What’s your number one factor / point of preparation for success at your upcoming boat shows?
“Nothing matters if you do not have the right people on the floor, with the right training and skills. Best boat, best layout, best prices – those all mean nothing if you don’t have the tools (people) to convert on the opportunities that come in the booth. Always start with who will be in the booth and build the rest around that.” – Sean Horsfall, Len’s Cove Marina
“Pre-marketing campaign and then lead capture.” – Richard Cromwell, Maritime Solutions
“The absolute number one point to focus on while preparing for the boat show is progressing your clients as much as possible before the show even begins. Ensuring that we have laid as much groundwork before the show so that we can focus on finalizing the deal while in the booth is one of the things that we try to focus on so that we can serve as many of our other customers and other fresh walk-ins as possible. We also are adamant that having quotes ready and printed beforehand, complete with trade values of their current unit, makes it is as seamless as possible with our customers and we can be prepared for them when they arrive at the boat show. In order to properly make sure we are ready for clients when they arrive, we set firm appointment times and make sure our clients understand the importance of time while the boat show from our dealership and sales reps perspective. We explain that if we will be removing ourselves from the floor at the boat show, that could cost us a potential new sale, but we are doing so to make sure that we will be available for that client when they arrive for their appointment.” – Mike Sears, Pride Marine Group
“I think the biggest preparation consist of organization, job role implementation combined with weekly training meetings leading up to the show as well as brief training and game planning the mornings of the show. This will help educate your staff that does not typically work in the sales department become more knowledgeable of the product and also make sure everyone is on the same page!” – J Hurless, Reeder Trausch Marine
“Set pontoons, lay carpet, bring in boats on trailers. Flashy or new models up front. Set up marketing materials and banners. Set up closing table in the back or corner making it private. Curtains around booth separating booths next to yours. Clean up and it’s show time!” – Alan Atkins, Sundown Marine
“The number one factor is having a correctly trained sales team.” – Robbie Brown, Action WaterSports
“Number one preparation for the Boat Show Season is the overall layout of our booth. We normally have 2 separate booths with as many as 40 boats on display. We chose to use the old fashion way of pre-layout which is graph paper and cut out boats of each model we want to display. We meet as a group or Team and bounce ideas off from one another to develop the most effective layout for our show. We take into consideration the closing area, traffic flow, TV placement, signage, while grouping the different models together to make the sales process as effective and efficient as possible for both the consumer and the sales person. Once we have our booth(s) set we will invite a couple of Service personnel to give us some insight as to the most efficient way to set the boats. We review this as a TEAM and then implement the process on paper to be shared with all of the Staff. This ensures we are all on the same page for set up, tear down, and most of all successful selling at the show!” – Jeff Husby, Regal & Nautique of Orlando
“It’s paramount that we keep the brand integrity of our dealership front and center at our booths. That is, we promote Nautical Ventures as much, if not more, as the boat brands on display. That’s because as a dealer, Nautical Ventures is delivering a great customer experience, with trust and service paving the way for client retention. Visiting our both is like visiting a friend… welcoming, comfortable, and fun.” – Frank Ferraro, Nautical Ventures
“Be consistent and know your customer.” – Jim Dragseth, Whiticar Boat Works, Inc.
What are you doing to prepare for boat show season? Tell us below in the comment section.
