i have a question

[sledaddiction]

I have been an avid SnoWest forum user for about 4 months now. Nothing compared to most guys on here, but I do spend alot of time on here every day. I spend alot of money on snowmobile parts and accessories, and I have been trying to buy from people or companies that I have seen on this site.

Before I read this thread yesterday, I had never heard of Osborne Performance. Nothing I have seen on this site in the last 4 months has made your company stick out in my brain. In fact, as I write this, I'm still not sure what services you provide.

I'm going to use Sled Solutions as an example here, because I was just reading a thread where he was giving some advice on hand guards. Sled Solutions is another company I had never heard of before I started using SnoWest. But I always see him on here, giving advice or letting us know what new products they have.

So the next time I was looking for some new sled parts, I clicked the link to his sight. I found everything I was looking for and more. The site was easy to use, and I ended up spending $500.

If we all knew a little more about Osborne Performance, I'm sure we would spend our hard earned cash buying more stuff from you. Help us help you. Good luck

 

[Osborne Performance]

Here is the funny thing. I have a add in skis and exhaust for slp products and simmons products, for free shipping for month and 15% off powermadd products for the month so?????

 

[Osborne Performance]

Also here is a products list for my shop. simmons ,slp all products, hmk ,timbersled , holz, powermadd ,jaws, speedwerx, fabcraft ,v force, van amberge and hmk ,and many more Diesel products edge,mbrp,dilablo, and almost anything you would like in diesel performane

 

[SaberKitty]

Great list of products in need of a website to promote and sell them. And since those products aren't unique and can be bought at countless other websites, need you to make the difference like others have suggested in this thread.

 

[snowmobiler]

i saved over $100 on skis from rod (osborne).he will be the first to "call" when i need more parts.

 

[mtsummitx]

i saved over $100 on skis from rod (osborne).he will be the first to "call" when i need more parts.

Osborne dont take this wrong, just trying to help you as you asked for. Posts like this from snowmobiler will definately help you. But when you sell products that are sold by countless people, and in this day and age of internet when you can find anything you want by the click of a button, you have to sell yourself!! You cannot rely soley on word of mouth, because happy customers do not talk about good business experiences nearly as much as unhappy customers talk about poor business experiences.

Take this thread and some of the suggestions on here to heart. Promote yourself!!! Promote your knowledge and experience and service!!! Signup as a premium member (it's only $30 bucks for 3 years and it will buy you alot of cred with the members) cruise the forums, and when a question is asked that you have a good (read correct) answer for, chime in. If you really know your stuff as you say you do, prove it. When you prove it, people will trust you. When people trust you, they will buy from you. Maybe even find someone that will setup at least a simple but informative website about your product and business... i.e. product line card, services offered, contact info, and maybe a little background on your self.

I'm sure you can find someone to do this for you for a reasonable rate. And don't take constructive criticism personally, learn from it. If you won't provide what people say they want, whether it is product, service, or knowledge, someone else surely will. You have to make yourself standout. I'm sure you are a decent guy, and do have good knowledge, and service, but if no one knows it, it doesn't matter. Hope this helps. And PS, sentence structure is not a strong point of mine either

 

[polaris dude]

I have bought sleds from 2 different people on here, and I always look at how long they have been here and overall check out their profile before I buy from them. It always helps to have seen the name before because I want to know that the person uses this site frequently and has not screwed anyone over in the past. You really do have to go the extra mile on here to get the sale.

Like others have said, if your not used to a computer perhaps you should start to, because that is where a majority of your sales are going to come from. Its much easier to buy something online than to drive 20+minutes, order something, and then come back 2 weeks later when the part has arrived.

 

[hatchers]

Here is the funny thing. I have a add in skis and exhaust for slp products and simmons products, for free shipping for month and 15% off powermadd products for the month so?????

wht?

 

[donbrown]

A little off topic, but who do you use for a shipping company? I am looking to ship a sled from MN to WA.

thanks!

Conway way pretty good.

I don't know if Polaris use them today but they did a couple years back.

uship.com can get an idea on prices.

If you can get the sled crated (one od thise slpecial metal framed boxes it is easy to get a shipping company.

 

[tudizzle]

Here is the funny thing. I have a add in skis and exhaust for slp products and simmons products, for free shipping for month and 15% off powermadd products for the month so?????

I think your missing the advice that many are giving



making 1 post about a sale might get you some business. But making a whole bunch of informative posts....and just being active will get you way more business.

With so many options people are looking for something to set you apart from others. Think of SW as a club. If your hanging out with a bunch of buddies at a club, and you know one of the club members is a dealer, you are more apt to use him.

Now imagine multiple club members are dealers. A few spend alot of time at the club...chit chatting making friends....sharing stories....giving advice. And one of the guys just pops his head in the door now and then and shouts...special pricing available...call me...and leaves.

People are going to buy from their friends...not the guy standing at the door.




FYI also never heard of your business before this post


Best of luck

-diz

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Osborne dont take this wrong, just trying to help you as you asked for. Posts like this from snowmobiler will definately help you. But when you sell products that are sold by countless people, and in this day and age of internet when you can find anything you want by the click of a button, you have to sell yourself!! You cannot rely soley on word of mouth, because happy customers do not talk about good business experiences nearly as much as unhappy customers talk about poor business experiences.

Take this thread and some of the suggestions on here to heart. Promote yourself!!! Promote your knowledge and experience and service!!! Signup as a premium member (it's only $30 bucks for 3 years and it will buy you alot of cred with the members) cruise the forums, and when a question is asked that you have a good (read correct) answer for, chime in. If you really know your stuff as you say you do, prove it. When you prove it, people will trust you. When people trust you, they will buy from you. Maybe even find someone that will setup at least a simple but informative website about your product and business... i.e. product line card, services offered, contact info, and maybe a little background on your self.

I'm sure you can find someone to do this for you for a reasonable rate. And don't take constructive criticism personally, learn from it. If you won't provide what people say they want, whether it is product, service, or knowledge, someone else surely will. You have to make yourself standout. I'm sure you are a decent guy, and do have good knowledge, and service, but if no one knows it, it doesn't matter. Hope this helps. And PS, sentence structure is not a strong point of mine either

Best advice so far.

I think your missing the advice that many are giving



making 1 post about a sale might get you some business. But making a whole bunch of informative posts....and just being active will get you way more business.

With so many options people are looking for something to set you apart from others. Think of SW as a club. If your hanging out with a bunch of buddies at a club, and you know one of the club members is a dealer, you are more apt to use him.

Now imagine multiple club members are dealers. A few spend alot of time at the club...chit chatting making friends....sharing stories....giving advice. And one of the guys just pops his head in the door now and then and shouts...special pricing available...call me...and leaves.

People are going to buy from their friends...not the guy standing at the door.




FYI also never heard of your business before this post


Best of luck

-diz

Yep. Second best advice. Put yourself out there, become a Premium Member and get some ads going. Offer up some giveaways, even if its something small like goggles, a hat ot two, donate to some fundraisers for Land Use awareness. Join other forums, don't just rely on this one. Backcountryrebels, slednation, Snowandmud, Doo talk, etc. Join them, use the same username. Start some threads with pics of the shop, projects, rides and such. Let people know you are a real guy, not just a man that makes one thread wondering why no one is buying from you.

And I never heard of you until this thread either. I started a thread looking for aftermarket skids and pricing, all in hopes of drawing in some dealers who in turn, would PM me for some pricing (including shipping) and you haven't answered. Going off the list of stuff you sell, you are a dealer for at least one of the things I was looking for. We understand you need to make money and nobody will get their butt hurt over you posting specials and stuff. Read thru all of the sections, there are lots of ideas you can use to move your biz forward. Oh, and start attending shows as a vendor. One of the best ways to get your name out.

Good luck Oz.

 

[suitcase]

If I were to start a parts store, this is one of the first places i would start. A person needs to use these sites as marketing tools, The net is a huge bizz in this day and age. For nothing more than the ease of shoping, if you are not computer savey, then get someone to help you with it. Do what I do, ask your wife. LOL ,, These sled forum sites are where people are at. Along with FaceBook. I have several friends that have companys, and they are not computer geeks either. But they have forced themselfs to get on forum sites, and FB, to do bizz. they have seen an improvement in sales, just by doing so. give it a try for 3 months, a good whole hearted try. I would venture to say you will see a difference.

Just my two pennys....

 

[off road rider]

So much great advise here, not only for Osborne but for others like myself.
I can tell you first hand a website is essential. In my case most do call in and place orders or inquiries. To be honest I prefer that.
It gives me a chance to make a connection,and more importantly make sure the light they are after is the right product for them. I would rather loose a sale then to set someone up with a product that fell short of their expectations.
Good customer service travels slow, bad customer service travels at the speed of light. Pun intended

 

[tdblakes]

Osborne Performance, is this your facebook page? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Osbor...2#!/pages/Osborne-Performance/158525704187382


If it is, this would be a good start for something to link to in a signature on your snowest account. You should populate your facebook page with as much information and pictures of your services or projects you've worked on as possible. A lot of people have facebook accounts and I for one am becoming more and more interested in vendors on facebook. I follow quite a few now, because they post sale events and new products on there. Some also hold drawings to win things. However not everyone has facebook so you would still benifit from a basic web page.

Facebook is a free advertising page and I recommend you use it as such. Like others have said, professionalism goes a long way. Looking professional is half the battle. Customer reviews & experience also goes a very long way. Keep involved and active on the forum and facebook, create a basic web page that has contact info, an "about me" section, what services you offer and brands you carry, and I think business would pick up some.

If I have the need for any SLP or Powermadd accessories or skis I will be sure to keep you in mind.

-Tom

 

[BikerPepe`]

I go through more than a few different forums and help moderate a fairly good sized one for the last decade. I'm not an exceptionally active user here. I don't know enough to help anyone else (yet) and I'm either searching for parts or trying to learn more about what I have, what I need and what I might want in the future.

There's lots of great advice here and two point specifically I wanted to expand on.

1. Your website: You say you used to have one but then let it go to work off the forums. Well... in my humble opinion (imho), that was a mistake. As a user and a noobie to sledding, when I'm looking for a part I need as much info on that part as I can possibly get... having a website to reference that information on is KEY for me. I want to take a look at the part, get a solid description and possibly a review on the part whenever possible.
Getting on the forums is great... but once I know you have something, if I have to go to somewhere else to get more info on that part (price, description, compatibility, weight, shipping costs, etc.)... why would I come back to you when I've already had to go search it down somewhere else to get the info I need? My point being... the more info you can provide me, the more likely I am to order from you. Having a website I can reference... after I've ran across your info on the forums, will help close all those gaps and distractions between my search and your supply.

2. Only helping people who ask you for help. Again... imho, a mistake. I've bought more parts from individuals here or off BCR because I've gone into the sled specific areas and asked questions about my sled. The people that have come in and helped me to understand, not only the specifics of my own questions, but expanded to let me know what other options I have or upgrades that have worked for them... occasionally they'll let me know they may have what I need. Those are the guys I'm buying from. Not only are they helping expand my knowledge, but they are right there offering what I need to get my sled out of the garage and back up on the mountain. These forums are full of people like myself... new to the sport and looking to learn. Peek around in the forum areas your comfortable with and share your knowledge with us and we're more likely to turn to you when we are in need.
Sometimes it may feel like a waste of time... but in the long run, it's really not. I've checked part prices with others who chimed in and while I may not be able to afford that upgrade now... when the time comes that I am ready, I'll be going back to the guys that shared a little time and experience to help me understand what I need and what it'll cost me.

just another .02 for your consideration. Good luck and Happy Selling!

 

[AZ800]

A little more "help" because you seem like a generally good guy.
Not only do you need to make your name known on the forum to garner more business, IMO the best thing you can do to get the parts business is "give away" your experience while "selling" your parts.
I'm sure alot of guys are like me...wish they had the time to tinker with different setups to see what works best, tune their own sled, but they don't. With kids, sports, wife, houses, job (biggest time sucker upper, haha!), etc, I want my sled to be right when I go to the hill the limited time I get.
So last yr after moving up to WA, my sleds needed to be re-tuned for the low altitude. Guess who stuck out as the go to guy?
RacinStation.
Why?
Becuse he offered sound advice to everyone asking questions on the forum and contributed his own testing and experiences with sleds/products.
But the biggest reason I called him for my $600 worth of new parts wasn't what he was selling, but what he was giving away....for free!

I needed to know that the clutch setups were right for my sleds, mods and altitude. He provided the correct weights and helixes first time, sleds ran spot on AND he provided me new fuel maps for my BD box. He was also available to talk to for advice.
He could have charged double for the parts and it still would have been a bargain because I certainly wouldn't have got it right on the first try, but he didn't. Prices were fair too.
That's what sells parts.
So get invloved here, share your knowledge if your great with sleds and diesels and you'll have people calling you.

 

[backcountryislife]

I can't BELIEVE I'm about to say this, and I'm POSITIVE I'll get a couple PM's giving me SH** about it...



But I agree with the comments about becoming a premium member. I think as a reader it's a waste of money, but as a guy who probably sells 1/100th the product you do, it has paid for itself just in putting my info in my sig.

That said, you actually have to post in order for that to be worth anything.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

I can't BELIEVE I'm about to say this, and I'm POSITIVE I'll get a couple PM's giving me SH** about it...



But I agree with the comments about becoming a premium member. I think as a reader it's a waste of money, but as a guy who probably sells 1/100th the product you do, it has paid for itself just in putting my info in my sig.

That said, you actually have to post in order for that to be worth anything.

GOD! YOU ARE SUCH A FREAKING SELLOUT!

 

[backcountryislife]

GOD! YOU ARE SUCH A FREAKING SELLOUT!

Saw it coming from a mile away... and I deserve it.

 

[HOOCH256]

My take on this...Ive gotten price quotes from you before and i was surprised at how much lower you where then the other guys that i got quotes from. But the fact remains i dont know "who" you or your company are, im mean the least you could do is support snowest since your using it to try and sell product. Become a vendor, a few sales and you've easily paid for it. And i can tell you i would def not hesitate to place an order with you cause your prices are good and you got right back to me as well.