Accountants, Architects, Construction Contractors, Cosmologists, Doctors, Engineers, Firefighters, Insurance Agents, Loan Officers, Nurses, Police, Real Estate Agents, Safety Personnel, Teachers.
What do these pros have in common? To keep their jobs and remain in business, they each need to stay updated on their profession by completing continuous education.
And let’s be honest. Whether your industry requires it or not, just about any professional can say the same. That’s why I’m so fired up to share the latest development that we’ve been working on at the Marine Retailers Association.
Since joining the MRAA staff nearly two years ago, I’ve heard from many Certified dealers that the ReCertification program is not delivering the same impact that the initial Certification process did. The first time through was game changing, they said, and truly helped them fine tune their dealership for long-term success. They also liked being able to flaunt, “We’re Certified!” as a competitive advantage. They told me how much they learned about their own company during the Certification process by mapping out their processes for sales, service, parts, CRM, and other areas of the dealership.
But putting a check in the box showing that they still conform to all the requirements for Certification isn’t challenging them and doesn’t add the same kind of value it did the first time through. So, the MRAA leadership and I came up with a new ReCertification plan that would keep some of the dealer favorites of the current program, such as the Employee Satisfaction component, while integrating forward-looking learning strategies and content through continuous education.
We made our case to the Certification Committee and the MRAA Board of Directors, and the concept was overwhelming approved by those dealers and manufacturers, with one little caveat. They wanted to change the name of ReCertification to Continuous Certification.
Frankly, the term ReCertification hints that the dealer fell from Certification graces and needs to be recertified, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather, this program aims to help dealers continually improve the customer and employee experiences to create a more professional, more successful marine business. By providing relevant, timely and high impact education developed specifically for Certified Dealers, Continuous Certification is our answer to the challenge posed by participants. It is designed to drive continuous improvement while raising the bar of marine dealership professionalism.
Want a sample? Check out our free Pilot Course, titled, “Buyer Motivation: The Key to Building Value.” It’s available now at MRAATraining.com.
