just my 2 pennies, but if I were the Dealer and had a customer looking for a black Heritage Softtail - I'd offer to take them over to the paint shop and get them excited about throwing some custom paint into the deal, bring in a artist that can do something the customer would associate it.
If one is going to spend that kind of money on a bike, and the "intended" utopia for all H-D owners is to eventually double their spend with customization, then why not take advantage of the situation. The customer ends up extremely pleased, HD moves a bit of inventory, and the dealer makes a few extra dollars.
Instead, the dealer appears to exhibit a mentality were they would rather stress themselves and lie to the customer --- than to tackle the issue head-on and come up with a solution. Either way, the customer perception is much more positive.
Regardless of the brand, dealers attempt to compensate by stating "my particular customers know what they want already" - which is just another way of stating that their minds were made up by something else (magazine, show, demo, & etc.) and there's no need to listen and understand what they want.
My first bike was an Adventurer, purchased after the dealer convinced me it would represent the best ownership experience for my skill level. He was right, I rode it frequently over several years and purchased every accessory item Triumph made for the Adventurer from his shop. I don't own it today, but was careful to sell it to the right buyer. He rides the bike more than I did.
I'll get off the soapbox now ...
If one is going to spend that kind of money on a bike, and the "intended" utopia for all H-D owners is to eventually double their spend with customization, then why not take advantage of the situation. The customer ends up extremely pleased, HD moves a bit of inventory, and the dealer makes a few extra dollars.
Instead, the dealer appears to exhibit a mentality were they would rather stress themselves and lie to the customer --- than to tackle the issue head-on and come up with a solution. Either way, the customer perception is much more positive.
Regardless of the brand, dealers attempt to compensate by stating "my particular customers know what they want already" - which is just another way of stating that their minds were made up by something else (magazine, show, demo, & etc.) and there's no need to listen and understand what they want.
My first bike was an Adventurer, purchased after the dealer convinced me it would represent the best ownership experience for my skill level. He was right, I rode it frequently over several years and purchased every accessory item Triumph made for the Adventurer from his shop. I don't own it today, but was careful to sell it to the right buyer. He rides the bike more than I did.
I'll get off the soapbox now ...