The Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program has added a new benefit exclusively for Certified Dealerships. Sales personnel at Marine Industry Certified Dealerships are now eligible to become Certified Professional Yacht Brokers, at a savings of $550 per applicant. The three-year CPYB accreditation program was created and is endorsed by the seven major yacht sales professional […]
MRAA News
Submit Your Dealership’s Best Ideas at MDCE 2014
Often, the best way to learn and grow in business is through understanding and embracing the successes of your peers. That’s the very idea behind Boating Industry’s Best Ideas Program, offering dealers secret strategies that fellow dealerships have implemented at their respective businesses to improve retail performance in today’s marketplace. The 2014 Best Ideas Program […]
Participate in the Future of Navigation
In the face of rapidly changing and advancing technology like GPS, AIS, electronic chart display, cellular devices and the like, the fundamental navigation needs of mariners have changed significantly over the last decade. These changes have presented the federal government — including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and […]
Ethanol Continues Attracting Congressional Attention
Efforts to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard continue on Capitol Hill. The Congressional Budget Office just published a report on RFS that evaluates how much biofuel production needs to grow to comply with the program, as well as its impact on food prices, fuel prices and emissions under several different scenarios. The report addresses three […]
Congress Works to Reauthorize Highway Trust Fund
Talks on a new highway bill are gearing up in Congress as the all-encompassing Highway Trust Fund is set to expire August 1. The House passed an $11 billion bill by a vote of 367 to 55 to help keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat until Spring 2015. The Senate has yet to vote on […]
Turn Upset Customers into Loyal Ones at MDCE 2014
Even the marine industry’s best service departments will sometimes encounter an upset customer. By learning strategies to handle these situations properly, dealerships can create loyalty and collect valuable information that can strengthen both customer relationships and service department processes and procedures. At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, […]
MDCE on Track for Growth
Manufacturer and supplier support of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is up 20 percent as of the end of June, compared to the same time last year. The 2014 MDCE is scheduled to take place Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. Last year, the event featured 92 exhibitors, 49 […]
Five Steps to Hiring the Best Dealership Employees at MDCE 2014
As the marine industry gets back on track for growth, hiring has become a key area of focus for many marine dealers. Yet statistics reveal that typical businesses only hire the best person for the job about 20 percent of the time. At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in […]
MRAA Members: Exclusive Access to Digital Showroom Manager
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has added a new benefit for association members through its MRAA Rewards Program. MRAA members are now entitled to discounts on both initial brand setup and model year and monthly update fees for Marine Dealer Technologies’ Digitial Showroom Manager, an interactive, cloud-based tool accessible via the internet that […]
Raise Your Sales Game at MDCE 2014
In both sports and business, evidence suggests that the best performers focus on the fundamentals, and the teams that make the fewest mistakes are the ones that win the most games. More marine retailers lose out on deals due to lack of attention to the basic sales process than because of ineffective word tracks or […]