What if every powersports dealer offered to pay for its customers to join a local ATV or dirt bike club? Clubs would grow in strength and numbers, with new riders of all ages meeting others who ride, learning where to ride in their area, speaking up on trail issues and volunteering to build new trails.
A dealer in Michigan is doing just that.
“We’ve been doing it about two years,” said the store owner, who asked to remain anonymous. “We wanted to be involved in the clubs but didn’t know how to help them, so we thought paying the dues for new buyers was a good idea.”
The dealership pays the initial club dues for about 50 riders a year, typically $25 per membership. “It’s one of those things that built kind of slowly,” the dealer said. “People were skeptical at first, because it seems almost too good to be true. Like what’s the catch, but there is none.”
The offer is made to buyers when they are paying for their new off-highway vehicle (OHV) or arranging financing. They are given a list of local OHV clubs and asked if they would like to join, on the dealer’s dime.
About one in 25 buyers takes the store up on the offer. But more important, says the dealer, is that everyone learns about local clubs. “Most people don’t know much about the clubs. What happens most often is they take the list home, then give us a call later and ask if the offer is still good. We say absolutely. We have club membership forms in the store. We fill those out and mail it in with the money for them.”
Long-term, this Michigan dealership wants to see OHV clubs grow and prosper. “It would be beneficial for the sport to have bigger clubs and to have more of that camaraderie among riders. Some clubs are stagnant. Some clubs can be exclusive and don’t understand why they can’t get bigger. It can be awkward for new people to join. We’re trying to break that down, and help build bigger clubs and get more people into them.”
