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[32Lager]

I received this e-mail from Jim Morrison today. It looks promising... My reply is below.

Mike,

I first want to say thank you for the inquiry.  I am always interested in hearing what our buyers have to say, especially the ones that actually use the products we are promoting.

As for any additional product, what is on the website is the majority of what we currently have available.  There are always items from previous catalogs that we have in inventory, but to be honest the selection is pretty slim.  Like everyone else right now we are being very conservative with inventory purchases, so carryover items are harder to find.  On the plus side we introduce new items every six months for the dealer meetings so there is always something new in the works.

I also want to thank you for the excellent suggestions concerning the logo usage and how it pertains to the people buying our merchandise.  As you may or may not know, Harley is very strict about the ways we can use their licensed marks on our product.  Only recently have we been able to drop the “Performance Parts” tagline off of the logo.  I think your suggestion is a perfect alternative for the current logo, and your timing couldn’t have been any better.  I have a trip planned to Milwaukee this month to go over new product and I am going to bring a copy of your e-mail to help state my case for expanding our use of the logo.

With regards to your product suggestion, I also think a multi-printed long sleeve tee would be a good addition to our line.  My challenge with that is more with our production department than it is with Harley.  We have never done a four hit garment before, but I did add a three hit ladies item for the first time this year and it sold very well.  Maybe I can convince my bosses that this is worth considering.

Lastly, in order to send you a catalog order form I will need your dealer number.  As a Harley licensee we are restricted to only being able to sell in the Harley dealer network and without that number I can’t send the order form.  If you are not directly affiliated with a Harley dealership I would be more than happy to send the order form to whichever dealership you work with.  Just let me know the dealership name and I will forward the information.

Best Regards,
Jim Morrison
MainGate, Inc.

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Jim,
Thanks for your reply. I honestly thought it would go un-answered...
 
First off, I'd like to apologize for my comment "the current graphics don't represent our motorcycles at all". That comes across a bit harsh. After re-reading my e-mail, I would have preferred to say "very well". Understandably, Harley is strict about the use of their logo but we all know their clothing line is a big part of their business. Hopefully, during your trip to Milwaukee, you can convince them that they're missing out on a unique market for the Screamin' Eagle motorcycle owners. There may not be a lot of us out there but we're willing to spend our money on the finer things.
 
We did notice that some of your clothing had the "Performance Parts" tagline removed and those items were what we were more interested in. As far as sending me an order form, I'm at a dis-advantage because I'm not a dealer. Our local dealerships haven't had the latest clothing you're offering but they probably have the latest catalog so I'll have to stop by again and ask.
 
Other items to consider:
Medium weight riding jacket
Long sleeved button or snap down denim or cotton shirts with pockets
Leather riding shirts
Color matched helmets (available by order)
Patches (sew on)
Rain gear
Neck warmers
Doo rags
Can coolies
Vehicle window stickers
 
Hope this helps...
Mike

[Buy early]

I have gotten the "we can only take orders from dealers" line as well. A few of the dealers I visit regularly say that one or two orders of a particular item are not worth their while to pursue. I assume Maingate has a minimum order size. Perhaps we could pick a few items and do a group buy through one of the dealers that support this forum (like Chicago HD).

Just a suggestion.

[hard10]

I received this e-mail from Jim Morrison today. It looks promising... My reply is below...

Great work! As Buy Early has stated, maybe we can get one or two dealers to put an order together for us. I know that it what Parkway HD (Gene Lumis) had done for MV08 last year. They actually gave me the catalog and asked me to pick out the items I thought would sell. Contacting Chicago and/or Tri County may be a next step.