for the ride of your life

Ok, so the cycling industry in Australia is still relatively small by comparison but it's certainly not young. For as long as Moses was a boy there have been independent bicycle dealers in this fine country. Not to mention the plethora of world class cyclists that we have sent far and wide to whoop some international bootie.

But through all this heritage, the humble bike shop run by Mom and Pop has resisted the need to change. I'm not talking about a new pair of knicks here. More to a change in attitude when it comes to marketing and promoting their business. After all this very business is their individual life source. It's the bread on the butter - so why not at least try to get the best results?

You guessed it, I'm honing in on the three W's. The good old Internet is no flash in the pan, it ain't leg warmers destined to end up in a cupboard until the next fad comes along. The Internet is the life source of this planet in many ways. It's like opening up your front door to the entire world - and every marvelous possibility within. So why the reluctance to change and embrace this offering by so many bike shops in Oz? Don't tell me it's because old Mom and Pop didn't grow up with the 'Net and will never take it on. My old man has long since retired but do you think Mum can get him off the PC. He's in his Googling prime I tell you!!

Many will argue that many bike shop owners only got into it for the love and really have no interest in blowing out sales to rule the 'hood. BS! Any business owner worth a pinch would be interested in maximizing every nook and cranny. So why overlook the glaring chasm that is the Internet?

Any business coach will tell you to adapt with the marketplace. Grow or Die. It's fundamental in today's world more than ever but still so many bike dealers resist. They can only sit back and complain about how 'Mac's Bikes' up the road is stealing his business because good old Mac sells from his website and is stepping over the geographical boundaries....

There isn't another industry that whinges and complains like ours over this matter.

The world is getting smaller by the day and so are any so called 'territories' these dealers work in. Wholesalers and distributors have BIG budgets. Their margins have been choking in recent years and I tell you at the end of the day they don't care where the sale comes from - as long as it comes. This can even mean the sale of a humble treadly in a box.....heaven forbid! KMart do it and guess what - they are THE biggest retailer of bicycles in Australia by a country mile. I'm not condoning the act but merely throwing it out there.

I'm talking more about using the Internet as a means to attract new business to your store. This doesn't necessarily have to be from interstate. There may well be many locals who are not aware of you or what you do - but who do research their pre-purchases on the 'Net. Why wouldn't you want some of that love??

So in essence what I'm on about is for all Independent Bike Dealers to lift their heads up and take notice of what is going on around them. For a small fee ALL of them could have their own web page, and for those who still resist their is a multitude of options like Cyclenet (cough cough) out there to raise their virtual profile. We've already had many dealers tell us how linking with Cyclenet has boosted sales. They have sold bikes that have been gathering dust on the floor - and done it quickly and efficiently with Cyclenet. Open your door to the world and see where it takes you. If you don't adapt, you can bet old Mac will run you down and swallow you up in the process.

To all dealers out there - the water is warm so jump on in. We're all in this together so rather than spitting at your rivals how about a little team work. Think of 'WWW' as World Wide Wesources.

Happy days!