Cover Story: Full Speed Ahead

Mirroring the Customer
"Our employees are the bikers that we sell stuff to," says Rich Brecht, J&P's senior call-center manager. "They have a sense of, 'This is how I want to be treated,' 'This is how I expect to be treated.' That helps us relate to our customer base. The people customers talk to on the phone are riders themselves. Many companies, especially in this tough economy, have abandoned efforts to offer free technical advice. We have hundreds of years of motorcycle experience with our techs, and we offer that up free to our customers. They can pick up a phone and ask, 'How do I install this part?' 'What's the best part for me to buy?' 'What's your opinion on this particular product?' That's a big differentiator for us."