> As requested please find attached feedback covering Saturdays ride and general issues.
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> 1) The day out was excellent value for money. £150 which covered the cost of running 2 bikes over a 9 hour day was remarkable. Receiving the ERS Certificate plus including a couple of drinks and a pancake was the icing on the cake!!!
> I know you are in a competitive market but I reckon given the skill sets you have may I suggest you are airing on underselling your business.
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> 2) The course you took me on was great and totally unexpected. I had thought we would be pottering around a few cones then going out locally. Ending up almost in Barmouth was superb. The section near Welshpool was particularly good fun. Having newly re-surfaced twisty roads to enjoy was a bonus. Just what the doctor ordered to get my skills and confidence back. So 10 out of 10 on that front.
> I really enjoyed the Ponderosa café as it got me into the whole motorcycling camaraderie bit. The weather although not at its best was ok. At least we did not end up in a deluge!!
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> 3) Your teaching style was very good. You made some excellent observations about my riding style. You gave excellent feedback on the good and bad parts of my riding abilities. You gave ‘Constructive Criticism’ which is much different to just being critical for its own sake. All in all this was just what I needed. I knew I could ride a bike. What I needed out of the day was to get ‘back up to speed’ and be reminded of some of the finer points of motorcycling safety and etiquette.
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> Things to consider for the future:-
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> 4) I am safety conscious as you picked up in your de-brief.
> One thing I was aware of was not wearing any protective trousers on the ride. I only had Jeans on which I felt very vulnerable in both in case of inclement weather but also in the event of a spill. You could argue that I was attending the Ehanced Rider Scheme where I guess a lot of people have their own bike and riding gear. However if you are trying to attract ‘Born again Motorcyclists’ and offering hire of all the kit I think you may want to consider the full ‘Safety Package’ in more detail – This helps promote the safety culture within your business. Safety sells particularly in the area of motorcycling training. Incidentally this was not a major issue but more of an irritation really. Just ‘food for thought’ going forwards!
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> 5) A final point based on my experience. I personally think there is a big market out their for re-training older motorcyclists like myself. I know you advertise ERS but I think you could focus in even more on this market. People in their early forties and beyond by and large have more disposable income. Often they have time on their hands having possibly done the family bit. As a suggestion what about ‘Partnering’ with a few motorcycle dealerships. You offer the initial re-training package and the dealer offers the bikes and all the kit. Also I know a lot of dealers offer ‘Ride Out Schemes’ (Sunday afternoon, weekends, Holidays etc) Seems to me everyone would be a winner and also give the re-trained rider something to look forward after the time spent with yourselves. Study the way BMW go about their business. They ‘sell the dream’ and make the rider feel that they are part of the BMW ‘Family’ This guarantees future business and brand loyalty. I know financially/commercially you are not in the same league as BMW but you can sell these principles and methods to your customers.
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> Hope this is helpful to you and that you don’t think I am telling you how to run your business. These are just my observations along the journey.
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> Finally many thanks for an extremely enjoyable day out.
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> Many thanks,
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> Rob.