http://rvdailyreport.com editor@rvdailyreport.com editor@rvdailyreport.com http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6941 I really have the opposite take on it. I think these moves eliminate revenue for Affinity Group. And I don't see how such moves will increase sales at their dealerships enough to offset it.<br /><br />Honestly if I was a stock holder I would be selling. No company gives up revenue streams unless they have a reason. And normally those reasons are about lack of funds.<br /><br />They may have 75 dealers as you pointed out but those 75 dealers are clearly not giving them the buying power to be competitive. I honestly wish they would take over a dealership here. Be nice to remove real competitors and replace them with Camping World dealers.<br /><br />Affinity Group doesn't seem to have a clue what it is doing. I guess I still view this industry like an outsider would. While insiders thinks they are some massive beast I only see what appears to be a very badly run company that appears to be in the early stages of falling apart.<br /><br />Step back and think of businesses like Blockbuster. Outsiders saw them failing long before the industry did. They were making moves that to the industry looked strong but to people who just looked at it with common business sense showed they had lost their way.<br /><br />The changing of RV Search to exclusiive is much like Blockbuster and "Blockbuster Online". People think RVsearch will bring Camping World so much business just as people thought Blockbuster Online would. But you need to look at what it does for the business. Blockbuster Online was forced down the throats of the in store customers. Those that tried it and liked it came into the store less, their average monthly spending went down, and when Blockbuster raised their price these once loyal custiomers went to Netflix. Netflix benefited directly.<br /><br />The RVSearch things will be the same way. Those that benefit directly will be RVUSA and RVtrader. Customers who go on RVSearch will find less units and will stop using it. So they will lose traffic. They have already lost the revenue from the dealers who used to pay to use it. This move has no benefit for them. <br /><br />Good Sam is much the same way.<br /><br />People who are competing against them should be happy that they are making such bad business decisions.<br /><br />PS: For the top 50 dealer awards you could avoid giving that info. You shouldn't give any info that is considered confidential. http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6942 Intrigued by another post, I started reading through your stuff and came across this. The fast food analogy is a quandry to me. You are saying that research performed by the industry leader (in this case McDonalds) was being used by smaller companies to their benefit. What does that have to do with AGI knowing dealerships' sales figures? If anything I think that analogy holds true for the smaller players in the camping industry that benefit from the advertising campaigns, TV shows, and sense of community (i.e. The "Bad" Sam Club) that AGI provides to the industry, without having to pay a dime. <br /><br />I think it's pretty obvious to the dealers that the figures they voluntarily submit to RV Business, an industry publication, may get published for any of their competitors to see. To follow your analogy's logic, the fact that dealerships exist in certain areas should be enough for AGI to know whether or not it is worth opening another store/dealer in that area. It was good enough for Burger King right? Having sales figures, which could be doctored, really doesn't shed any light on the situation. <br /><br />This post is more than a stretch. Its an attack, and it doesn't make much sense. http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6943 If they plan to rapidly expand like a company going public might. The moves they are making make perfect sense. If I was going to add 200 new stores in the next couple of years in major markets I would also want all the service and warranty streams to be part of my pro-forma. http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6944 I agree that noone has the right to our dealerships financials - except our banks. When we were nominated for RV Business Top 50, I filled out the application. But I refused to send our financials. I just put a note in the applications that this was confidential info. They were fine with that! I loved all of the free PR. http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 22:24:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:6945 I think you're on track, Greg. While I understand the points made by a couple of other folks here on the forum, an attack it is not. One poster said he couldn't understand the analogy of AGI/CW/FR and local dealers vs. Mc Donald's et.al. Well, why shouldn't the reverse be true... in this case, all of us 'local' shops are McDonald's, and AGI is the one trying to figure out where to acquire new dealers, or open new shops? If dealers hand over their financials, why wouldn't AGI use that data, not to mention the data they collected from RV Search sales and use, to their benefit? <br /><br />Another quandry... Blockbuster vs. RV Search... I don't see the connection. RV's can't be sent in the mail, or downloaded online.... however, people researching RV's, especially used ones, look to RV Search among others to find the one they like, then go to the store to see it in person. Blockbuster's case is quite different, as people found an alternative to visiting the local neighborhood store... now RV Search will herd the customers into their stores, helping to eliminate the smaller, non-connected competitors.<br /><br />Greg, you mention the Good Sam ESP Warranty.... and I'll add one more... when a retail calls GS-ESP and says they need service, where are they going to be sent? To the network. I know a dealer that dedicated a section of their website to 'warranty-orphans.' The dealer networks have fixed this to a point, but the AGI stores will, I'm sure, take care of problems wherever the retail travels.<br /><br />Remember, Good Sam has had in the area of a million members +. That's alot of exposure. I'm sure their website hits are amazing. And, at least for awhile, the retail isn't going to know that their being herded... they're going to find what they want on RV Search, GSC, CW, etc... RV's, Parts, Accessories, campgrounds, and service. <br /><br />Sitting down hurts just a little bit more this morning.... http://rvdailyreport.com/Opinion/ID/18043/Do-RV-dealers-have-selective-amnesia.aspx#Comments