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Author Topic: Matt Levatich interview  (Read 6174 times)

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flhse

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Matt Levatich interview
« on: June 25, 2017, 06:43:45 PM »

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RGlideKid

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2017, 07:15:30 PM »

All very ambitious goals.  2 million new riders in the US means around 1 of every 30-40 eligible adults in terms of age and income (not to mention the desire to buy a bike in such repressed and jobless times).
I think they'd better focus on quality and their dealers and their relationships with customers (like satisfaction after the sale and a genuine interest in solving owner's problems with their bikes).  They need to treat customers better and not just as a t-shirt buyer. 
Did you notice that he didn't really answer Maria's question about how important the accessories are to the bottom line?  He gave a lot of good "politician" type answers with big ideas, but they truly need to start listening to their customers better, too.
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Harry
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Road Dad

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2017, 07:25:49 PM »

Not sure what you are referring to. Repressed and jobless times?  Unemployment rate is at 4.3% in May so there is no reason to be jobless at this time. Next downturn is 2019 but it will probably be a small dip and not severe.

All very ambitious goals.  2 million new riders in the US means around 1 of every 30-40 eligible adults in terms of age and income (not to mention the desire to buy a bike in such repressed and jobless times).
I think they'd better focus on quality and their dealers and their relationships with customers (like satisfaction after the sale and a genuine interest in solving owner's problems with their bikes).  They need to treat customers better and not just as a t-shirt buyer. 
Did you notice that he didn't really answer Maria's question about how important the accessories are to the bottom line?  He gave a lot of good "politician" type answers with big ideas, but they truly need to start listening to their customers better, too.
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flhse

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2017, 07:36:14 PM »

I don't recall any comments on current customer relationships, only growing new customers.  Nothing about improving quality. 

Guess they still don't like us much.

A little background on Matt:

Levatich joined Harley-Davidson in 1994 and held positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S. and Europe, including President and Chief Operating Officer of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Vice President and General Manager of the Motor Company’s Parts and Accessories business, Vice President of Materials Management, and President and Managing Director of MV Agusta.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 07:37:57 PM by flhse »
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RGlideKid

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2017, 08:36:00 PM »

Not sure what you are referring to. Repressed and jobless times?  Unemployment rate is at 4.3% in May so there is no reason to be jobless at this time. Next downturn is 2019 but it will probably be a small dip and not severe.

You live in Detroit and aren't sure what I'm referring to?   :confused5:
"Detroit's unemployment rate hits 16-year low" posted on michiganlive.com on 6/1/17.  Detroit's stated unemployment is 9.8%, so I could see the real number being close to twice that. 

"People are only classified as unemployed if 1) they do not have a job, 2) have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are 3) currently available for work" (this per bls.gov). Wonder how this might skew the data?

People who have used up their unemployment benefits or are on welfare are not amongst the unemployed.  It's doubtful the gov't counts underemployed workers as unemployed either, or couples living with their parents because their unemployment has been cut off. "Some 16 million people are underemployed or unemployed as measured by the U6....As many as 4 million in the U.S. who want a full-time work are being shut out. " (Per marketwatch.com).

"People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not considered to be in the labor force" (bls.gov).  Hmmmm.  I wonder how this could skew the data?

"In today’s labor market, the unemployment rate drastically understates the weakness of job opportunities. This is due to the existence of a large pool of “missing workers”–potential workers who, because of weak job opportunities, are neither employed nor actively seeking a job. In other words, these are people who would be either working or looking for work if job opportunities were significantly stronger. Because jobless workers are only counted as unemployed if they are actively seeking work, these “missing workers” are not reflected in the unemployment rate..." (this found on epi.org).

"The national unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in April, the Labor Department said Friday. But relying on that one headline number as an indicator for the economy as a whole ignores important information ...Economists look past the official unemployment rate — known as the "U-3" number — to other metrics that provide more nuanced views of the employment situation.
The U-3 rate is defined as the "total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force," but doesn't include a number of employment situations. A broader figure is the U-6 rate, which many economists rely on as a more accurate portrayal of employment in the country.
The U-6 rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent in May." (this per many news agencies including the liberally-beloved CNBC, who I wouldn't trust with just about anything they said).

"Although much of the major media are reporting the national unemployment rate for October as 4.9%, the "real unemployment rate," as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and which includes part-time workers and those marginally attached to the work force, is 9.5%." (per cnsnews.com)

Saying there is no reason to be jobless in these times would be a real kick in the teeth to a lot of people out there who are working their butts off but who can't adequately feed their kids or make a house or a car payment on time, even though they may either hold a full time job or hold several jobs...or are desperately looking for work.




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Harry
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Supershooter

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2017, 10:47:09 PM »

Unfortunately labor shortages are regional, we have a labor shortage in Western Iowa. If people are willing to work, your welcome here.

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Road Dad

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2017, 10:50:22 AM »

Since when did Detroit become a measurement of country wide employment?  A city that just came out of bankruptcy  :drink:

A person might need to be willing to relocate. Or change from a dying industry to something that has a future.

In several areas it is almost impossible to find good labour to hire.



You live in Detroit and aren't sure what I'm referring to?   :confused5:
"Detroit's unemployment rate hits 16-year low" posted on michiganlive.com on 6/1/17.  Detroit's stated unemployment is 9.8%, so I could see the real number being close to twice that. 

"People are only classified as unemployed if 1) they do not have a job, 2) have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are 3) currently available for work" (this per bls.gov). Wonder how this might skew the data?

People who have used up their unemployment benefits or are on welfare are not amongst the unemployed.  It's doubtful the gov't counts underemployed workers as unemployed either, or couples living with their parents because their unemployment has been cut off. "Some 16 million people are underemployed or unemployed as measured by the U6....As many as 4 million in the U.S. who want a full-time work are being shut out. " (Per marketwatch.com).

"People who are neither employed nor unemployed are not considered to be in the labor force" (bls.gov).  Hmmmm.  I wonder how this could skew the data?

"In today’s labor market, the unemployment rate drastically understates the weakness of job opportunities. This is due to the existence of a large pool of “missing workers”–potential workers who, because of weak job opportunities, are neither employed nor actively seeking a job. In other words, these are people who would be either working or looking for work if job opportunities were significantly stronger. Because jobless workers are only counted as unemployed if they are actively seeking work, these “missing workers” are not reflected in the unemployment rate..." (this found on epi.org).

"The national unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent in April, the Labor Department said Friday. But relying on that one headline number as an indicator for the economy as a whole ignores important information ...Economists look past the official unemployment rate — known as the "U-3" number — to other metrics that provide more nuanced views of the employment situation.
The U-3 rate is defined as the "total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force," but doesn't include a number of employment situations. A broader figure is the U-6 rate, which many economists rely on as a more accurate portrayal of employment in the country.
The U-6 rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent in May." (this per many news agencies including the liberally-beloved CNBC, who I wouldn't trust with just about anything they said).

"Although much of the major media are reporting the national unemployment rate for October as 4.9%, the "real unemployment rate," as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and which includes part-time workers and those marginally attached to the work force, is 9.5%." (per cnsnews.com)

Saying there is no reason to be jobless in these times would be a real kick in the teeth to a lot of people out there who are working their butts off but who can't adequately feed their kids or make a house or a car payment on time, even though they may either hold a full time job or hold several jobs...or are desperately looking for work.

« Last Edit: June 26, 2017, 11:15:04 AM by Road Dad »
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Twolanerider

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2017, 11:55:03 AM »

Crap.  Saw the thread title and thought it was going to be about the guy that hosed Harley (and kept his job) after MV Augusta (wonder if he'll run Ducati as a side-gig?).  Didn't realize it was a Detroit cum national economics thread.  My bad.
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coloradotom

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2017, 01:27:03 PM »

All very ambitious goals.  2 million new riders in the US means around 1 of every 30-40 eligible adults in terms of age and income (not to mention the desire to buy a bike in such repressed and jobless times).
I think they'd better focus on quality and their dealers and their relationships with customers (like satisfaction after the sale and a genuine interest in solving owner's problems with their bikes).  They need to treat customers better and not just as a t-shirt buyer. 
Did you notice that he didn't really answer Maria's question about how important the accessories are to the bottom line?  He gave a lot of good "politician" type answers with big ideas, but they truly need to start listening to their customers better, too.

Agreed on the dealer relationships. A great example is there are 2 dealers here that I can go to, one is family owned and has been for ~40 years, the kind of dealer that started off in a little shack, and they've got a good crew and they've all been there for years. The other one is a massive name-changing sell you a bike with a who-cares-after-that attitude and a service department from hell. The second dealer is all about selling bikes, which seems to be this guys priority and in his eyes they're the better dealership - they sell more bikes, and that's a problem for us riders. What he doesn't seem to understand that dealer #2 doesn't sell anyone a second bike because they go somewhere else, or they pissed them off enough that they go buy a different brand.
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Road Dad

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #9 on: June 26, 2017, 02:26:31 PM »

You are killing me. You are the one that started to whine about lack of employment. So now back to the originally scheduled HD bashing.  :drink:

Crap.  Saw the thread title and thought it was going to be about the guy that hosed Harley (and kept his job) after MV Augusta (wonder if he'll run Ducati as a side-gig?).  Didn't realize it was a Detroit cum national economics thread.  My bad.
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moscooter

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2017, 03:06:01 PM »

 :confused5:
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ultrarider123

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #11 on: June 26, 2017, 03:25:17 PM »

I am so cornfussed.... :stars: :rolleyes2: :rolleyes3:
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iski

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2017, 04:24:07 PM »

I am so cornfussed.... :stars: :rolleyes2: :rolleyes3:

It's from watching Maria Bartilomo.  Not sure what that guy Matt said, Maria was looking good as usual.  :2vrolijk_21:
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Twolanerider

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2017, 04:27:21 PM »

Crap.  Saw the thread title and thought it was going to be about the guy that hosed Harley (and kept his job) after MV Augusta (wonder if he'll run Ducati as a side-gig?).  Didn't realize it was a Detroit cum national economics thread.  My bad.

You are killing me. You are the one that started to whine about lack of employment. So now back to the originally scheduled HD bashing.  :drink:

Dude, my wisecrack (you quoted) was my first and, until now, only post in this thread.  This website may be a target rich environment for many (but not all) flavors of discourse and sarcasm.  Just make sure your sites are on the right target  :huepfenlol2: .
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Twolanerider

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Re: Matt Levatich interview
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2017, 04:28:26 PM »

I am so cornfussed.... :stars: :rolleyes2: :rolleyes3:


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