Page 72 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)
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differently. It was part of a learning curve “All the and helps enormously, and you need to be
that set me up here, I think,” says Chris. interested in people – what the individual
He sold out to his partner, hopped problems is doing and not just the order – and
on a bike for a ride to Queensland and people help them out when you can. “The best
eventually blew into Melbourne looking for advertising we ever did was tyres at half
work around 1985. The motorcycle trade think they price to shop staff, and suddenly they love
was an obvious fit, and his first gig was might the product and they’re on board. Suddenly
with Vince Genova at his Ringwood store. they’re selling.
Initially called Freedom Wheels, when it have with “It takes time to build, it’s Steady Eddie,
was owned by Eurotred, it soon changed electronics, but that’s what we found worked.
names to match Genova’s Nova Honda “That same attitude works here,” he adds,
parent store in Box Hill. Chris worked in we see very waving his arm at his shop. “We’ve grown
spares and ran the workshop for a while little of” at seven to eight per cent forever. In 2007-08
and says that – while he may not have [when the Global Financial Crisis hit] we
appreciated it at the time – it was a good might have grown 12-14 per cent.”
schooling in the business. Much of that success he puts down
His next move, to work with John to something else Burrows taught him:
Burrows’ import business, handling have plenty of stock on hand. “John
Metzeler tyres and Bellstaff clothing, is the was comfortable in business and had a
one he speaks of most fondly. “Working for philosophy that you should have plenty of
John was fantastic. That gave me a lot of stock so you don’t say ‘no’ to a customer,”
basic knowledge. He taught me a lot about explains Chris.
handling people, how to run a business, “We do that here, we have way too much
look after the margins, being consistent, not stock. But if you don’t, you miss out. So
letting anything slip through, just being if you’re making some money, put it into
conscientious all the time.” stock, so when someone walks in or the
His work there mixed admin, warehouse phone rings, you can say ‘yep, we’ve got
and being a rep on the road. The latter role that’.
is a notoriously tough one, so what does it “Next time they’re looking for something,
take to be good at it? it’s in their mind to call us first, because
“I have a different opinion,” he last time we had what they wanted. It gives
explains, “You need to not be pushy, but you the first bite of the cherry, if nothing
knowledgeable. Stock back-up is great else. It’s old school.”
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