At MRAA, our mission is to focus on bolstering the businesses of boat dealers and our entire industry. To do so requires that we remain on top of the issues, the legislation and the regulations that threaten your business. It’s our job to help foster a strong selling environment at all times. That requires a […]
MRAA Blog
Five Website Metrics to Monitor
It’s important to monitor website performance – and tools like Google Analytics make it easy to access the data. In fact, it’s almost too easy. Many business owners get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available. Today, I’m highlighting five of the most important metrics. If all you do each month is review these […]
Dealers Who Adapt Find Success During Difficult Market Conditions
By Liz Keener, MRAA Certification Manager Walk into any dealership right now, whether it’s yours or anyone else’s, and you’ll see the showroom floor covered with more clothing, tubes, paddles and camp stoves than boats. We all know the industry is having a severe boat inventory issue caused by a slew of unfortunate events. But […]
Your Voice in MRAA Advocacy Makes A Difference
Most dealers become members of the MRAA because of the robust educational programming and resources our team offers in helping them run their businesses. But running a strong business also requires a strong selling environment free from restrictive policies and regulations that can hinder your success. That’s where MRAA’s advocacy work rises to the challenge. […]
How to beat The Great Resignation
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 […]
TechForce Foundation Launches 52-week Campaign to Highlight Women Technicians
Women Techs Rock: Weekly Technician Spotlight Shares Stories that Inspire and is Part of TechForce Foundation’s Diversity Initiatives The TechForce Foundation has launched a Women Techs Rock campaign to highlight women technicians within the automotive, aviation, diesel and marine industries. The 52-week initiative is meant to celebrate women technicians, tell their stories and encourage the […]
Time to Focus on Your Repair Cycle Times
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 […]
Facebook Marketplace to Discontinue Free Business Marketplace Postings
Facebook has just announced that starting September 13, 2021 they will be discontinuing their inventory partner catalogs. Meaning, third party providers will no longer be able to post ads on behalf of the dealer free of charge. With this announcement, Facebook will follow and join similar sites like eBay and Craigslist in the paid marketing […]
Learn (and Eventually Earn) from Your Service Comebacks
By Valerie Ziebron, President, VRZ Consulting “When you don’t get what you want, you get a lesson.” The silver lining of almost every dealership failure is the opportunity to learn from it and improve your business practices. When a boat has to come back to the shop, chances are good the reason is not unique […]
One Way to Make Customers Happy in 2021
Last year, almost every news story or conversation was littered with words like “new normal,” and “unprecedented.” While managing change is not a new idea, it seemed to be the theme of 2020. Now, here we are, sprinting through the second quarter of 2021, and more change seems to be afoot. This year is not […]
