardless of brand, our industry and the rest of humanity – I'd like to believe – will benefit.

Lest I lead you astray, the information in this book did not come through divine wisdom. I have to thank literally hundreds, perhaps even thousands of people who have helped guide me for the past 40-odd years.

NOTE: The following is addressed to feminists, sexists, linguists, grammarians and those concerned with gender-specific pronouns and adjectives.

Motorcycling and the world of powersports traditionally was a male-dominated sport. In recent years many more women have become involved – a fact for which I'm grateful. However, I find it cumbersome and awkward to use "her/him," "herself/himself," "he/she," and "he or she." Therefore, I will use only the male gender to define customers, dealers, etc. You may translate the gender to suit yourself. If you find it impossible to do so, forgive me. I just couldn't face the clumsiness and was unable find a reasonable alternative; such are the limitations of the English language or of this author.

John Wyckoff
Corrales, New Mexico
January 2005