Scott Fischer and Harley-Davidson

Scott Fischer knows motorcycles. As owner and president of not one, but two, Harley-Davidson dealerships in Southwest Florida, he’s never worked in any other business. Growing up, Fischer spent more than ten years in the competitive sport of motorcycle racing. “The greatest thing I’ve done in life was the time I spent in the sport of motorcross and racing,” he says. The youngest of five children in Columbus, Ohio, it was his love of the sport and of motorcycles that led Fischer to his first job in the industry.

“I started working in a motorcycle store because it was an opportunity to get parts cheap… and so I started out sweeping floors and then working in the shop building motorcycles.” From sweeping floors to owning Harley-Davidson of Fort Myers and Harley-Davidson of Naples — how did this 41-year-old motorcycle enthusiast come so far, so fast?

New places to call home.

After paying his dues and working his way up in the business, Fischer spent several years managing a Honda motorcycle dealership up North. In the late 1980s he made the move that would alter his life’s direction when he came to Fort Myers to manage a dealership. Four short years later, in 1991, he bought the store. A few more years went by and he added the one in Naples. Fischer has yet to slow down.

Earlier this year, after outgrowing the facility near Sam’s Club, Fischer moved the Fort Myers Harley-Davidson dealership. This new home is located on Colonial Boulevard in the old Toys-R-Us building. And to look at it now, you would never know that anything else had ever been there. Completing the project in just over three months, the 44,000-square-foot building has been completely renovated to the tune of $3.5 million and the results speak for themselves. “Our first month in the new location is one of the best months we’ve ever had,” says Fischer.

On par with the inviting brick fa´cade of the building is the comfortable interior, complete with pool table, darts, pinball machine and more. “One of the reasons we built the kind of building we did, with the coffee bar and lounge, is so that customers can come hang out and feel welcome,” says Fischer.

Like it’s cousin to the north, a brand new dealership in Naples will also boast a HOG Lounge when it opens later this year. This brand new 27,500-square-foot facility will be housed on three acres just off Pine Ridge Road and so close to I-75 that the logo will be easily visible from the busy interstate.

With a 45 percent increase in sales from 1999 to 2000, Harley-Davidson of Naples, like the Fort Myers store, has rapidly outgrown the Shirley Street location that has long been home to the dealership. Spending more than $3 million on the new facility, Fischer expects the Naples store to follow in the footsteps of its northern cousin. “I believe that it has the potential of doing every bit as big a business as the [Fort Myers] store... the Naples market is just an incredible market.” To meet the anticipated growth in business once the new store opens, Fischer plans on increasing staff there by at least twenty percent.

Corporate longevity and simultaneous expansions in two different markets yielded continued sales and revenue growth. Although the product sells itself — does it sell itself this well? Doubtful. More likely is that Fischer’s success is the result of a commitment to employee development and growth, an understanding of his customer base and an overriding desire to do whatever necessary to make the customers happy. “Scott is a tremendous visionary,” says Mia Hawk, marketing manager for both Harley-Davidson dealerships, “and it comes down to the fact that he is tremendously focused on customer service.”

Customer development.

Catering to a wealth of business professionals and empty nesters the majority of Fischer’s customers range from 41 to 50 with annual incomes in excess of $50,000. This is in keeping with national statistics that have, over the past ten years, seen a steady increase in the age and income levels of purchasers. “The new customer base, the one we’ve been selling to for the past five or six years, is a more affluent, higher-end consumer,” states Fischer.

His own toughest critic, Fischer is continually pushing himself and those around them to improve the level of service that the dealerships provide. “The bar is always being raised,” he explains. “As good as we try to do and as good as I think we do... there is still the challenge everyday to try to find ways to improve our customer service.” Attributing his success to the strength of the customer bases in both markets, Fischer points out that because his customers are buying “the premium product in our industry, there is a high customer service challenge.”

As part of this quest to reach the pinnacle of customer service, both dealerships will soon be offering Rider’s Edge, the Harley-Davidson Academy of Motorcycling. Recently approved by the State of Florida, this rider education course will be held mostly on-site and offered every week. Influencing the decision to offer these courses was the fact that “so many people are on waiting lists right now to get into these types of courses,” states Hawk. “This is just an additional service for our customer so that they don’t have to wait to get into a class.”

Focusing on customer service in every area, one of Fischer’s priorities is to give people reasons to ride and a comfortable meeting place from which to embark. Because Saturdays and Sundays are big riding days, Saturday mornings at the dealerships are complete with free coffee and bagels while Sunday is free hot-dog day. Says Fischer, “When our customers call each other for a ride, they say ‘let’s meet at the Harley store.’”

Evolving from simply selling motorcycles to becoming retailers in the entertainment business, these Harley-Davidson dealerships play a big part in keeping the thrill of the ride from becoming stale. Arguing that owning a Harley is not simply owning a motorcycle, but buying into a lifestyle, Fischer takes it as his personal responsibility to ensure that his customer base has plenty of opportunities to partake in their hobby.

“Part of our job as dealers is to keep the enthusiasm up in our motorcycle community. The things that we do are high quality events and I think that our customer base likes that.” In addition to being noted as a driving force behind the success of Fort Myers’ Bike Night, Fischer and his team provide monthly events at both locations and host larger rallies such as the recent statewide Road Rally, held two days after the move to the new Fort Myers location.

Attributing the success of the recent Road Rally both to the roadside appeal of Fort Myers and to the fact that “we have a very supportive Tourist Development Council and Visitor and Convention Bureau,” Hawk points out that Harley-Davidson Fort Myers was chosen above all other dealers in the state to host the event. Awarding over $12,000 to Harley-Davidson Fort Myers to assist with the in-state promotions of the Rally, the Lee Island Coast Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB) is also pleased with the steady number of visitors that the dealership brings into our market. “A tremendous asset to tourism, we are enthused that they are a part of our community,” says VCB communication coordinator, Lee Rose.

This past May more than 800 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Fort Myers store, including many of Fort Myers’ business and community leaders. It is events such as this, and the monthly ones hosted by each dealership, that provide recreational venues for the customers, while laying the foundation for future success. “They’re like advertising,” says Fischer. And even with astounding numbers attending an event, “We don’t look at them and say ‘how well did we do today?’ We ask what the value is long term.”

Employee development.

Fischer also understands that customer service starts with having highly trained and motivated employees that enjoy what they do. Therefore, he does everything in his power to ensure that his employees are equipped with the skills to do their best while creating a positive working environment. “I like it here,” says new employee Drew Harris, “everybody has been really helpful.”

Constantly increasing the level of service doesn’t come cheap, though. Spending in excess of $50,000 a year for customer service training, Fischer regularly brings in outside consultants to host intensive employee training sessions, or ‘camps.’ “I know what I want, in terms of customer service, but I also realize that I don’t know exactly how to train the staff on that so that is why we bring in outside help,” says Fischer. Additionally, all departments at both locations are on team pay plans as opposed to individual pay plans, decreasing on competitiveness and increasing the level of service. “I’m not afraid of spending the money to improve the business or the employees.”

A perk for employees, and a benefit to the company, is the full gym that Fischer is currently installing in the Fort Myers store. An exercise buff himself, Fischer has experienced first-hand the benefits of daily exercise and proper diet. Wanting to contribute to the good health of his employees while providing for the long term security of the dealerships, the gym will be available free of charge to all employees. Fisher also plans on installing one in the Naples store as well. With the majority of his employees over the age of thirty-five, many employees are beginning to face certain health issues. Concerned for the health of these employees, Fischer has no intentions of “losing key people — it’s hard to replace them.” In addition to providing the exercise facility, Fischer also plans on bringing in outside sources to lead free seminars on nutrition and fitness.