As a business leader, you probably have mile-long list of stories you could share regarding your hiring successes and failures, and other issues you’ve experienced within workforce management over the years. Dealers have shared stories with our team of being ghosted altogether by a new hire to dismissing someone from their employment due to improper behavior or lack of performance.

The one story we know that nearly the entire marine industry has dealt with for many years is the lack of workforce. And lack of qualified candidates may be another roadblock you’re seeing in your area, too. A lack of total employees can lead to burnout for those on your staff and create areas of inconsistency and a lack of efficiency in both your processes and potential.

So how do I fix my workforce shortage? That question is one we read/see quite frequently. It’s difficult to answer because the solution is multifaceted. Certain solutions provide you with insight into compensation, while others share tips and tactics for improving hiring and employee retention. Still others involve things that aren’t always in your control, like market conditions and the attitude of the modern labor force.

Just look at the last few years, where you’ve seen a transition from a high-demand marine marketplace with very little inventory to one with product surpluses where your sales teams have to work harder and brush up on their skills to move units. So now what?

We understand the workforce continues to be a pain point for many dealers, so that’s why we compiled these 10 resources to help your dealership find best practices and tools for hiring, retention and compensation.

Below you’ll find authentic dealership feedback mentioning certain pain points. I’ve then made suggestions as to which MRAA resource (some of which require MRAA Membership to access) can help your dealership inspect and correct the problem area.

Staffing is Not Working
Dealer Feedback:  “Employee candidate applications are increasing but the quality is not there. We are trying to increase staffing to better meet customer expectations, but it is creating more issues that it is solving. It is hard to find individuals with common sense anymore.” — Anonymous dealer

Strengthen Your Dealership’s Workforce
We don’t have to tell you that finding outstanding people who fit your business and culture seems to be getting trickier. Ty Bello’s “Strengthen Your Dealership’s Workforce” teaches you to properly recruit, assess, interview and select who to hire and onboard at your dealership. You’ll also learn to improve at attracting the right people in today’s conditions.

Marine Industry Guide to Growing the Workforce
MRAA worked closely with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association to develop this 10+1 Strategy guide. It includes local initiatives you can consider in developing your workforce.

Attracting New Hires
Dealer Feedback: “Finding suitable candidates in the workforce is still an issue. The appropriate candidate is still asking too high a salary for some positions. The job market is still off balance. We’re rapidly looking for better ways to gain attractiveness to our new hires rather than a sign-up bonus. And doing so without increasing our biggest expense, payroll.” — Anonymous dealer

How to Recruit, Work With and Lead People Not Like You
A diverse workforce, proven by research to grow business and profits, leads to better decisions and solutions. Because marine dealers have encountered workforce shortages in recent years, it is imperative to successfully recruit and retain a more diverse employee base.

But what happens when employees are different? They may not always agree. And they may take a different approach or uniquely communicate to arrive at a desired outcome. Some of your staff may find comfort in working with technology, while others may not.

They may even differ in the way they are motivated to work or how they view their particular profession. So, how can you, as a leader, and your team all be effective in your roles and show respect even when you’re different? This popular education session from Kelly McDonald answers these questions and offers you specific techniques to apply in your dealership.

HR Strategies to Fill the Gaps in Your Dealership’s Workforce
Chances are you’ve heard the puzzle analogy used when describing a dealership and its workforce. Essentially, you don’t have a completed puzzle if you have open positions and therefore, you can’t feel satisfied until you’ve built the rest of the puzzle.

However, recruiting and hiring isn’t as simple as putting together a puzzle even if the analogy works. That’s because quite often there’s an imbalance between the available candidates and the skills and experience you desire at your dealership. And let’s not forget about the time commitment and effort you put forth only to see it “not work out” in the end. Meanwhile, your departments and current staff continue to work hard to fill your gaps and feel the pressure and stress of it all, too.

If your team puzzle building has gone astray, then Gloria Sinclair Miller, a senior HR leader at the Society of Human Resources Management, and her “HR Strategies to Fill the Gaps in Your Dealership’s Workforce” is a must-watch course. Along with helping you find and develop talent, this session will provide your leaders with proven strategies to search for new groups of workers (military spouses, caregivers, veterans, 60-plus, unemployed youth, and more) that exist outside your normal searches.

Compensation
Dealer Feedback: “Staffing is not a challenge, but we have to pay 30% more than the previous years.” — Anonymous dealer

This dealer is not alone, as our dealer conversations have shown that certain dealers have enough staff and others are paying their staff more — especially the qualified, trained and dedicated employees — to retain them. Comments have also said that workforce shortages have led to reduced opportunities, like upselling in service and being more efficient.   

If you have concerns about what to pay new hires or what sort of compensation your staff should receive, check out the MRAA Compensation Study and the course by Bob Clements entitled “Develop Compensation Plans that Produce Results” at MRAA Training.com.

Compensation Study Results
The 36-page Compensation Study, available for purchase, shares insights into salary and hourly compensation ranges for 37 common marine retail job descriptions. Insights include benefits offered at retail operations, year-over-year compensation increases, additional cash compensation packages, and much more. It breaks down compensation by 25^th, 50^th and 75^th percentiles.

Develop Compensation Plans that Produce Results
Retaining your dealership’s rock stars is integral to your operation. That’s why, as a leader, it’s vital for you to get your employee compensation plans right. We also know that payroll is one of your most significant expenses, so it’s crucial to know how much you can afford to pay per position.

This MRAATraining video features Bob Clements of Bob Clements International, who helps dealership owners and managers determine how much your dealership can pay your people.

Keep employees Engaged
Dealer Feedback: “Staffing is not working. I have interviewed and hired people and they have quit before they even started. I have never seen the likes of it. Or they last one week and ‘this type of work is not for them.’” — Anonymous dealer

Dealer Case Study: Onboarding
Being that your employees are often called the lifeblood of your dealership, it’s critical to help them find more success. Because your dealership’s success depends on employee success. The  No. 1 responsibility for dealership leaders is to help bring life to your company’s mission, vision and values daily by preparing your employees.

In this Dealer Case Study with Certified Dealer Alpin Haus (New York) shares with you its own unique onboarding strategy. You can join Valerie Ziebron as she interviews Mark O’Dell, Alpin Haus General Sales Manager, about how his dealership onboards its workforce. You’ll gain tips and insight into how you can modify their strategy for your business, no matter its size.

The Search for Sustained Motivation for Yourself and Your Team
The marine industry has had several crazy-busy years and now faces other challenges as we wind down 2023 and take a look ahead to 2024. For many, it started with 2020’s unrelenting pace of business and the high expectations to deliver supreme standards every moment. It was daunting. Everyone, from your owners to your seasonal employees, was overstretched and approaching burnout.

The marine industry saw lean inventory years, parts delays, expanding repair event cycle times, a necessity to enhance the customer experience and more. Now the market has shifted again, showing inventory surpluses and conditions that include inflation, high interest rates and conservative purchasing. Your team has pivoted to refocus on your sales, upselling in service and ways to generate more cash flow in the offseason.

That’s why this course, “The Search for Sustained Motivation for Yourself and Your Team” with expert speaker David Spader will help you, as a leader, rediscover what motivates you personally and professionally (and help your employees do the same). Learning these best practices will also help plan for the year ahead.

Take Control with a Positive Attitude
Worrying about the many things in the boating industry that you cannot control, will set up your team for a lot of frustration and despair. You cannot solve inventory shortages or fix the workforce shortage we’ve mentioned. However, it’s much easier to take control of your attitude, actions and negativity! By doing this, you can help determine your success and growth. This MRAATraining session with Matt Booth helps your team make good choices and develop the skills to achieve better results. As a leader, you can enjoy your job more, and positively influence both your co-workers and customers.

A is for Attitude Video
One of the most popular courses on MRAATraining.com, “A is for Attitude” with Sam Dantzler of Wheelhouse College, will help you learn how to influence your team’s attitudes and beliefs, boost employee satisfaction, prevent burnout and increase your dealership’s performance.

Is your team filled with passionate personnel or those who simply do enough to get by? Watch this course to gain insight and best practices for enthusing your team and stoking their fire inside to keep it burning bright for them and your dealership.

Need additional workforce resources?
• Check out the MRAA Resource Center dedicated to workforce and HR.

• Visit MRAA’s Spotlight pages on:

• Onboarding
• Employee Retention
• Recruiting & Hiring

Not an MRAA Silver Member? Learn more about Silver Membership!