FLETCHER, NC (BRAIN)—To help bike shops better meet customer needs and capitalize on an untapped sales category, Cane Creek Cycling Components has introduced a Preferred Dealer Program for its premium headsets. The program will help participating dealers sell and service the complete line of Cane Creek headsets.
“Headsets are near and dear to our hearts,” said Peter Gilbert, Cane Creek’s vice president of sales. “We are the founder of threadless headsets, which we brought 16 years ago to the market. It is an important segment to us but it is kind of overlooked by dealers, who don’t put a lot of energy into promoting it. As important as is to us we decided to be very proactive and develop this program.”
The program enables dealers to better profit from Cane Creek’s broad headset line. When they enroll in the headset program, dealers will receive incentives and benefits that improve their ability to serve customers at all headset price points and fits.
Among the incentives is an attractive rebate offer that directly increases shop profitability. Participating retailers will receive up to 15 percent back in the form of a quarterly rebate.
Cane Creek also will provide in-store conveniences such as point-of-purchase materials to display headsets, a service kit containing essential tools and interchangeable parts, and a headset technical manual. Preferred dealers will receive priority access to limited-edition products and programs and Web site recognition and referrals through a preferred dealer search.
“In addition to delivering value, our goal was to develop a program that goes beyond traditional incentive programs,” Gilbert said. “This initiative will not only help sell more product and gain visibility but also allow us to become a better partner for our dealers.”
Shops may order Cane Creek headsets through the distributors of their choice, just as they do now, with no minimum purchasing requirements after enrollment. Rebate calculations are handled entirely by Cane Creek and participating distributors, eliminating the need for invoice submissions or record-keeping at the shop level.
“One of the things we’ve tried to do is keep it absolutely low-stress with minimal impact on how they do business,” Gilbert said.
With the recent rollout of the premium 110 and 100 models, Cane Creek’s headset family now features a “good, better, best” option within each head-tube standard, as well as multiple colors and finishes.
“The headset occupies the interface on a bike where the most shock is experienced by the smallest surface area. Yet this critical component is often overlooked, with riders unaware of differences in design, bearing and interface quality, head tube sizes and standards, and weight, finish and colors,” Gilbert said. “Cane Creek is committed to bringing headsets to the forefront of the component market.”
