You may have heard of The Great Resignation, the “mass, voluntary exit from the workforce” that has been anticipated for months. Experts like those quoted in the article linked here suggest that it’s already begun. As boat dealers, despite the wild sales success we’ve enjoyed of late, there’s a lot to be frustrated about in […]

Over the pandemic-riddled 12-month period of April 2020 through March 2021, it took boat dealers an average of 70.5 days to complete service on a new boat under warranty. This isn’t a rough estimate. We’ve pulled this data directly from the Lightspeed dealership management systems of real boat dealers. This jaw-dropping statistic underscores a number […]

Over the course of just 90 days or so, the team here at the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas produced what many have suggested was the best virtual event they have ever participated in — Dealer Week 2020. The secret to the success with this event, in my opinion, was that we never treated […]

The evolution toward digital for the retail market took its largest leap forward yet in 2020, inspired, of course, by the pandemic and subsequent social-distancing requirements. In the boat business, market conditions continue to transform go-to-market strategies, as we enter what, for many, will be the first winter without in-person boat shows.   While this […]

In the midst of 2020’s crazy selling season, the marine industry witnessed a direct and inverse relationship between sales growth and dealership customer satisfaction scores. During the third quarter, sales-related CSI fell even further, hampered mostly by low scores for sales person follow-up.   While overall Sales CSI scores dipped by just a half of a […]

Many dealers are registering for Dealer Week for the very first time in 2020, thank you, largely to the move to a virtual environment.   In addition to being delivered right onto the device of your choice, the online Dealer Week comes to you at half the normal rate and without all of the flights, […]

While dealers across North America scramble to sell boats with little-to-no inventory in stock, manufacturers are scrambling to catch up on production.   At most boat builders, the incoming orders are far exceeding the ability to produce.   At a 100-boat-per-week builder, for example, they are currently receiving 300 new boat orders per week. “It’s […]

If you’re like most dealers, you can simply shake your head in amazement over what happened in 2020. A fast start, a sudden stop, and an unparalleled, dizzying re-acceleration to the business of selling boats.   The pressing question now appears to be: What does 2021 have in store?   There’s so much to consider […]

In any business, it’s difficult to ascertain just what it is that our customers want and need. In a discretionary income business like boat sales, it’s even more difficult. And when you add in the technology that makes shopping from home a breeze, well, it can feel downright impossible.   There are, however, a few […]