SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2011
By CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER
Bob McCann, Director of Education, ARI – We find that most new prospects who visit a dealer’s booth at a boat show for the first time aren’t ready to commit on the spot. In fact, most sales are closed with prospects that dealers have been working with for quite a while, even as far back as past shows. Boats are luxury purchases that often require a long-term research and buying process, so this first visit usually marks the beginning of the sales process rather than the sale per se. Read more >>
JANUARY 18TH, 2011
By CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER
By Christopher Kourtakis, director of sales and marketing, 360° Industry Solutions — In the end, it is not going to matter whether or not the consumer knows what a dealer pays for a boat from the manufacturer. In the end, what matters most to consumers is the level of customer service that they receive. What matters most is that the consumer feels that they received the best value for what they have purchased. Read more >>
SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2010
By CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER
By Jeff Scherer, Associate Partner, Callbutton LLC — Our company provides dealers and manufacturers with the ability to record and listen to their inbound phone calls. As such, I have had the opportunity to listen to thousands of sales calls. It may surprise you (or maybe not) that the vast majority of salespeople handling the calls never ask for the caller’s name. They are, however, sure to mention their name with a quick proverbial “ask for Bill if you come in” before hanging up. Read more >>
JULY 20TH, 2010
By MIKE DAVIN
By Mike Davin, online editor, Boating Industry — On Friday, Apple held a press conference to respond to accusations that its wildly popular iPhone 4 features a defective antenna that drops calls when users hold it the wrong way. Read more >>
JULY 13TH, 2010
By CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER
By Jeff Scherer, Associate Partner, Callbutton LLC — Everybody likes white teeth, right? I have yet to meet a person, however, who enjoys going to the dentist. Boaters like to be out on the water enjoying their time with friends, family, and fish, but similarly, I have yet to meet the person that enjoys bringing his boat in for service. Read more >>
APRIL 30TH, 2010
By CONTRIBUTING BLOGGER
By Christopher Kourtakis, director of sales and marketing, 360° Industry Solutions — Never let a customer out of your dealership mad or without a solution to their problem. Read more >>
MARCH 30TH, 2010
By LIZ WALZ
This past Saturday was my five-year-old’s birthday party. Nine boys and their parents had pledged to join my husband, son and I for a two-hour romp at a warehouse full of inflatable slides, rock climbing walls and even a basketball court. Read more >>
MARCH 19TH, 2010
By MIKE DAVIN
By Mike Davin, online editor, Boating Industry — One lesson at last year’s Marine Dealer Conference and Expo that I think surprised a lot of dealers was the importance of getting back to online leads immediately — within minutes if possible — when they ask a question. Read more >>
MARCH 9TH, 2010
By LIZ WALZ
I was going about my normal boating news searches this morning when I stumbled across an article written by a stock analyst who had recently visited a handful of stores along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. Like many of us, he has kids, and after being gone for a week on business, he was headed to the Disney store to pick up some “missed you while I was gone” presents before traveling home. Read more >>
JANUARY 5TH, 2010
By MATT GRUHN
Last week, I stayed at the Rosen Plaza in Orlando. It’s a potential home for the 2010 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, and we were scouting the site to determine its capability of housing this growing event. We were on a tour with two of the facility’s sales managers when I happened to notice a vacationing middle schooler wearing a t-shirt with the letters “BMOC” proudly touting his claim that he was, indeed, the Big Man On Campus. The happenstance that I noticed this only provided a backdrop for what I had just experienced. Read more >>
