Amp Up Your Profit on Marine Accessories

Accessories sales can be a solid money-maker for today’s marine retailers. Yet sadly, many dealerships dismiss this opportunity due to big box competitors.

At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., MDCE favorite Sam Dantzler will return to the conference to help dealers unpack the value that accessories sales hold for their businesses.

In his MDCE session, “Accessories Done Right,” Dantzler will host a dealer panel discussion designed to help attendees learn from peers who excel in this arena. Among the topics to be discussed are the differences between an up-sell and an add-on; the impact accessories have on the customer experience; strategies for avoiding obsolescence; and how to “buy right.”

Attendees will walk away from Dantzler’s session with an understanding of what turns on the dealership floor for maximum profitability, even with big-box competitors next door. The session takes place Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 8 to 9:15 a.m. ET as part of MDCE’s Service Plus Track.

“No dealer wants to leave profits on the table,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “Sam will give attendees a great opportunity to boost their bottom line by learning from the strategies that are working for other dealers.”

Dantzler, a noted speaker and sales expert who works with companies like Harley-Davidson and Triumph Motorcycles, has been a retail sales trainer since 2000 and offers dealers in the marine and powersports industries valuable tips and advice through his popular training website, Sam’s Powersports Garage.

“Sam was voted one of the most highly rated speakers at the MDCE the last two years running,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “This year, he will present multiple times during the three-day event, but one of the most impactful presentations is sure to be his accessories panel.”

Each of the 2014 MDCE educational tracks — Sales, Marketing, Leadership and Service Plus — features five sessions. In addition to Dantzler’s advice on boosting marine accessories profits, Service Plus Track sessions include topics such as beefing up service department leadership skills, transforming customer conflicts into victories, boosting parts sales, and developing a Master Service Advisor, among others.

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, for a total of 615 marine retail professionals. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational topics, a full-featured expo hall and a series of fixed networking opportunities, all of which are designed to help marine dealers connect with and learn from others who can foster their success. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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