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The Bicycle Industry – So Much Potential NOW

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This episode’s guest is Bob Stomel, Director of Sales for the Huffy Corporation. With a bicycle industry background that spans an impressive 34 years, Bob has not only led and inspired sales teams but developed bicycle sales programs for national and regional retailers. An impressive background in monitoring sales, marketing, product development, forecasting, customer care, and team building lends Bob to be a visionary on the future of bicycle retail.

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The Bicycle Industry – So Much Potential NOW

Tue, 8/10

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

bike, bike shop, people, bicycle, retailers, industry, rep, dealers, store, customer, ride, sales, consumers, selling, business, raleigh, buying, accessories, educated, community

SPEAKERS

Heather Mason, Bob Stomel

Heather Mason  00:03

Welcome to another episode of bicycle retail radio brought to you by the MBDA. This is President Heather Mason. Thank you for listening. If you’re a first time listener, be sure to check out the previous episodes. Do us a favor and leave a review. Today’s guest is Bob stommel, director of sales for the huffy Corporation. With a bicycle industry background that spans an impressive 34 years, Bob has not only LED and inspired sales teams, but developed bicycle sales programs for national and regional retailers. He has an impressive background of monitoring, sales, marketing, product development, forecasting, customer care and team building, which lends Bob to be a visionary and the future of bicycle retail. Speaking with Bob in preparation for this conversation, I know he is going to circle us up to see the huge potential we have right now in the industry. Before we jump into the episode, I want to give a warm mention of thanks to the newest NBA Association member SRAM. Along with SRAM we welcome zip rock Shaka truvativ, time sport and cork, the NBA is continually working on creating moments for retailers and consumers to move forward with our industry. And Scott King, who is the co founder of SRAM mentioned that in joining the MBDA that they feel strongly in supporting and creating better experiences for our retailers and their communities. A special thanks to Scott SRAM and the entire team. Alright, without further ado, I want to jump into today’s episode I have with me today, Bob. Bob, thank you for joining us.

Bob Stomel  01:37

Thank you, Heather, this is quite an honor to to speak with you and speak to as many viewers as is out there listening. Hi, I’m

Heather Mason  01:47

just I did I have to admit I did a little prep for our conversation as I do. And I I googled you eyes on your LinkedIn and such an impressive past 34 years in the bicycle industry.

Bob Stomel  01:59

Yeah, that’s, that’s it’s 34 with bike companies and six in a bike shop.

Heather Mason  02:09

I am just so leading national sales roles directing teams, companies to scale. I’m thinking of all the people you’ve worked with, and you have so much to bring to the conversation. I want to rewind, because I always like to start at the beginning. And I mean, how did you find yourself in the bicycle industry? Well,

Bob Stomel  02:29

it really started with my grandfather, who had nothing to do with the bike industry. But my grandfather was a Tinker. And he worked for a company at the time called Mrs. Smith pies. And he’s a pie delivery man. And he drove a truck delivering eyes to restaurants and such. along his route. If he saw something in the trash, he pick it up, bring it home, fix it and give it to somebody who could use it could be a washing machine. My good fortune it was some bicycles. So we would take her in the garage and I got this idea when a new bike shop opened up in the Philadelphia area where I grew up. Then I could go get a job there when I was 14. So I moseyed into the bike shop and said, Hey, listen, I know you’re new. I love bicycles. And I think I can repair fix bicycles. What I experienced as well, I’ve been working my grandfather’s garage. Don winegar, who is owner of busselton bikes gave me the opportunity to put the right wrenches in my hand not travel locks or pliers, as my grandfather kind of showed me on some things. And john is my my longest standing friend. He has two stores in the Philadelphia area one is still busselton bikes. The other one is named cycle fit. And you know, he, he really got me started at the bike shop level. So we were a we had various brands over the years, probably being one of them. And when I was approaching my time to graduating high school, john started asked me what do I want to do when I get out? Do I want to go to college, maybe we open up another bike shop, you know, that becomes my location. And I really didn’t know what I wanted to do. But we had a sales rep at the time named Howard loman, who was from the old Rowley ti days who would call on us and in the 80s which leads to my connection with huffy puffy had the name right to Raleigh in the 80s. So Howard make this transition to kind of the Raleigh side of the business. And you know, I always thought, you know, Howard’s got the greatest job in the world. He goes and see 50 bike shops, you know, a month. He drives us up convertible. He talks about bytes, he brings us doughnuts or pizza, and just educates us in the blank. bism other cool job that would be? Well, you know, I asked Howard, I said, How do I become a sales? rep? Well, Bob, you know, it’s very difficult that somebody, you know, passes on, or as a Muslim, the Muslim stay in the jobs forever. So, almost at the same time WSI, this has gone way back western states imports, who did Centurion and diamond back was looking for people. And they were in Dayton, New Jersey. And I applied there, and I worked for them for about six months, I don’t really put that on my resume, because it was only six months. But they sent me out into the field. You know, after about three months, and started calling on some dealers. And Howard found out about it and said, We can’t have this, we can’t have my Raleigh Boy, you know, selling other stuff. So our natural got bumped up into management. And I was grateful that I got his territory and inherited a lot of learning from him. One of my mentors in my life. I had let’s see, Western New York, Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, North Carolina, and I was a rep for about four years. And Howard moved on, after about four years and I got promoted to his job regional sales manager after just kind of coming out of the bike shop. And I did that for about another four years before being asked to move out to Seattle where we had the factory buy a truck Wilkie who was the president at the time. And that was only out there for about six months before Chuck Wilkie moved on. And then I was introduced to my next great mentor, which was Bill Austin. And I was there for about another three or four years before coming to huffy. So I meet a lot of good people on the way. But I got there’s also some

Bob Stomel  07:13

people in Philadelphia who have been on some of them on your broadcasts that I’d like to mention back in and how can it work it cosmic cycle, we were about 10 miles away, we were both rally dealers, we swap bikes, back and forth. Larry peezy, who’s an ultra cycle, Larry had blank tech, I called on Larry. And when Larry was out of his bicycle retailer, retail stores, he came to work for Raleigh, under me when I was director sales out there. So there’s a lot of connection, and a lot of camaraderie. Just from just from Philadelphia, you know, a great cycling city. I go back often I I’ve been in Dayton now for Dayton, Ohio for now for 23 years. And it’s home, but Philadelphia is still home. And, you know, I tried to keep in contact with everybody, even through LinkedIn or email. And I missed the trade shows and Miss interbike because you get to see everybody and you know, your family, your community, your mentors. So that’s how I kind of got into it. And then 97 I came to huffy. And I helped me I’ve done several different jobs anywhere from business development manager when I started to international sales, and now Director of Sales domestically, start some international responsibility.

Heather Mason  08:39

But this is such an impressive growth pattern. I mean, to listen to you, you talk about it, and I can see the energy in your eyes cuz I get to look at you and I, you must have loved what you were doing because you just continue to grow and you must have been really good at it. How was it when you got out there those first days on that sales job, right? Like,

Bob Stomel  08:58

oh, you know, when you when you call another dealer who actually is not around anymore, but the the bike shop in Washington, DC the Conway’s was Stanley was the father. He was from England, Neil and Simon who were his sons, and Neil just goes to the store, through the pandemic after Obama, how many years now? But and he’s in he’s, he’s older now. close to retirement, but, you know, I was green, and I wanted to I wanted to visit this this dealer and, you know, he said, Hey, you don’t know me from Adam. But um, you know, I want to help you. Here’s the dealers, who I see was a good guys to talk to, and here’s the dealers of Africa, guys. And, you know, you know, all I’m asking this for a fair shake as a dealer and, you know, he kind of gave me the lay of the land and the territory that Yeah, Howard gave me some insight when I inherited the territory from him, but that Through Howard’s eyes. And I felt that I needed to start to learn through my eyes, but still keep our learnings you know, in my back pocket, and the dealers that I’ve met over the years, I mean, there’s not a dealer that I could say that, you know, I ever had a problem with. I mean, they, you know, you’d raise, shake yourself with a dealer, and especially in this industry, the first thing they ask you, when you’re the new guy, Where’d you come from? Outside the industry, they’re like, Okay, this guy, but they’ve usually found out I was in a bike shop from when I was 14 to 16. And now I’m out on the road, and, you know, who I know and who you’re connected to. And it’s like, come on, in, you know, and it’s, it’s just, you know, the people you meet, the things you learn in this industry, are lifetime learnings and lifetime friendships.

Heather Mason  10:52

I’m so happy to hear you mentioned that, because that is something you know, we’re continuing to try to bring our members together and these networking moments. And I’m asking retailers to reach out to other retailers introduce themselves, like, this is how that magic happens. And I totally get what you’re saying, if you’re, if you come into the industry, and you’re not in the bicycle, and you almost get shunned, you’re almost people that first is not even in the industry.

Bob Stomel  11:16

Yeah, where’s it where’s this guy from? Because we I’ve had people who I’ve worked for over the years, who have managed me from other industries and tried to bring those influences in and as soon as you bring your boss in, and I say, Well, I’m from the transalta. Industry, what’s that have to do with my business? What can I, what can I learn from you, and some things you can some things you can’t, but there’s a certain level of trust and reliability when they know where you came from. And, you know, I believe a lot from promoting within, because that’s how I grew. You know, I was fortunate to have good mentors and good people to work with, and grew within the industry. And I, you know, in our earlier conversations, you know, that we had, I just thought that, you know, there’s life beyond the bike shop for everybody, you’re not stuck in any position in this industry, because there’s so much potential, and especially now, as we come out of the pandemic, there’s just tremendous potential for the industry and people within the industry. And people want to enter the industry.

Heather Mason  12:21

It does get out to me, when we spoke, I was really impressed. You were just like, there is tremendous opportunity now. And you said it without even of flexion flexion of like not, you are so committed to that. And I was like, okay, we need to chat. So I took some notes from that conversation. And I want to just dive into some areas that you were talking about the potential that is right in front of us now. And we we let’s talk about the cycling boom, and the new consumers who have found our sport, I think you would agree that that’s fantastic, right? It’s only brought things into the

Bob Stomel  13:02

absolutely, you know, the, from almost the time the CDC locked everything kind of down, and people were looking for things to do. And kids are out of school, it was an immediate surge in looking for bikes looking for scooters, looking for anything I can do independently. And that was just for kids. And all of a sudden, parents who, you know, I have a 14 and 15 year old and one of my my 14 year old, spends most of his time using his thumbs in the house in front of the screen. And all of a sudden, you know, let’s go out for a bike ride, you know, because he was cooped up in the house. So all of a sudden, I got to engage with my my youngest son on a level that I didn’t have before the bicycle brought us together. My older son, I grew up bike riding every now and then. But my young son wanted to get get involved. And, you know, my wife’s like, well, the three of you can’t go out without taking me. So all of a sudden, we went from these neighborhood rides to these to these destination rides, we put the bikes on the bike rack and go somewhere. And then we saw other people doing it and you know, when you see other people doing Oh, I could do that too. And all of a sudden, people just started running for for bicycles wherever they could because you know, not only could they engage with their, with their with their families, but can’t get to the gym, but I can ride a bike. I don’t want to commute on public transportation, but I can ride a bike. And it just evolved and exploded. And the industry just wasn’t really ready for it. None of us were served as pulling stuff out of the back and in the effects this and you know, you I’ve made I’ve listened to your podcast. I mean, it’s nothing new. I’m really telling you but the evolution and awareness that has been built, all of a sudden that consumer sees that there’s a there’s a bike lane over there. It’s always been there. They just never noticed that before. We’re a glide path, it’s, it’s incredible.

Heather Mason  15:03

I know. And you know, we do bring up topics, often, you know the same thing. And in this term in this aspect, I’d like to just ask you, you know, advice for retailers. Now we have this new tempo, a new recognition for bike lanes as you’re seeing a new recognition for where bikes can take us and families. Any advice for retailers to, you know, react to this to best position themselves for these new consumers?

Bob Stomel  15:28

Yeah, I would say it’s embracing everybody. And I’m going to say, I’m going to say this, because, you know, I’ve been on both sides, I’ve been on the IBD side, I’m on the math side. And we’re one industry we’re looked at by the consumer, as one industry. And not everybody within our industry looks at us that way. I mean, you know, people can afford certain levels of bikes and shouldn’t feel guilty for buying a bike or having a bike and bring into a bike shop and feeling, you know, am I being accepted here, because some bike shops doing some bike shops don’t. And to me, we should be embracing all cyclists, because a lot of people who were not enthusiasts, and educated wander now into bike shops. And, you know, they’re getting excited, you know, and they’re getting educated. So I think engagement and education, with our consumers, at every level, in the store online, we just need to embrace them. And you know, we also need to be profitable on how you do we have a profession that we have a skill, and not to give it away. I know some people can change jobs, other people can’t change tubes. But if we know how to change tubes, and somebody has a problem, regardless of what the what the issue is, we should be embracing them, and accepting him as a customer and gaining their trust. That would be one of the main things is embracing of customers, and service. You know, services is number one. Services, outpacing sometimes the new bike sales because bikes are coming out of the woodwork. And now I was talking to john at the bike shop in Philadelphia, and now 4050 repairs a day just to try to keep up. And everybody wants it tomorrow because they want to go riding, you know. So, um, you know, I think I think service is another big key to this, such

Heather Mason  17:39

as consumers coming in different areas. You know, and service, we’ve been definitely focused on service and profitability and making sure that we don’t undervalue what we’re offering and our skills. I’d like to talk about, you know, we’re seeing, like you said, lots of bikes just coming out of the woodwork to be repaired. And speaking of bicycles, maybe there’s some categories that are maybe standing out, you know, at your level, maybe that you could suggest to retailers to keep an eye on what categories what models that we might see growing,

Bob Stomel  18:15

maybe you’re the consumer that seems to be coming out now in general has been more of a recreational rider. So comfort, hybrid, if you look at the MVD, they numb out to me at the NPD numbers on electric, it’s also following that trend. So an electric is is is a hot button right now everywhere, not just in the bike industry, but also the auto industry. And that technology lead you know, I associate some things in the bike industry with the auto industry. You go back and look at cars 10 years ago that didn’t have the convenience comfort. You know, how many cupholders does the car have? You know, what electronics does it have? Can I can I interconnect bicycles are going through that same transformation in the E bike side of the market. That’s ease of use, extending the ride and opening ridership up for people of all abilities. You know, you can be young you can be old, you can be just looking for that extra 10 miles push to get back home after a long ride. He bikes are on that list too. I would also say even though it’s more kind of performance oriented, but gravel bikes, adventure bikes, that’s part of the comfort category because you’re doing this for adventure and recreation. It’s not necessarily for speed like a road bike so that category two seems to be emerging in different areas. You know, I know the Midwest has been been really big for it but people in the coastal you know, Eastern West Coast are starting to to get it now. And that kind of emerged from, you know, consumers taking old road bikes and converting them to this more comfortable bike, but they didn’t have the geometry that the gravel bike lends you for that a longer ride, you know, it’s not as harsh of geometry as a road bike. So those would be the categories that I would think for kids has been BMX. You know, we have I think, the the BMX quarterfinals come up as Morrow, and go through the next couple days. And, you know, I was never a BMX or when I was a kid, but I’m going to be watching and like, I got my kids interested in watching. They’re not really being actors, but they’re excited to see something different. I mean, you know, just just having wheels, whether they be skateboards or bicycles in the Olympics is really something I mean, you know, I lived through the time that, you know, Raleigh built the funny bikes with 84 games, it was Raleigh healthy combination. And, you know, then we had the Levi’s Raleigh team. And I was fortunate to make friends with Nelson Valles and Nelson I traveled together, we rode together a trexler town in Pennsylvania, and bringing him into the into stores. I mean, he was it was like, wow, Nelson Valles has come into my store. But it’s such a spark for the industry. Same thing happened during the tour with with Lance Armstrong, we had these industry icons and Greg Labonte came up and you aspired to be these people. So I’m excited about the future in that way to that. There’s a whole new generation that’s interested, and it will be coming up through the industry. We’re creating industry icons, that that will inspire more people to ride.

Heather Mason  21:58

I love that you brought up Nelson, he’s absolutely fantastic. And my brain is unraveling as your you mentioned the word adventure bike. And I’m thinking that the industry has really pegged like the gravel bike over the past couple years outfitted with bags as the adventure bike. And that was for the cyclist of the time, which would have been a roadie or the mountain bike or you know, the person who’s already been a cyclist. But now we have all these new cyclists. And maybe the new adventure bike is the comfort bike or the hybrid bike with bags on it. And why aren’t we marketing that because we want people to be fueled? Right. So I’m just unraveled. I noticed, though, that I’m gonna call you out. You didn’t mention rode bikes. So what are your thoughts? What are your thoughts about road bikes?

Bob Stomel  22:42

road bikes, to me have always been the technology leader within the within the industry. It’s where we’re where new materials are tested, new derailleurs, new, new, everything is always tested. And it trickles down, because it’s kind of the showcar of our industry. And, you know, again, people are inspired by it, they want to go fast, I got a quick interesting story, that my son, you know, added at a mountain bike, my oldest son, and he says, you know that this is harder to pedal, you know, I don’t go as fast, you know. So, you know, he saw some of the old rode bikes that I had in the garage. And, you know, we got him a road bike that fit him. And I went back and research some some old bikes, and I picked them out on old Raleigh technium, from 1987. And I was totally familiar with. And I said, you know, that he had this bike when he worked for Raleigh, and we got on the bike and fixed up, you know, tuned it up. And we’re in the garage, and a group of his friends are out there. And this is kind of like is that because they never saw anything with a drop bar. They never saw anything, that really diamond frame. And I said, Well, hey, guys, why don’t you ride? Matthew’s old bike and Matthews new road bike, tell me which one you like best? For the three or four kids that were there, they all came back. We like that road bike goes fast. And if you look, if you think about retail today, whether you know, there’s not that many road bikes don’t make up a small portion. Because everything on the floor is mountain or comfort. And I’m thinking of if we were to introduce a road bike again, maybe there’s something there. Because kids want to go fast. They want to aspire to the greatest athletes that are out there. So that’s what I’m also hoping for is that an athlete will come out and people will be inspired as they were through the 90s and 2000s to jump on road bikes, because we were winning races. You know, and again, I relate this kind of the car companies when car companies are in NASCAR and they’re winning races, all of a sudden people, even the NASCAR person they take interest in it.

Heather Mason  24:55

Yeah, it definitely when we have that spark like you’re saying and I think like you refer to Tokyo games I could see BMX definitely getting a call out now. inventory is really hard to come by and retailers are having a hard time, as you know, I’ve been trying to give some resources on alternative inventory sources. Do you have any thoughts for retailers in this area?

Bob Stomel  25:19

Well, you know, the retail I started, I still get into a bunch of ibds. Just to, to, to get a pulse of what’s going on on that side of the market. But a lot of them have realized that there’s, there’s money in US bucks, there’s money and trade ins. And companies like the pros closet, and people like that wouldn’t be in business, if there wasn’t money in there. They’re finding that when they can’t get the entry level bike and not to lose the customer there, people are going out. I’ve heard dealers going out on places like Craigslist, seeing what’s out there and buying a, you know, I’m not gonna say a mass bike, but a good resellable bike that they can get, you know, $300, retail for that they’re buying for 100. And they’re putting a little bit of money into it. And they’re making a nice turn, they’re not losing a customer. That’s, that’s, that’s been pretty big with a lot of dealers, and some dealers have survived off of that one not being able to get bicycles. The bicycle situation is still not great, but it is getting better. You know, we are I think, as an industry still kind of outpacing last year, which was a record year. And I’m finding ways but I think we need to start to learn who’s buying what and why. And we did some studies on that, because, you know, I’m buying that like, I came in for $300 in those a bike for 500. And I really wanted a mountain bike, but I’m selling for the comfort like the What did you come in and buy? And I think that’s the biggest challenge for dealers coming up is how do I forecast my business going forward, because everything sells out. And you know, I’ve been advising, you know, even the bike shop, I used to work for it and look at his sales over the next 90 days, because things have tapered off a little bit and start to look at what I brought in, and what a salt. So if I had 100, mountain bikes, 100 comfort bikes, 100 hybrids, and some kids bikes, start to measure your point of sale, and see what’s going so you can re forecast, especially for your vendors, re forecast the business, so they know what to be ordering with the factories, because they’re kind of blind to it to a certain extent. So right now, I think is the time to start managing the business for the future. Because of the long lead time, you got to look at it right now in this next three to six months to really determine the best course of action for spring of next year. Because that’s, that’s the first availability in a lot of cases, is springing next year for some models.

Heather Mason  28:07

Yeah, I’ve been hearing may as well. But we’ve been talking to retailers about really using your data and like you said, figuring out what selling reanalyzing the orders that you have with your vendors, and then adjusting as necessary. A great tip there to look at the US bike market. We just did a podcast with Larry, Larry black, who gave us some fantastic I mean he has a huge, huge collection of used bikes and he’s been doing great with them outside of the bicycle market, anything in service fitting any tips for retailers in those areas that you can offer

Bob Stomel  28:41

as I said service would be number one you know, I know some retailers are more sophisticated than others but if you have any data on your customers of the past 12 months email addresses addresses reach out to them because they bought a bike 12 months ago or six months ago send them something in the mail or an email for service present all phone accessories bring them back in because you know somebody is somebody is consumers I can tell you from the beginning from the bike shop in Philadelphia, they’ve come three states to buy a bike from it they’re not ever coming back. So that was a one time deal but the people who are within maybe 100 miles radius of you they might want to come in to upgrade you know cuz I I got the bike that you had but I really want the bike that I want now, or I wanted this new accessory or I need a tune up. And I think that itself service and it’s been it’s been a challenge for most people because we’re fixing so many bikes as it is, is going to be the way to maintain and your relationships with customers and improve word of mouth and a good experience there. That would be that would be one But, you know, also accessories, and not to lose focus on you know, the, the women’s market is still strong, a lot of women, a lot of moms came out, you know a lot of moms are right now, because they’re riding with their kids. And, you know, mom makes the decisions in the family that Dad, you know, when my mom takes the kids out to the stores, you know, for soccer cleats and things like that. They’re making those decisions. And no, a lot of bike shops have done a lot of good things over the past few years to direct, you know, women’s sales. But I think it’s even more of an issue now. Because you not only have the women enthusiast who really came out and made a presence, but you also have a non enthusiast just a mom, I want to just ride around the block, I want to go to Starbucks, and I want to black with a basket audit that looks cute, you know, that really an enthusiast. So that’s another area that I think that we could the bike dealers and all retailers can really tap into further. And also that electric bike market, I mean, there, there’s, it’s the fastest growing market, or part of our market of all the different categories. And it’s been that even before the pandemic, that we’ve been rolling into this. And, you know, with with some good things looming like this, the Senate bill that hopefully will happen, it’ll just get more people involved, I was just reading and I don’t know if it’s fact. But on California just put together a plan or maybe just Los Angeles for a tax incentive that kind of went through already. So I think that’s kind of breaking news, I don’t know, all the details, but I was kind of hit the headline on that. But that’s kind of stuffs coming in, as people think. You know, automobiles, bicycles are falling right into that same path. In fact, we’re probably leaving, because our technology is ahead of where they are. But it’s, it’s more understandable. And it’s more usable, it’s more affordable.

Heather Mason  32:08

It’s so exciting thinking about all these new categories. And you mentioned the women’s category, and I’m thinking of like kids who haven’t been in school, so they’ve been missing out on school sports. I know my kids have been riding with other friends and you know, just it’s we’ve got really all these these new consumers coming into our industry. And I love your feedback about reaching out if you have your email address of your customers to reach out because chances are, you know, they didn’t come into your shop how it normally is because you were adjusted your hours or your operations, and a great time to invite them back for maybe accessories that you know, your staff couldn’t walk them through that they might need to consider or give us time, right?

Bob Stomel  32:47

A lot of stores you weren’t allowed in, you had to deal from the sidewalk. Now, welcome into your store, I don’t look around and, you know, give them a reason to come in. You know, and I just think that, that, that’s another just way to perpetuate the business forward. Bringing in the new customer again, you know, more on the back end. Because you know, most people and you know, we’re seeing the drop off now a little bit, you know, once the CDC guidelines are lifted, now that discretionary dollars going, maybe somewhere else, I’ve gone on vacation, I’m going to the movies, I’m going out to dinner, well, I want that dollar back, I want to keep that dollar, so I want to bring my customer back in who I got, and give them a reason to come back in and continue to spend their money in our category. And maybe not, maybe not go back to the gym, you know, get a better benefit fresh air, you know, ride with people you can talk to and have an experience with rather than somebody in the gym or you’re just not you know, even look at that, you know, you’re looking at the screen, or something like that here I can have an experience with with my with my neighbor or my friend or my family.

Heather Mason  34:04

I’m so good. If those people in our you know, out of the gyms in with us, and talking about the face value and those experiences together, I want to jump into another segment of the conversation that I wanted to connect with you on because I know you’re so skilled in this. And you know, many retailers have chatted to me about the reps, their sales reps visiting over the past year. And some say they miss the reps coming in, you know and others have just been way too busy to think about it other questioning the value add of reps. I know that you’ve been managing and motivating a team for several teams over the course of your year. Thoughts on this any advice to retailers that want to maybe use the rep relationship to the best get the most education value? Any advice you’d give us here?

Bob Stomel  34:54

Yeah, a couple different levels. I’m very partial about reps because that’s where I started, you know, reps are an extraordinary value to not only the company that they work for, but also to the retailers in which the see because, you know, in my case, I would see 50 dealers in a month. And I see dealers that I consider doing it right and consider doing it wrong. But I also saw two trends, where I saw this guy over here with selling your road bikes, and you’re not selling so many road bikes and you’re on the mountain bikes, and might not have the right mix on the floor, because they’re seeing from one than or four walls, they don’t get to walk into the competitor store and see what’s going on. But I do, and I’m not giving any trade secrets out between retailers, I’m just saying that, I see a trend here, whether it’s a bicycle, whether it’s an accessory, whether it’s clothing, whether it’s the way you have your store laid out, your service department laid out, sometimes even for security reasons, I know, there’s been a lot of smashing grads and all those $4,000 bikes in my window anymore, because this guy got robbed. So you want to move them backward, you know, you don’t really have protection on your front windows against that. So just those tips of, of business trends that the the, the the rep can give. That’s one thing, but then education. I mean, you know, I talked about our woman, the rep who used to call on us bike shop, he used to walk in the back and talk to us didn’t just talk to the owner, he was in the back. The only bikes going together. Is there any issues with this or that? And they had an issue or question, he would answer it. And that’s how I, you know, I started to engage with with Howard. And then, you know, even though there’s computers out there, you know, reps could still be going in the back room and looking at a one list. You know, there’s still there’s no such thing as one listing at everybody’s computers up to date, you can go and see a shelf that’s empty, or do a, do a click inventory. And, you know, just look at the bike inventory, where are you at today, and compared to where your sales are, maybe you need to rebalance your buy. So

Bob Stomel  37:17

that’s, that’s an important thing. And you know, reps should always walk in with the newest accessory in their hand, you know, what’s new, what’s my purpose for coming into the store, the easiest way not to get an order as a rep or not to engage is to call them on the phone, or email, you know, you can’t deliver a look in the eye and a handshake over an email or phone call. So the engagement there, what you can learn from a rep, because of all that they see and they work for the company is is to me Paramount, um, you know, they can, they can be the one that you know, when something comes into stock, you know, you know, are you going to take their phone call, and it works both ways, the dealer needs to be able to pick up the phone, I’m not, I’m just calling again, you know, but, you know, I would stay in bike shops is a rep until they would throw me out. And those times they have to give me an order to get me out the store. So it was that kind of that wasn’t that pushy, but you know, you have those relationships where you showed up consistently as a rep. So that you be there when the retailer want to see you or have time to see you and maximize their time because the time is precious. But I also roll that back to the vendor itself, the bike company, it’s their responsibility, as it was, is my responsibility to make sure the people I have calling on my retailers are well educated in my product and the needs of the retailer. To me, my company, any company I’ve worked for, is only as strong as the retailers will associate with because they’re not selling it, I’m not selling it. So that connectivity there is very important. And, you know, I will say to bite viewers, so those people who are educating you and keeping you in the know, and servicing you are really the one who should support because it’s your business, nobody, nobody can really tell you what to sell on their store. And you sell what you want to sell. You’re an independent bicycle dealer. And sometimes even the best brands don’t have the best service. And you default the brands that do give you the best service or the most likeable rep with a rep that’s going to come out and, you know, educate your mechanics on something or work a weekend in the sale or help organize a ride. I think reps are invaluable. And, you know, yeah, we can go and look at people’s inventory now on the weekend and place our own order on our own. But, you know, you know, everybody in the store is a salesperson. So you know, it’s not always the owner of the shop who’s out front. It’s somebody in the back and you don’t want your weakest link on the floor. are on the service department, who’s not a great mechanic, but not a good salesperson, you want them to be able to get on the floor when there’s a crowd in the store, and everybody able to sell as well as service. And it’s, it’s, it’s a, it’s three and 60 degrees for me, you have to know what you’re building and what you’re selling and how it relates to the customer. But only your rep can really help communicate that. So ask your reps, lm, you need to know this information, because a lot of them have it. It’s just a matter of engaging them. And that’s what makes me a good Rep. I mean, I’ve I’ve competed against some, some awesome reps over the time, including Mr. Cunningham, and have had challenging retailers like Mr. peasy. And you find a way, and you build a relationship. And there’s a trust there. And, you know, the dealers have to ask for that. Because right now, you know, the the the education, auto dealers traveled to trade shows when they can to get educated, but you got an educator comes into your store every month, you know, who sees everything and hears everything knows what the delays are. And those were the new components are right there for you to grab, just ask, and they should be able to tell you

Heather Mason  41:18

I am, I’ve got goosebumps, because I worked for a rep for several years and my retailers, I still keep in contact with sort of, you know, as you’re saying, our network is so tight. And yet it was about working with them, you know, not just selling them products, but truly working with them to connect with their community, their staff, you know, put on events, and it makes a big difference. And I truly agree with what you’re seeing retailers need not to be afraid to ask their rep for these trends, they need not to be afraid to ask the rep to help them with whatever, whatever regard they need. And that education point is so spot on. So I hope that people who are listening, you know, look at the rep as a tool that it could be super valuable just got to get that relationship moving forward. And sometimes you have to ask for it. Right.

Bob Stomel  42:06

I mean, I applaud the the companies that you’ve had on, that are starting technical training courses for people, because it’s a profession that, you know, you can you can learn how to be a plumber, you know, you can learn how to be a carpenter, but a bicycle repair person today is so invaluable, we’re pushing, you know, 18 20 million bucks into the marketplace, they’re all going to need repair at some point. And, you know, I understand that we when I look in the back of the retailer, I see 50 jobs for technicians never saw that willing to relocate people. I mean, that’s how that’s how important this is. And to me, you know, how do you get these people? You know, how do you get some of them are right in front of you, as your customers, some of your best customers that anchor a little bit on their owner and through the history in their late teens, or retired person, that extra person, even if they’re not the mechanic you want is a voice on the floor. That’s that understands the product that’s been in your store a million times you build a relationship with, you know, we had that we had added the puzzles and bikes. We hired a few seniors in just to talk to people on the floor and people are in high pressure sales people, Hey, what are you looking forward to what kind of riding going to be doing and the director going into that? Good, better? best scenario? let them figure out the level of bike not the type of bike but am I gonna spend $300 $500 or $1,000, it’s time. And they were good salespeople. And it took a little bit of pressure off of the mechanic leaving the back stoop back of the store. Go up front, because you have this this other person working there. But you know, I think is, is a lot of the youth is engaging in this as I did when I was a kid and is packed and ended as a kid. There’s there you can reel these people into the bike shop, and make them a part of the family of that bike shop. Because there are the rd RF part of your family because they’re sometimes your best customers. And, you know, Hey, did you ever consider working in the bike shop or bike shop? I don’t have a job. Let’s call you. You know, I’ll give you a little little load a quick little story. When I did go to the bike shop. And I didn’t really know much about what I was doing. JOHN, the owner of the bike shop said, you know, well, I’m just starting out in this business myself and I really can get a nice way he’s telling me he couldn’t afford to pay me. And I left the bike shop and I was kind of bummed because I’ve got my bike repaired there too. And, you know, it was a it was a it was a goal for me to work at the bike shop for whatever reason and Got some gumption up? And I walked back in. And I said, How about, I work for you for nothing for six months and learn all I can? After six months, you know, if I work out, then you’ll pay me well, then I was with john for six years. And I went home all excited to my dad and tell him I got a job and how much you getting paid? Well, nothing dad. So my dad, my dad, and I went back to the bike shop. And we all talked it out. And it was it was a funny incident. And john, I still laugh about it today. But it was the best investment of time that I ever made in my life, because I wanted to be in the belief business, and I was willing to do it for free.

Heather Mason  45:44

Yeah, this was my next topic was the opportunities now that exists in this job market. And I’m really happy that you went here with it. And I just had a conversation yesterday with q BP about bringing new service techs in. And it’s about defining the roles like you could bring someone in who’s not attack, you know, it would be considered more of a basic role, as long as you could define that role. As you’re, as you’re saying, you can put someone into a specific role, and that could really help alleviate pressure and just give you that extra little push you need, right? Okay, let’s think about sales training, this is something I’m hearing from retailers that they really could use some resources and guidance from the NBDA. So we’re working on some things there. But, and this is broad, so I’m gonna he was a big one, any single sales training tip, you could lend to retailers from all your years, I know, that’s kind of silly to boil it down to one, but maybe

Bob Stomel  46:40

you um, you know, I think the best way is how I was taught, and I kind of brought my method of pedaling a bike to happy because we didn’t put so much components and spec as we did in the bike shop. So, you know, I call it Romancing the bike. And we kind of got this from building a bike, you know, when I build a bike, I built it from front to back, and it’s always taught. So everything from what I adjust from the front of the bike to the back of the bike, and even be tight, is done completely. And I put your bike exactly the same way. So I talked about, you know, towards the front, we’ll talk about the brake system or the frame, worked my way all the way back to the rear derailleur. That’s one thing, but confronting the consumer now is another thing, because they don’t really have an idea of what they’re going to spend, for what they want to spend or what they really need. So, you know, I was always taught to ask them what type of writing they intend to do. And they’ll start to talk about I ride with my wife, what kind of bike does she have around my house? What kind of bike does he have? And, you know, kind of guide them into the category, if you will. And then, you know, I talked about good, better best, I would always pull out three bikes, you know, and hypothetically, this bike is a 21 speed with Francis patch on this is a 21 speed with front suspension on aluminum. And this is a 21 speed dual suspension bike, and give them the nuances between the three get them on the bike, let them sit on the bike, and, you know, talk them through and I never mentioned price, the price tags, not stores right on the bike. So they get to see what it is without the intimidation of talking about cost so much. If they say well, what else do you have, then you’ve got them into that category. But once you have them interested in once you have them fitted the proper way and explaining why you’re fitting the proper way. So they get the proper extension leg and an upper torso, upper torso, you know, then, you know, we would we would wheel them through the accessory area, you know, start to accessorize. You know, you know whether it be a water bottle cycle computer, whatever I mean, if the bike didn’t have pedals, then we get to a whole nother scenario with pedals and shoes and everything else. To the point where how are you going to transport this bike home? how’s it gonna throw up my trunk? You know, we have car racks right over here. I see you have an SUV with a trailer hitch on the back of it. So which we have a receiver that you know goes right into that. So several different ways. I mean, it’s funny and I’ll refer to the owner of the bike shop again. We had we had some of the best brands at the time. This is a store we had Raleigh and track and vibe count at the time. Central pay was kind of our opening price point. But when he trained us he said you know we have nothing in our store that the customer would want Everything right here. So, you know, I don’t want to see you, the customer leave the store until you turn them upside down, I’m taking the money out of him, because they shouldn’t be leaving here. You know, we have everything. So and we learned, you know, you make you figure out the sales, I mean back then, you know, you throw in a water bottle or something some people still do. But you know, you complete the sale, I mean, it’s much harder to get them into the store, it’s very easy to keep them in the store once they’re there. So, training your people like that is one thing, I’d also put put bounties on certain bikes, I mean, if we wanted to move a bike, I mean, the guy’s making, you know, X amount of dollars per hour, we’d say, like, every time he saw one of those, you get five bucks, you know, whatever. And we sometimes run a little contest. And that incentivizes the employees a whole lot to because there’s more than just an hourly wage.

Bob Stomel  51:00

You know, and they remain, they remain engaged, also as a sales rep, to group them in and once the line hits the store, is very important for the sales rep to come in or the for the, for the dealer to ask the sales rep, to come in and take my guys through through line because they didn’t get to go to the show. You know, was there a dealer camp or whatever it was, not everybody gets to go, can you just educate my guys and walk them through the, the features and benefits are tremendous. Because they get this they get the surge? Hey, you know, my track record was done last week. And he told us all about these bikes. And the guys pumped up, he’s not looking at any other bike in the store. He’s talking about what he learned. Because so it’s I think it’s I think it’s a big thing. Again, it’s education. And it’s a service to the dealer, to the to the person on the floor, and especially the customer, you’re educated, they came in for an education, they don’t get that walking into some store where there’s no salesperson, they got to figure it out for their own, I look into every price tag, every color, they come into a bike shop for a reason to get educated. Retailers go to the trade shows for a reason to get educated. Education and service to me is paramount again, in selling bicycles selling anything. I mean, when the new cycle computer comes out, well, how do you turn this on? Well, I don’t know. Let me get them that they should just No, no, no, and the replicas should do that. Well, you’re so new. So I’ve computer, teach them how to use it. Don’t you know, there’s nothing more frustrating I think even with an Apple iPhone is you get it. But you got to intuitively figure it out for yourself. I use this thing to talk on YouTube, how to do it. You can come to the trees through education.

Heather Mason  52:50

There are so many fantastic points in there to pick apart. But I worked for a very intelligent man who I remember in a staff meeting said You do not want your customer to get home with their $4,000 road bike and not know how to put air in the tires because you didn’t tell them about a presta valve versus Schrader valve, right? Like simple, right, but qualify the customer figure out where they’re going to be using the bike, who they’re going to be riding with, explain the features and benefits and be the source of knowledge. And then like you said, take them over and accessorize. And we used to have new riders checklists right in the store and we used to have our accessory wild setups, you could just walk the ride, walk the person right down and explain everything. And we did the same thing we incentivized 50 cents a lot 50 cents a pump and it adds up for your employees and they get excited about it.

Bob Stomel  53:42

I remember the day so on Bell helmets, when Bell wasn’t playing the kind of a direct distributor. And I called on an account called bike bike line in Philadelphia. I’m like 20 songs doors, opens the bell sales rep of the Year for I don’t know how many years in a row because he he would go to the bike show back when they were giving me $1 for every every helmet to pre book. So because our sevens work he would he would buy all the elements. He could or book all the helmets. Of course he had to take him and there was no bigger thrill than it’s the blank show and being handed money back in the days of Vegas. comes you know, you’d have you know, 5000 $10,000 in in cash, because he booked all these helmets. It’s the same thing for your for your employees in the store. If they get on this on this kick to sell a certain helmet. They’re gonna push that helmet that accessory every single time. And, you know, I don’t like to use it for service because I don’t want people to feel that you’re, you’re incentivizing for service, but you point out what needs to be serviced and nothing more but accessories. Everybody can use accessories. You can’t oversell accessories. You can’t oversell service, because it’s intimidating sometimes, because you know, we want to get paid and they come in with $150 bike and find out It’s a $200 tune up. It seems people take a step back. But even in that situation, you can pivot and say, you know what I understand you don’t want to spend $200. But I got this really nice use bike that I just got in. It’s 250 to $300. And boom, okay, like, I got something ready made. And you know what the blank, you’re looking to get tuned up. I can give you 75 bucks for it. You know, it just perpetuates, or something like that. So yeah, it’s part of selling it’s it’s finding the way to to Yes. All the time. customers.

Heather Mason  55:41

I love that too. Yes. All the time. It’s a true thing. We don’t want to use that word no, right. But we also in our conversation, we touched upon local communities, infrastructure, how are you seeing that the boat the boom will affect these areas.

Bob Stomel  55:58

Um, I see it very positively. And I can speak from experience, I moved to the city of springboro, which is a suburb of Dayton. The city council was advertising for committee volunteers for a bicycle pedestrian infrastructure project. And I, I signed up for it. And what we what our committee did was lay out the plans for the community and our goal was to be recognized as a bicycle friendly community. And I was on that I chaired that committee, I was on that committee for nine years, we’re now a bronze community and have continued to grow but most every community today city or small community as a as a council, or has members that decide these pedestrian and bike ways to map out their city, they’re just looking for community involvement, and no better involvement than they can get it from people from when the in the bike industry who ride the streets. And they might not know what the regulations for the states are to how wide the path needs to be. or things like that. But cities are embracing this as as an activity to make their city shine. I mean, the city of springboro looks at it now itself as a destination to combine our city and come meet our our businesses within our city. And we’ve now interconnected with to other cities, bike paths and bike ways. People from from bike shops who get involved in a bike the bike shops into give clinics to advertise, hey, I’m the bike shop. I’m not a gearhead, we don’t have a bike shop actually in the city limits of springboro. But right over in miamisburg we do and people from Whitman’s bike shop come over to the city of springboro. And the city advertises Hey, we’re gonna have so and so’s I think, Sandy from from Whitman cycle, and she’s going to come over and she’s gonna educate you on bicycle safety, and how to tune up your bike on the road. You know, if you ever have an issue, just basic things. And also she invites them to her bike shop for major tuneups or accessories, why you need certain accessories, things like that. So interaction, I mean, it’s again, reaching out to your community leaders. Most every community I know has some kind of bicycle infrastructure plan, whether it be a large city that already has one, or the smaller communities, like I live in, in the Miami Valley here in Dayton, we have the largest bicycle network of any in the nation with over 300 miles of bike connectivity. It’s just amazing thing on and off road. And you learn a lot by being part of the community too. And not everybody’s from the bicycle industry was at this, but they they care about the community. They ride bikes. And, you know, it makes me proud. When I’m riding bikes, or driving my car, you know, and I see people using the bike lanes now. It’s like, this is fantastic. And, you know, when a car veers in where they don’t belong, I get aggravated as a cyclist because that’s a protected area for for our cyclists. And there’s a reason there’s a line in the road for this is the cars with the cyclist. And you know, it just it just opens up the community more to recreation and now that we’re seeing a lot more people, like I said from endemic engaging. They’re realizing there’s a bike lane there. That’s not just So it’s not you know, the shoulder of the road, it’s mark, it’s actually a bike lane. And, you know, I don’t want to use, I don’t want to feel safe. I don’t want to have to use the car to go get a cup of coffee. Because I want to see somebody on my bike, I want to ride with my friend. And so I think engagement like that is very important for maybe you designate somebody in the bike shop to be your advocate. Know, people for bikes. Huge. I mean, I look at their website, weekly, just for updates on what’s going on. How can you get involved in how you get involved, I know that I know that Pat, command has the same passion, I know that Larry peazy, with with eat with E bikes has had the same passion for years of that connectivity that were to use.

Bob Stomel  1:00:47

And it’s just a matter of, you know, it’s a volunteer thing. But it’s very, very gratifying to invest in your community that way. And you get some notoriety because of your bike shop, you know, that those consumers will come in, because they know you’re part of that, that movement.

Heather Mason  1:01:07

Yeah, I’ve had a couple of retailers say that they reached out to their local Chamber of Commerce. And in order to kind of stimulate this idea of making the community more of a bicycle destination friendly spot, and because of the bicycle boom, and the recognition that the industry has gotten that chambers are open to this and working with the retailers to do just this. So I think that’s fantastic advice. And I urge our retailers peopleforbikes is a great suggestion. in reaching out to the local chamber, just to get more involved in how you can make your community more of a, you know, official on paper, if you would official cycling destination, and there’s a lot a lot to be done there, for sure. We even

Bob Stomel  1:01:46

have two micro brews that are in our, in our small town, and they sponsor weekly rides that start at the brewery go out, some of them are 10 miles, some other 20 some of them are 50. And then the end, at the brewery with discounts, you know, go off have a beer have something to eat. And that that was part of an outreach project with a couple blank shots. In doing that, and collaborating, they’ll run they’ll run the group to give the discounts to my group when they come in or out. And it’s been a good interaction. You know, for for some of the community businesses, there’s even been because of limited parking in some of the small towns, the working through the chamber, they have feel like like to your your retailer Saturday, where you get a discount for, for shopping in a little strip of street and antique stores or wherever it might be just because you rode your bike. And, you know, that was another thing that we work with the City Council on was we needed an investment from the city for bike racks. So, you know, and the city got all charged up for it because they could logo the bike rack and you know, Cydia springboro and nice loop rack. And, you know, people started coming to some of these meetings and saying, We need one over the Kroger and we need another one at the library is always full. And all of a sudden the city, the city invested in this on their own as part of the infrastructure because their their constituents are asking for it. And it was just a matter of engaging and having these meetings, it’s been incredible. We have we have quite a bike network that I’m I’m really proud that I was part of. And you know, when I when I when I leave this town, it’ll be it’ll be kind of a legacy or as my kids like, there’s dad’s bike lanes, you know, not mine. But you know, I was involved.

Heather Mason  1:03:49

Yeah, it’s definitely feel good work. I don’t know about why bikes and beer go together. So well. I have a couple more questions. Um, you know, you’ve worked with so many retailers over the years. Is there any thing that stands out to you that you can do that retailers could do to add to the profitability of a shop? Um,

Bob Stomel  1:04:17

yes, and some of that was talked about, I think one of the other podcasts but training good technicians, I mean, getting the job done in the right amount of time to move on to the next project is a definite so good training of your technicians is is one good salesmanship, salesperson ships, should I say is another because, you know, think about, think about buying online. It’s the it’s the least amount of clicks to the checkout. Well, I want to, I want to train salespeople for the least amount of steps to the register, to I want to give them the proper information, give them the proper time but on a busy Saturday. I don’t want somebody walking outside. Want to be able to best evaluate when dealing with and get to? Yes, as quickly as possible to, again, training is one thing.

Bob Stomel  1:05:11

And then you know, you know, learning over the years, the big savings is owning your own property, a lot of people rent.

Bob Stomel  1:05:23

But when you own your own property, you always have as a fallback, you can only sell your property, you’re not beholden to a landlord, it might not be the best landlord doesn’t keep the upkeep and make your shop look shabby. So, you know, it’s, it’s like running apartment versus owning a house, you have, you have something back. And when you’re ready to sell or retire, you have much more value than just the business. So I think that’s a matter of long term strategy and profitability. Um, and, you know, just, I would constantly be looking at my overheads. You know, if I’m providing any kind of health benefits, or any benefits at all, that need to be evaluated every single year, because because the better benefits I could do for less money for my employees, the better I am as an employer, um, and from a vendor perspective, I’ve always been a big believer in maximizing your buying benefits, buy to the best level, don’t buy over your head, but buying the best level that you can afford to get the maximum discount. And if any discount is available, make sure you pay it on time and take it on. Because if you’re poor point, it all adds up. And if there’s any, ever any early incentive, to to pay early, you know, especially if somebody has been offered to have a point or a point, you can’t get that in the bank today. So turn in money, and it’s very important to, to vendors. And so if they do happen to offer something, take advantage of it could be a buying level. But you know, don’t overbuy don’t put yourself into a position to not be able to pay for your goods, I mean, working this side of the counter, and you have four lines of bikes in your store, and you have four lines of credit. You know, one guy gets paid one guy does and somebody gets upset because I didn’t sell through this stuff. Managing Your business is very important, because that’s managing your relationship with your vendor. And being given the ability to give those discounts, it’s always better to call up the vendor and say, I need another two weeks, and not call them at all and you know, maybe face some kind of penalty, not that everybody’s given one out. But there’s times if that happens and be cognizant of it, it’s hard to talk your way out of a penalty from a credit card these days. Some people do pay for their for their goods through credit cards and maintain discounts. Those discounts, they get on their credit cards have to offset the cost of using the card. A lot of people are using the 3% paying 3% for the use of the card in their own place. Or if they’re if they’re running it through their own credit. But if you’re using an outside credit, then it’s not costing you 3%. If you’re getting 2%, or whatever that cash incentive is, it’s also best to get a cash incentive back money back in your hand. Or that you could pay off that credit card with as it accumulates on that’s pretty good, too, because you can’t get those incentives in the bank. And quite frankly, some vendors aren’t offering it either, because because of the cost of money. So I would I would I would take advantage of that. But again, not get yourself in trouble manager business manager, your resources. Well,

Heather Mason  1:09:03

that’s fantastic. I was thinking about asking you around the dealer program. So thank you for that insight there. for retailers, you know, trying to navigate these programs right now. I’m thinking about the big year show coming up sea otter Kava, definitely keeping an eye on the Delta area and how things are going. are you headed to any in if you’re not or if you are just touching on the value that you could say you see in shows and if retailers are considering why you might think they should attend or should not?

Bob Stomel  1:09:31

Yeah, I mean, I my plan at this point, and that things are flared up a little bit. And certain parts of the area for people who aren’t vaccinated, but I’m planning on going out to kaptic because it’s kind of the closest show. I am dying to go to a show just to see people again. And you know, I go to the show, to learn it’s not a mass market show I’m in the mass market. Well, I like to look at where the slaughter things evolve from, I mean, the the investment in evolution of the bicycles happens in the IBD side of the market. So I like to look at, what the trends are, what the colors are the graphics. And, you know, sometimes I even meet my own retailers now because they want to walk the show. And I’ll say, look at that bike over there. That is a cool color, these people seem to be doing it right. Look at the trend here, there’s, all of a sudden, there’s more comfort bikes and less mountain bikes, or there’s more cruisers look at the explosion of BMX, and I’m getting educated. And I also sit in one of the seminars, because I just want to hear what’s going on, I think in sending in seminars that MPD has, are just fascinating. Because we get educated here as an MPD member, you don’t just tell us about the bike industry, we learn about other industries that were even competing with the overall economy, how’s the overall retail market, how’s the sporting goods in the shoe market this and that education just to where things are happening is fascinating. And I you know, that’s why I think retailers galaxy otter, to me is more. It’s a learning show, but it’s also a consumer driven show, it’s as to where to get those write ups, and I went on that blank, and that’s a cool bike. And I want to get one as soon as it’s available. When’s it available? 2023 Well, maybe I’ll wait. But, you know, that’s, that’s the benefit of shows, I the shows in the last few years before the ending of interbike were kind of off kilter with, you know, everybody was bought in, by the time they went to a show, um, I went to the bike, when I was working in the bike shop, and there was one international bike show in New York. That was always before that was one of the product launch that you saw it, some of you wrote this at the show, or the rep would follow up a while I showed you the show, we got an order together. And it was it was just off kilter. But it was a good time to hear we’re dealing with work really busy and the fourth the time. Now, I think, you know, that, you know, unless people can get educated, they’re thirsty for education. That that’s why they go to the shows, and I applaud the growth per capita from being an original Chicago show over the years to now having the three shows and, you know, I wish I was in the part of the business where I could attend all three and, and interact with, as I love going to shows and loved seeing dealers. You know, you know, now when I visit dealers, I’m, I’m sometimes dealing with the kids, the parents have moved on battle, but a lot of them were, you know, in their mid 40s, or 50s, when I was in my 20s. And now they’re retired now, and now their kids have taken over the business. You know, like the cables, you know, we own sprocket, perfect example, a blessed man with a blessed family, I’m getting choked up. But, you know, you miss people like that. You know, they help you in your career, to become who you are. And it’s special. You don’t get that a lot of industries. You don’t stay in an industry for 40 years unless you love it. And the people you’re working with the people around you, and you want to you want to pull people in and have them have that same desire. It’s just, it’s it’s a great industry. You know, I think about the gifts that I’ve been given simple gifts in this industry. I’ve been to all 48 states and almost every major city on somebody else’s dime. I’ve been to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, London, or England, Germany, on somebody else has done I’ve seen the world. And you know, I am so grateful for learning different cultures, and different uses for bicycles and different foods and just the interaction of people and

Bob Stomel  1:14:29

it is it is such a great industry just in so many ways, and I wake up every day and I don’t go Oh crap, I gotta go to work. Oh, crap, I gotta go fly to Texas today. I embrace it every day because every day is different. I’m not stuck in one place every day. I’m seeing somebody that for keeps my energy going. Same thing in a bike shop. You have a different customer coming through every day. It’s a new challenge. It’s new energy. You have new products every year. And they’re good for people. We’re not selling bad, we’re selling good. We’re selling happy and fun. And it’s just, it’s just extraordinary career or Trenor industry to have a career in and I, I feel blessed every day.

Heather Mason  1:15:18

I was going to be go since I talked to Amelia this morning. I it was such a great family. And, you know, I love that you got here from the question, are you going to the shows because i, this shows her where that magic where you see people together and where you’re, you just you come together to support each other. And, and, I mean, I can’t wait to see people and I agree I’m right with you. I wake up every morning. so thankful and so energized. And, you know, I mean, I work hard, but I love every thing that I do. And you know when it You love it, it doesn’t feel like hard work, right? It’s it is but it’s like it’s just such a passion. You know, we’ve covered so much. And I’m just looking back, we have some notes here in front of me, you know, talking big picture, I guess, you know, we have this bike boom going on. We have new people that we have infrastructure, what is exciting you most if you could sum it up, you know, you we title we wanted to title this podcast like opportunities now. So what is exciting you most about the industry right now.

Bob Stomel  1:16:24

Number one is awareness. People are more aware of this industry now than in the last 20 years. You know, or, or even more, I mean, the last time you know in the 70s was a blank boom, people engaged in they bought bikes and there’s a frenzy. I think it’s gonna hang on now longer, because it’s become a cultural change in the way people are approaching commuting or exercise that endure engagement with their with their with their family. That’s what excites me most is we’ve done all this without advertising. You know, our product our brands are done at random. Bicycles have engaged the consumer, they found this, this item that rivaled toilet paper for a while this is an it’s actually there’s plenty of toilet paper on the shelves, but on the bicycles. So I think we’re going to endure. And for a reason, because it’s fun. And people have found fun, they fell in love with bicycles again, they fell in love with their youth, they fell in love with the fact that they can ride with their kids. And they can create new adventures and new memories. And, you know, Bill Smith, who was our former CEO, who passed away a few years was a big advocate of this is we sell fun, we sell memories, we make memories, it’s not just bicycles. And you know, that’s what I think is most exciting about right now. And we have the resources we have bikes for, for everybody, you know kids to adult in different styles of bikes that we can we can accommodate every use that a person might have. For a bicycle, it could be something as simple as my first bike to your cargo bike and electric cargo bike, and just the fascination of the technology that we are living in today that is expanded beyond the two wheels and that you know, led acid batteries for basic for bicycles and you know, now using lithium batteries, which was another very small part of my career. But when Lee Iacocca started, Evie global. It was between my time with Raleigh and starting a coffee on night about a month gap there are so and I consulted because they weren’t sure on how to approach the market. Because do they go through bike shops or they go through car dealerships and it was two camps of it. And I got to meet Lee Iacocca over the phone conference call. And after we were done consulting and you know, getting paid And all that I got paid. He asked him Bob, is there anything else we could do for you? And I said, Australia coca I only ask that you would sign the check. Because I want that as a promoter on my wall. He goes, No Bob. I don’t say which was kind of funny. But you know, I was in a bike shop in Portland not too long ago, I name escapes me. All they do is sell e bikes. And they had one of those Evie global bikes hanging from the ceiling. And it was just cool to see and just looking at that, like in the evolution of where we are today. There’s so much exciting stuff. You know, an embrace it, embrace the customers. You know, they’re there. They’re there for For taking and we just need to bring them in and keep them as customers embrace embrace them as customers.

Heather Mason  1:20:07

It’s so exciting. You know, I see my daughter involved in a Nika program and we have kids at a very early age getting into the sport and they’re gonna stay with it where, you know, I’m looking at when I was cycling at her age, I was just maybe going out occasionally with my dad is like a whole different thing now. So really exciting. Alright, I’m gonna wrap this up. We’ve been speaking about bicycle retail excellence. And we recently had our bicycle retailer excellence, which will have the awards a big year show, if I had to ask you what traits in your opinion that an excellent bicycle retailer possesses.

Heather Mason  1:20:48

So traits that an excellent bicycle retailer might

Bob Stomel  1:20:55

Garner it right here. First of all, a clean and inviting store. You know, to me, it’s curb appeal, just like your house, you want somebody to feel welcome to come in. So they see your signage, make sure you have a nice sign, make sure if you have windows, that they’re clean, that you’re you know that your store looks good. Always a good selection of bikes and accessories. And not just what you want to sell. What’s the trend in the industry, what the customer is coming in looking for? Because I’ve been in situations where retailers have a customer come in and customers and see what they like and retailers, we really need this. And it’s like anger, there shouldn’t be friction. So you know, have the right mix of goods. Right? Mexican accessories, accessories, to me are big. Because they’re conveniences to anything on your bike. The ability to listen, listen to unsatisfied, listen to what the customer is asking for, because that gets you to the register faster. If you’re satisfying and listening to their needs. Hey, I’m looking to just do some some path riding. What would you like to look at this mountain bike? No, I like to look at a comfort bike, I like to look at a hybrid, you know, listen to what they’re looking for. You know, it’s very, very important. And then that follow up with retention. And retention, you know, is very important, that impression that the customer gets and their impression of you keeping them happy and retaining them. Word of mouth now is not just word of mouth, word of mouth is. I’m going online, and I don’t like this guy. So I’m going to say online. I don’t like them and also say that they like you. Word of mouth is is so so important. Because, Hey, where’d you get your butt? boy got over ABC bicycle stuff. Oh, really? I’m going to try over there because I like your bike. You know, when I had a problem, you know, if a bike shop in the area, I mean, I know how many times I’ve seen in our community Facebook site people ask, they might argue the bike fix, you know, or bounce house, you know, exactly that kind of thing. But you know, so So follow up and retention. Sending out those mailers keeping engaged with the customer, I think are the four the four pillars of of a good bike shop, you know, in the community and for the consumer.

Heather Mason  1:23:22

I love that. Thank you so much for your insights. I mean, the opportunities have given me hope you’ve given me goosebumps throughout this conversation. You know, I appreciate you for giving up your time for coming on the show for sharing your insights. Hopefully I’ll see you a cabeza you know, fingers crossed.

Bob Stomel  1:23:42

We will grab a coke for sure. So

Heather Mason  1:23:45

so that is it. I invite you to connect and come on bicycle retail radio and share your story with our listeners. There’s lots of love for our industry. Lots of great webinars coming up in member networking meetings. All you can find on the NBDA website. If you’d like to support the show. Don’t forget to subscribe. Share your favorite episode with friends and on social media. Thank you for listening and come back soon. And with this, we go

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The NBDA has been here since 1946, representing and empowering specialty bicycle dealers in the United States through education, communications, research, advocacy, member discount programs, and promotional opportunities. As shops are facing never-before-seen circumstances, these resources offer a lifeline. Together, we will weather this. We at the NBDA will not waver in our commitment to serving our members even during this challenging time—but we need your support.

Now is the time to become a member as we join together to make one another stronger. Whether you’re a retailer or an industry partner, your membership in the NBDA is one of the best investments you’ll make this year. 

Learn more about the benefits of being a member and join now.

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