Channel Mastery Podcast, Episode #85: Kristin Carpenter-Ogden ... · Channel Mastery Podcast Episode #85: Pete Buhl of Beeline email: [email protected] Page 2 of 13 mobile-only business

ChannelMasteryPodcast,Episode#85:KristinCarpenter-OgdenInterviewsPeteBuhl,PresidentandCo-FounderofBeelineBikes

www.channelmastery.com/85

Kristin: 00:08 Welcome,everybody,toanotherepisodeoftheChannelMasteryPodcast,ourspecialseriestalkingabouttheevolutionofchannelsinthebikecommunityandthebikemarket.AndIamsodelightedtowelcomebackPeteBuhl,whoistheco-founderandpresidentofBeelineBikes,nowpartofAccellNorthAmerica,totheshowtoday.Welcome,Pete.

PeteBuhl: 00:30 Thanksforhavingme.

Kristin: 00:31 It'sbeensogreattowatchthetrajectory.Iknowyouguysliterallyembodythewordhustletome,okay?AndIfeellikethat'saperfectwaytokindofstartourconversationtogether,becauseyoumighthavebeenalittlefast-forward,offonthesharpendofleadership,obviously,withBeeline,andyou'regoingtotalkaboutthatfoundingofthecompanyhereinafewseconds.Butitreallyseemstomelikeyou'rehittingasweetspotintermsofadoptionandtheabilitytoscaleandserveandevolvethespecialtybrandsandretailersthatyouserve.So,beforewegetintothat,andthere'ssomuchforustogetintothere,giveusalittlebitofhistoryonwhoyouareandwhyyoufoundedBeelineandthenwherewearetodaywithAccellNorthAmerica.

PeteBuhl: 01:14 Yep,sure.Great.So,westartedBeelinesixyearsagonow.It'shardtobelieve.Timeflieswhenyou'rehavingfun,Iguess.Butwestartedin2013asatechstartupinSiliconValleywitha

ChannelMasteryPodcastEpisode#85:PeteBuhlofBeelinewww.channelmastery.comemail:[email protected]

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mobile-onlybusiness.Wewouldtakeourbikeshoponwheelstoacustomerattheirhomeorofficeanddoservice.Andthatevolvedoveraperiodofyears.In2015,webeganfranchisingthebusiness,andwesold80franchiseunitsacrossthecountrytodo,again,mobileservice.Andwebegantodomobilefulfillmentofbikessoldonlinetocustomers.Sodeliveryofanewbikepurchasedonlinetoacustomerattheirhomeoroffice.Andthatallwasgreat.WewereboughtbyAccellNorthAmericainMarchof2018,soaboutayearago.Andwebeganthinkingabouthowdowefurtherevolvewhatwe'redoinginthecontextofAccellandinthecontextofthegreatermarketopportunitythatwehadinfrontofuswithbeingpartofAccell.

Kristin: 02:16 Andhowhasthelastyearbeen?Because,Imean,asIsaid,youguyshavealwaysembodiedhustle,butIimagineit'sbeenratcheteduptoawholenewlevel.

PeteBuhl: 02:25 Well,it'sbeengreat.Whenwe'representedwithanewopportunityaspartofAccelltothinkabouthowdowereallyengagewiththeindustryandaddvaluetothedealersthatAccellhashadhistoricallyandreallygrowthatdealerbaseandtakewhatwehave,whichisprettyuniquetotheindustry,andaddittotheoverallequation?Itwasaninterestingchallenge.Wespentthefirstsixmonths,Ithink,postjoiningAccell,justreallygettingintegratedandunderstandinghowtheorganizationworked,andthenlastsummer,intheAugusttimeframe,wehaddevelopedaplantoevolvethesystemthatwewouldbuildintowhatwe'renowcallingPoweredbyBeeline,whichis,essentially,asoftwareasaserviceversionofoursystemthatisopenforalldealerstouseandenhancetheirbusinessandtheirbusinessoperations.

Kristin: 03:24 AndsoIthinkthat'saperfectjumpingoffpoint,butjustbearinmind,audience,there'salotthatwe'regoingtocoverheretoday.Afulltranscriptwillbeavailable,andobviouslyavailableonalotofdifferentsites.BicycleRetailer.com,,andChannelMastery.com.Sothere'salotwe'regoingtocoverhere,butjustknowthatwehaveyoucoveredwiththetranscriptandalsowitharticlesafterthis.

Kristin: 03:47 So,let'stalkaboutPoweredbyBeeline,Pete,becauseyouandIhavetalkedaboutthisbefore.We'vetalkedabouthowadoptioncanbeslowuntiloneday,itisn't.Ithinkyou'velivedthisinalotofdifferentlifetimeswithyourtechbackground.Butthiswasaprettyexceptionalcasestudyofadoptionrampingupquickly.You'veopened350storelocationsalreadyinjustathree-monthperiod,correct?


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PeteBuhl: 04:13 Yeah.It'sactuallylessthanthat.WewentlivewithPoweredbyBeelineattheveryendofJanuary,January28th.Andwe'vegot350storelocationssignedupacrossthecountry,andintheprocessofonboardingallthose.Andwe'vegotapipelineofabout100dealersbehindthatthatareintheprocessofsigningpaperworkandcomingonboard.Andourgoalisreallytohitbetween5and600dealersbytheendofthisyear,whichwe'rewellaheadofourinitialforecast.

Kristin: 04:42 That'sfantastic.Imean,youmustbekindofshakingyourheadalittlebit,becausewe'vehadalotofconversationsinthepastfewyearsaboutadoptionandaboutpeopleunderstandingintegrationbetweenthechannels,andwhattheconsumers'preferencesareandhowthey'rebeingshapedeveryday.Anditseemslikeyou'vecreatedasolutionthatmanagesandclosesthatdigitalgap,ifyouwill,forspecialtyretailersandbrands,asthey'recompetingfortheattentionofthisomnichannelconsumer.Itseemslikeyou'vereallyhitasweetspothere.

PeteBuhl: 05:11 Yeah.Ithink,asyousaid,hustle,we'rerunningfullspeedahead,becausewehavelotsofdealersthatwe'reonboarding.Andwe'realsokindofsimultaneouslyindiscussionswithalotofbrandswhohaveinterestinthatgreatlastmileexperienceandsellingproductsonline.Andsowe'rekindofchickenandtheegg,we'rebuildingthisnetworkveryquick.We'realsoworkingwithbrandsandtryingtopullitalltogethersothatwehave...Attheendoftheday,it'sgottobeagreatsolutionfortheconsumer,agreatsolutionforthebrand,andagreatsolutionforthedealer.Sowe'retryingtobalanceeverythingandkeepthingsmovingquickly.

Kristin: 05:50 It'stoughtobuildefficienciesaroundthat.Everystoreseemstohavetheirhouseofbrands,thewaythattheystory-tellfortheirspecificcommunity.They'realsoadjustingandcreatingchannelstrategiesontheflyasthey'regoingthroughtheyearastheystudywhattheircommunityandconsumersneed.Andthenobviously,we'reseeingbignewsheadlinesfromcompaniesthatdrivechangeinourmarkets.Sospecializedclicktobricks.Wetalkedaboutthisinourrehearsalcall.Iknowthatyousaidyou'rehappyaboutthis,andIactuallywasheartenedwhenyoukindofgaveusyourtakeonthat,becauseIthinkabigpainpointrightnowforalotofremarkabledealersistheyhavethesegreatbrands.Everysingleoneofthemhastheirownprocess.Andit'salmostimpossibleforthemtokeepthelightson,evolve,beremarkabletotheirconsumers,offerbrandexperienceswheneverysinglebrandseemstohaveadifferent


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waytogettheproductfromthemothershiptotheconsumerinareallygreatexperience.

PeteBuhl: 06:47 Yeah.Thatwasoneofthebiggestlearningsaswetalkedtodealersinthecontextofdevelopingthesystemistheywerejusthugelychallengedinsimplymanagingallthedifferentloginsandallthedifferentsystemsfortheonlinepieceoftheirworld,whetherthatbeservice[inaudible00:07:04]orAmazonFulfillmentthatshopscouldsignupfor,orthebrandsthattheysupportintheirshopthatweredoingdirecttoconsumer.Itwasallkindofahodgepodgeofloginsandemailsandphonecalls,andattheendoftheday,itwasabadexperienceforacustomer,becausebikesshowedupandthedealersdidn'tknowwheretheywereorwhatthecustomer'sexpectationswere.Anditwasimpossibletoreallymanage.Andsowe'vetriedtoprovideaunifiedplatformanddashboardtomanagealltheseonlineinputs.Again,serviceappointmentsandbicyclefromacrossanybrand,andgivedealersatoolthatcanhelpthemtransformtheirbusinessandreallyfuture-prooftheirbusiness,fromtheperspectiveofengagingwiththeseonlineopportunitiesthatexistforthem.

Kristin: 07:52 Andthat'stheexactwaythatyougettocreatealoyalliferconsumer,soIfeellikethebrandshavethebestinterestoftheconsumerinmindwhentheysignupforthesebright,shinynewobjects.Like,okay,nowyourconsumerwillordertheproduct.Itwillbealastmilefulfillmentofferorjustabrickstoclicks.Butessentially,theyallsignupandsay,"Okay,Iwanttohaveagoodlineofcommunication."They'regoingtogetanemailthatsays,oratext,like,"Yourbike'sinthestore."Andwhatyou'retellingme,andwhat[Eric00:08:22]alsotoldme,fromEric'sBikesandBoards,isthey'regettingthat.They'recomingdownthere,andthebike'snotbuilt.Andthat'sareallymajorproblem.Thatissomethingthatweneedtoengineeraswe'relookingtobrandexperience.Everybody'slike,"Whatisthat?"It'sanoverusedcliché.Ihavetohaveabrandexperience.Well,thisiswhatitis,folks.It'sbasicallymakingsurethatwhattheyseewhenthey'reresearchingandwhattheyexperiencethroughoutthatprocessisendingwithpickingupthatbikeisfantastic.Andthat'sessentiallywhatPoweredbyBeelineishelpingpeopledo,ismakingthataprocessfortheiroperations.

PeteBuhl: 08:57 Yeah.Thisiswheresoftwarecanreallyhelpthecustomerexperience.SowhenoneofourbrandsatAccell,Diamondback,Raleigh,Haibike,IZIP,Redline,ortheotherbrandpartnersforlivewithPureCyclesandClarion.There'sbeenabout24otherbrandsthatwe'retalkingtorightnow.Butifabikeissoldtoa


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consumer,expectationsaresetwiththatconsumerintermsofwhentheycanpickupthatbike.Andthatexpectationaccountsforshippingtime,howlongisitgoingtotaketoshiptotheshop.Whatdaystheshopisopenandtheycanactuallyworkonthebike.SoifabikeshowsuponSundaybuttheshopisclosed,thenwe'vegottoputanother24hoursinthere.

PeteBuhl: 09:40 Thewholeprocessisdesignedtotelltheconsumerwhentheycangopickuptheirbikeandsetthatexpectationproperly.Butalsoprovidetheshopenoughtimetogetthebike,assembleit,andbepreparedforwhenthatcustomerwalksinthedoortoofferagreatexperience,beabletoupsellpartsandaccessories,beabletosignthemupforongoingserviceappointments.There'sagreat,asyoumentioned,kindoflifetimevalueopportunitythatcomeswhenthatcustomerwalksinthedoortopickuptheirbike.

Kristin: 10:12 I'dlovetogetyourtakeonwhatsomebestpracticesmightbeforafterthefact,right?Andwe'vebeentalkingaboutthisforthelastcouplepodcaststhatwe'vedonetogether,andI'llputlinkstoallofthoseintheshownotes,everybody.Obviously,there'sbeenalotofevolutionsincewelastspoke.Butdoyouhaveanythingthatyoucanoffer,intermsofinsightsthatyouseeworkingtodayforthemostconsumer-centricbrands?Andaroundengagingtheloyaltyofthatpersonwho'spickingupabike,thatnewcustomer?Becausethat'swhatIhavealwaysseenBeelineasaportalfor.

PeteBuhl: 10:48 Yeah.So,fromadealerperspective,we'vebeenengagedwithdealersandhaddealersasfranchiseesforseveralyearsnow.Andsowhatwesawandwhatweenableisreallyallthesegreatideasthatdifferentdealershaveacrossthecountrytoreallypropagate.Andsoforexample,we'vehaddealerswho,whenthey'rehavingacustomerwalkintopickupabike,theyfullyoutfitthebikewithallthepartsandaccessoriesthatthecustomermightneed,andthebike'sreadytogo.Ifthecustomerwantsto...AndallthatP&Aisavailableatapackageprice.Andifthecustomerdoesn'twantit,theytakeitoff.

PeteBuhl: 11:26 Butthere'sagreatopportunitytheretohavethecustomerwalkoutwithabigpercentageoftheproductsthatarealreadyinstalledontheirbikerightthere.Sothatwasonegreatkindoftechniquethatwe'veseen.Signingupacustomerforaserviceappointmentsoit'spre-scheduledandthey'rereadytocomebackin.There'sallkindsofwaystoengagewiththatcustomerwhentheycomeinyourstore.Givethemafulltutorialonthebikeandshowthemhowtouseitandmakesurethatthey


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understandthebellsandwhistles.Allthesebikesaregettingmoreandmorefancyandmoreandmoretechnical,andspendingjustthatlittlebitofextratimewiththecustomertogetthemcomfortablewiththeirbikecreatesbeginningsofthatlong-termrelationship.

Kristin: 12:06 Right.Andareyouseeinganychannelsthatareevolvingormaybetakingmoreattentionthanothers?Imean,obviously,youandIhavetalkedinthepastaboutgrowinganemaillistandnurturingconsumersthroughthat,andwe'vetalkedaboutsocialmediaaswell.Anytakesthatyouwanttoofferintermsoflikethebestwaystonurturetheseconsumersaftertheycomeintoyourstorethroughachannel,specifically,thatthatmightbemorepopularnow?

PeteBuhl: 12:31 Yeah,Istillthinkemail,directemailmessaging,isthemosteffectivewaytocommunicatewiththeseconsumersthatarecomingin,andyou'vegottodoitnowinamanagedwayornot,obviously,spamandbombardthemtoomuch.Butifit'savalueaddcommunication,that'sagreatwaytokindofbuildthatrelationshipwithcustomers.AndthegreatthingaboutPoweredbyBeeline[00:00:53],nowasadealer,whenthesecustomersarecomingintothesystemandbeingdeliveredtoyourshop,thoseareyourcustomers,andyouhavetheircontactinformationandemailaddressandyoucannowconnectwiththem,theonlinemodes.

PeteBuhl: 13:09 YoucanalsodolookalikelistsonFacebook,soyoutaketheemaillistthatyouhaveandyousay,"Hey,Iwanttofindotherpeoplelikethis,"andFacebookhasallthesemarketingtoolsthatareprettyadvancednow.Instagram'sgettingbigger.Butstill,email'stheonethatmostshopsunderstandanduse,andit's,Istillthink,themosteffectivetoolforengagingwithmostoftheconsumersthatwe'reseeingtoday.

Kristin: 13:34 Idoaswell.AndIjustwanttoaddfromthebrandandmarketingpointofview,don'tjustuseyouremailtoadvertiseyoursales.There'snothingworsethanthat.Wewanttogetpeopletojoinatribeandtojoinanexperienceatyourspecialtydealer.

PeteBuhl: 13:48 It'saboutvalueaddedmessagestothecustomerthatisgoingtogivethemsomethingusefultoread.Andit'snotaproblemtohavesomeproductoffersaroundthat,butmakeitvalueaddforsure.


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Kristin: 14:01 Solet'stalkalittlebitabout,Ithinkhe'scalleditthesecondphaseofPoweredbyBeeline[00:00:14:05]withyourShopifyappconnection,becauseIsawsomenewsinthebroaderbusinessrealmaroundShopifyaddingsomefeaturestoessentiallyhelpbrandsthatusetheirshoppingcarttomakeitmorerelevantinaphysicalretailenvironment.I'llputalinkintotheshownotesforthat,butlet'stalkabouthowyou'respecificallydoingthatcauseyouevolvedyoursoftwaretoworkwithyourShopifyconsumers.

PeteBuhl: 14:31 Yeah,wehad,inthepastwhenweweremobileonly,createdapluginforShopifythatwouldallowacustomertobuyabikeonlinethroughoneofthebrandsthatwasusingShopifyandthenhaveoneoftheshippingorfulfillmentoptionsbedeliverytoyourdoor.Andoursysteminthebackgroundhandledthelogisticsforcustomercommunication.And,again,expectationsettingandthatsortofthing.

PeteBuhl: 14:57 WhenwewenttoPoweredbyBeeline[00:00:14:58]weneededtodoawholenewdevelopmentefforttoextendthattoshiptostore.Andwe'vedonethatnow.Wereleasedthataboutaweekago.Weareinproductionwith[PureCycles00:00:15:10]andwith[ClearyBikes00:15:11],and,asmentioned,we'vegotabout24otherbrandsthatwe'reindiscussionswithcomingonline.And,again,it'sonlybeenaweekorsothatwe'vehadthecompletefunctionalityavailableforbothmobiledeliveryandshippedtostore,butthat'sagreatopportunitytobringdozensofbrandsonboardthatareusingtheShopifyapplicationandenablethatsamegreatconsumerexperienceatthelastmile,and,again,deliveracustomertothebikeshopthattheycanthenhaveanongoingrelationshipwith.

Kristin: 15:42 AndShopifyisjustsuchatrustedtool,orpartner,ifyouwill,inthatprocess,Iwouldimagine.

PeteBuhl: 15:48 Theydoagreatjob.Theyrunagreatplatformthat'srelativelyeasytomanageandisgreatfortheseemergingbrands.

Kristin: 15:58 SoIcan'twaittoseehowthatunfolds.Obviously,you'regettingreadytoheadouttoabikecommunityandindustrygatheringandthekickoffin[SeaOtter00:00:16:05]andthebicycleleadershipconference.Haveyouhadanysortofprecursorsoranythingthatyou'reanticipatingintermsofthosenetworkingconversationsthatyou'regoingtobelinedupfor?And,bytheway,thisshouldcomeoutrightaboutthesametimethatthatgatheringtakesplace.


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PeteBuhl: 16:22 Okay.Yeah.We'vegotawholebunchofmeetingssetupwithallkindsoffolks,andit'sgreat.We'regonnahaveawholeteam.I'mgoingtobethere,PeteSmall,who'sourCOO,andNeilMack,whoisourheadofbusinessdevelopment/networkdevelopment,we'reallgoingtobetheremeetingwithpeopleboththroughleadershipconferenceand[SeaOtter00:00:16:42].AndthegoalistogetasmanyqualitybrandsthatwanttobepartofournetworkonboardandletthemtakeadvantageofthisamazingnetworkofIBDsthatwehavesigneduptodolastmilefulfillment.

Kristin: 20:34 SoPete,canyoualsotalkabout...I'vehadalotofguestsonthisshowthathavetalkedabouttheimportanceofhavingvisibilityintoinventoryintostores.Andinothermarketsthatweworkin,Ithinkthatthat'sdefinitelysomethingthat'smoreofamusthaveandnotanicetohave.Howisthatevolvinginthebikeindustryinyouropinion?

PeteBuhl: 20:59 Yeah,youknow,sowhatwe'reseeingtodayanddoingtodayiswe'reonlyexposingwhat'savailableinthewarehouseoronlinetoconsumers.Ithinkthere'sahugeopportunitytoexposethatlocalinventory,becauseinthatcasethecustomercangoandgetitrightawayandit'srightthereintheshop.Yeah,Ithinkwhatthatrequiresisintegrationwiththepointofsaleandmaintenanceofgoodinventoryrecordsintheshops,whichisalittlebithitormiss.Andsowhatyoudon'twanttodoisexposesomethingthat'snotthereorviceversa,andthenhaveabadconsumerexperience.SoIdothinkmoreworkneedstobedoneintheindustrytofigureouthowtohelpthedealerstrackthisinventorythat'sintheirshops.Andwhenthedataiscomplete,wecanexposeittotheconsumers.ButIthinkwe'realittlebitearlyonthatfront.

Kristin: 21:52 That'swhatmyunderstandingisaswell.ThereasonIwantedtobringthisupisIthinkit'simportantforustogetontopofthisbecausetheyconsumersareexperiencingthisasconsumersinprettymucheveryothercategorythey'rein.Andyou'reabsolutelyright.IthinkIevenreadsomewherethatlikeoneofthebiggestwaystoloseaconsumerandpissthemoffonthelevelwheretheyeventalkabouttheirbadexperiencetoothersistogetthemofftheircouch,getthemoutoftheirpajamas,havethemcomedownbecausetheysawthattherewasinventorythatactuallyisnotinthestore.Soit'sabigpointofexposure.

PeteBuhl: 22:25 Yeah.No,we'rehappytobekindofadvocatesandconduitsfordoingthat,butweneedthedatatobeaccuratesothatwecan


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providethatgreatcustomerexperience,otherwisewe'regoingtogobackwardsonthatfront,whichwedon'twanttodo.

Kristin: 22:38 Andit'sjustbeensointerestingtowatchyouevolveyourentirebusinessfrom,Ithink,creatingafrictionfree,easywaytoexpandachannel,somanygreatthingsthatyoustartedwith,butnowyou'reactuallybecomingapartnertologisticallyandoperationallyconnectdealersandbrandstoconsumers.Sothereisthatconsistency,there'sthattrust,andthere'sanexceptionalspecialtyexperiencethat'sbeingoffered.SoIjustthinkit'samazinghowyou'veevolvedthecompany.AndI'dlovetohearkindofwhereyouthinkthingsmightbegoingthroughtheremainderof2019.

PeteBuhl: 23:16 Yeah,that'sinterestingyousaythatbecausewekindofthinkofourselvesasthisgluelayerbetweenconsumersandbrands,andthedealerrepresentstheconduit,really,fortheconnectionthere.Andsothesoftware'sprovidingallthiskindofexpertiseandsupportto,inaveryfriendlyway,deliverthatconsumerfromabrandedwebsitetotheproductwiththelastmile.Andsoweseeallkindsof,youknow...Wehaveaninnovationpipelinethatisdozensanddozensanddozensoflineslongintermsofwherewewanttotaketheproduct.Youknow,Ithinkthere'sacoupleofvectorshereisallowingmoreonlineproductstobedeliveredviadealerstoresandtheirmobilestores.

WeseemoreandmoredealersactuallyactivatingtheirvansandgoingoutintothecommunityandexpandingtheirshopbrandinthecommunityusingtheBeelinesystem,butweseealotmorebrandscomingonboard.BeyondShopifythere'sotheronlineplatformsthatwe'llintegratewith,someofthelargere-tailersarepartneringwithusaswell.Welookforwardtoannouncingthoseinthecomingweeksandmonths.We'retalkingwithsomeoftheverylargebrandsaboutcomingonboard,whichwethinkwecanofferthemareallyuniqueopportunitytoprovideareallybrandedconsumerexperienceendtoendfortheirbrand,suchthatifbigbrandAsellsabike,itgoestoabigbrandAdealerwithagoodcustomerexperience.We'redoingsomeinnovationinthatarea.

PeteBuhl: 24:55 Then,onsomethingthatwe'vedonehistoricallyfromaBeelineperspectiveiswehadmassiveengagementwithlargecorporationswhohavemanyhundredsofthousands,millionsofemployeesthatridebikes,ridebikestowork.Thecompaniesareencouragingtheiremployeestocommuteandthatsortofthing.Weseesomeofourcorporatetoolsthatwebuilt


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historicallybeingutilizedbydealerstoengagewiththecorporatecommunityandtheemployeesatthoseofficestoengagethoseconsumersandsellthemalotofproduct.That's[crosstalk00:25:33].

Kristin: 25:32 Thatissuperinteresting.

PeteBuhl: 25:35 Yeah.

Kristin: 25:37 That'sfantastic.Well,Ican'twaittoseeasyouguysrollthoseout.Asyouknow,thepurposeofthisseriesistobasicallygiveanupdateandalineofsightonwherethingsaregoingwithchannelevolutioninthespecialtybikecommunityandindustry.Whatdoyouthinkthatthetwostrongestleversaretobethegluebetweenbrands,consumersanddealersaskindofthatfinalanchorpoint?

PeteBuhl: 26:05 Well,Ithinkthenumberonethingistotaketheseonlineconsumersanddelivertheminaveryeasytomanagewaytothedealerwithenoughrevenuethattheycanmakeadecentmarginandhaveagoodongoingrelationshipandenhancekindofcustomerlifetimevaluefromthatcustomerthatcameinthedoorthatwouldneverhavecomeintheirdoorthroughkindoftraditionalmodes.Ithinkjustdeliveringmorecustomersandmoredollarstodealersinaverymanageableway,Ithinkthat'skindofjobone.

PeteBuhl: 26:44 Ithinktheotherthingthatwecandoisofferdealersatooltoexpandtheirservicecapabilities.Todayconsumerssignupfortuneups,theybringtheirbikeinandgetthemfixed,butyoucanimagineallkindsofothertypesofservicethatacustomermightwant,afit,Idon'tknow,apartsandaccessoryinstall,alldifferentkindsofthings,sodifferenttypesofappointmenttypesbeingputinthesystemsothatashopcaneffectivelyengagewithconsumersonlineandletthemsignupforthetypeofservicetheywantandthenmanageitonthebackendthroughourdashboard.

Kristin: 27:20 You'regoingtolearnsomuchaboutyourconsumersthatway.Ifeellikeyoucanputsomethingout,anannouncementforaclinicorawomen'stechnicalbikenightorwhatever.I'mstartingtoseethesehappenbecauseobviouslywe'reinhighseason,buttohaveitgothroughaportallikethisandaplatformlikethis,Ithinkgivesyoualotofinformationintermsoflikehowyoucanshapethatbeforetheeventevenhappens,right?

PeteBuhl: 27:46 That'skindoflike[crosstalk00:27:48].


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Kristin: 27:47 Thenobviouslyyoucanfollowthrough.

PeteBuhl: 27:49 Wellthat'skindofadirectexampleonthiscorporatethingthatIwastalkingaboutiswehad,andthisjusthappenedyesterday,iswehadoneofourdealerssignupacompanyandtheyweregoingtodosafetychecksatthecompanyandtheyenabledanappointmentfor30safetychecks.Wehadabout130employeessignup.Obviouslywecan'tdoall130employees,butwehave130employeeswecannowconnectwith,offerthemservices.Wecancomebackforfutureappointments.Wecanengagewiththeminallkindsofways.It'sjustagreatcustomeracquisitiontool.Thesystemandthecommunicationsetsthemessagefor,"Hey,biketoworkdayiscomingup.Let'sgeteverybodysetupandridebikes,"andthatsortofthing.There'slotsofopportunitieshere.

Kristin: 28:35 That'sfantastic.ThenIhavekindofalastlittlequestion.Iknowyoucan'treallyliketipthehatintermsofsomeofthesebrandsthatarelookingatpossiblyjoiningPoweredbyBeeline,butwe'veseenacoupleofexamplesofverystrong,whethertheywerepreexistingdirecttoconsumerortheyarenowverystrongdirecttoconsumerbrands,thatdon'thavearetailpresence,thatdon'thavereps,andasfarasIknow,don'thaveplanstoexpandintoexistingIBDsandwhatnot.Doyouhaveanysenseofkindofhowtheevolutionishappeningaroundthosebrands,becauseI'mnotsure?Again,I'mnotaskingyoutonamenames,butdoesn'titseeminterestingthatlikethesebrandsaresostronginthewaythatthey'vebeenbuiltandpartoftheirvalueequationiskindofalmostlikebypassingexactlywhatwe'vebeentalkingaboutforthepast40minuteshere,30minutes?Giveusyourtakeonthat.

PeteBuhl: 29:32 We'vetalkedtoprobablymost,ifnotallofthem.Ithinktheyallwouldlovealastmilesolutionwherethebikegetsassembledandgetshandedofftotheconsumerinaconsistentandpositivewayisgreatfortheirbrand.Theyallwanttodothat.Theyjustwantaconsistentconsumerexperienceatthelastmile.Thathasn'tbeenpossiblehistorically.It'sbeenhitormiss.Youcancallintoashopandsay,"Hey,canyoutakethisbike?Igotthiscustomer."It'sveryhardtomanageandclunky.Ithinkwithournetwork,weprovidethat.

PeteBuhl: 30:06 Theotherthingthatweprovideisthere'scustomerfeedbackoneverysingleappointmentthathappensinthesystem,whetherit'sserviceorabicyclefulfillment.What'sgoingtohappeniswhenacustomersignsupforfulfillment,they'regoingtobeabletoseethescore,thecustomerservicescoreoftheshops


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andkindofmakeadeterminationaccordingly,becausewewanttheshopsthataremakingthatextraefforttoprovideapositivecustomerexperiencetogetthosefulfillments.Abrandcouldcomeonourplatform,theycouldsay,"Hey,weonlywantshopsthathaveovera4.85ratingtobeshownasfulfillmentshopsforourproduct."Wehavewaysoftakingthatcustomerfeedbackandshowingstoresthatarekindofgoingtheextramiletocreatethatgreatcustomerexperience.

Kristin: 30:57 That'sreallycool.Thismademethinkofoneotherthingandwecanclose,obviouslyheadtoclosingupherebecauseIwanttorespectyourtimeandtheaudience'stime,butyoujustmademethinkaboutsomethingthat'ssopowerfulforthosedirectfirstbrandsbecauseIthinkacrossallthemarketsVerdeserves,sometimes,notallthetime,butsometimesbrandsarestartingtonotbeasexcitedtogothroughawholesaledealernetworkbecausethey'relosingcontroloftheirstory.Imeanthisisahistoricalproblem,butforadirectfirstbrandthat'salwayscontrolledthat,Icouldseehowtheycouldbetrepidatioustowanttoopenlikeahandfulofjusttherightretailers,becausethey'restillgoingtolosecontrolofthatstory.Whatyou'regivingthemisawaytoactuallydelivertheirstorystraightthroughtotheconsumer,pickingitupfromalocaltrustedshopwithouthavingtoactuallyengagewith,educate,setuptheshoptobearetailer,etcetera.

PeteBuhl: 31:52 Yeah.Weprovideallthelogisticsfordoingthat.Theyjusthavetosignuptotheplatform,andthentheygetthefeedbackonhowtheircustomersarefeelingabouttheirproductsafterthey'redeliveredbytheshopaswell.They'regettingkindoffullroundtripfeedbackonthatlastmileexperienceaswell.

Kristin: 32:10 That'sawesome.Youguysarejustcrushingit.Thisisreallycool.It'sreallycool.Ireallyappreciateyourtime.It'ssogreattoalwayshaveyouontheshowhere.ImeanIthinkthisisyourthirdtimebacktoChannelMastery,ifI'mnotmistaken.Ijustreallyappreciateyourtimeandeverythingyou'redoingtofurtherthis.Imean,you'reliterallyhelpingtheindustrytomodernizewithwhatyou'reofferingthere.

PeteBuhl: 32:33 Yeah.Iappreciatetheopportunitytobeontheshow.It'salwaysfun.Yeah,we'llkeephustlingandkeepmovingtheballforwardhere.

Kristin: 32:42 Awesome.TellmyamazingaudiencewheretheycanlearnmoreaboutyouandwhatBeelineoffers.


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PeteBuhl: 32:48 Gotobeelinebikes.comandyoucouldalsogotobeelinebikes.com/poweredbyandlearnmoreaboutthePoweredByplatform.

Kristin: 32:57 That'sfantastic.Allright.Thankyousomuch,Pete.Ilookforwardtohavingyoubackagainheresoon.

PeteBuhl: 33:02 Okay.Youtoo.Thanksalot.

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Channel Mastery Podcast, Episode #85: Kristin Carpenter-Ogden ... · Channel Mastery Podcast Episode #85: Pete Buhl of Beeline email: [email protected] Page 2 of 13 mobile-only business