Clyde Fessler A maverick still enjoys the ride

By Janie Pritchett-Clark

From Biz2Biz NWA August 2009

Which came first: The motorcycle or the job?

The maverick.

Clyde Fessler joined Harley-Davidson in 1977, and it wasn’t long before he was recognized as the company maverick, that person who doesn’t dance to the same beat, who wears different clothes, who thinks outside the box.

In any company, he advises, when you find out who that maverick is you need to protect them and pay them well, because if you don’t your competition will.

“I was that maverick at Harley-Davidson,” says Fessler, now 67, and this year’s Keynote Speaker at the Business Conference & Expo on August 6 at John Q. Hammons in Rogers.  “My motto is: When everybody else turns left, turn right and you’ll make a difference in the world of business.”

Fessler retired from Harley-Davidson in 2002 and is now active as a consultant and motivational speaker. He brings a hard-won message about building a brand, about philosophy, about living what you envision as your company’s purpose.

“No matter how big or small, a company can make a brand statement,” says Fessler. “Ask yourself three questions: Who are you (as a company)? Who are your customers? What do they expect from you?”

The Harley-Davidson story is a rags to riches tale. The company was on the brink of bankruptcy – the press release ready to mail – when they locked key executives in a hotel in Milwaukee to hammer out strategy.  “My vision for America was a two and half car garage. Two cars and a Harley,” he remembers. “I wanted Harley to appeal to mainstream America. What did we have to do to get there?

“We were faced with unbearable odds that many believed we couldn’t overcome. My personal motto is:  ‘If you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get what you’ve always got.’ And that’s not good enough in today’s marketplace.”

So they went a different direction. They drove a wedge between themselves and the competition and if it turned left, Harley turned right.

That was the start of building the brand.  It took major commitment and time, he claims, but the wheels of a new era were on the road, the blackie laid in.

“One year we joined the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and that helped change the image of Harley riders. Another year we launched motorcycle clothes so riders had a choice of wearing something besides black leather jackets and black t-shirts.

“One of my marketing strategies was to turn negatives into positives. We started the Harley Owners Group, HOG, which was previously a negative in the eyes of the press. The group now has one million members.”

Changing image through charity, clothing, and membership programs were the accessories to a quality product. “We realized our customers couldn’t be mechanics, they had to have a reliable machine. They had to enjoy riding the machine rather than fixing it,” he says.

“I had to almost live the lifestyle to understand the desires and the wishes of our customers,” Fessler remembers of the late ‘70s and ‘80s. “ I really made a big effort to get out and ride with the customer.” He camped with “the boys” in Daytona several years in a row, grew a beard, and carried their dreams back to HQ.
“I spent a lot of time doing field marketing. They trusted me and confided in me. As long as I understood what they thought and what their desires were, I could fulfill them back at HQ with policies, programs, procedures, and product that would make us successful in the marketplace. Understanding the customer and exceeding their expectations is the key to success. Once you have a happy customer they will become your best sales person.”

Can smaller, local companies apply the same strategies for success?

“Yes,” says Fessler. He aims to motivate his audience on August 6 with a challenge, empower them with the chance to make a difference.

“This is a very challenging time in the marketplace. Today’s business climate requires time, dedication, effort and a vision of what your company looks like five years down the road. It’s businesses that meander and don’t have a direction that get lost in the competition. Those who are strong are going be very successful.”

Will the next generation be as intrigued with the Harley lifestyle and tradition?

“That’s a huge challenge Harley-Davidson is facing right now. The younger generation’s image of Harley-Davidson is that it’s their father’s machine. Harley has to keep a youthful appearance and attract the younger generation. That’s what they are concentrating on. They know there’s a challenge there.”

Will the brand change when Baby Boomers are too old to ride?

“Baby Boomers are never going to be too old to ride. But they are going to be too old to fall off.”

Until then, The Harley-Davidson brand is a brotherhood, sisterhood, a community, a lifestyle. No matter where you go on a Harley, someone is going to say, “Nice bike.”

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