MRAA Members Play a Vital Role In Supporting Dealers and the Marine Industry by Helping Shape Authentic Sales Leadership Certification
As a dealership owner and manager, you know firsthand the boating business doesn’t always love you back. Even though you give it your blood, sweat, tears and years, it can be, at times, unsympathetic. Regardless, many of you remain devoted to boating because, well, you love it. It is your passion and your reason for being. It’s your livelihood, and for many, it has been for multiple generations.
But when the weather is poor, you feel it. When your customers complain or disappear, you feel it. When the marketplace — complete with its peaks and valleys — makes you feel more like a mountain explorer than a business owner or leader, your goal to reach new heights can feel desperately slow and unpleasant. You find yourself working IN the business more than ON the business.
We understand that feeling. We also know that not all dealers are the same. They vary in size, abilities, staffing, annual objectives, budgeting, leadership and dozens of other areas. We know this because MRAA members have shared both their struggles and best practices.
It’s one of the reasons why the MRAA created the Certified Dealership Program, to help dealers improve their processes and the experiences of both their employees and customers. MRAA position-specific training for service managers and service advisors helps individual employees improve so they contribute to the dealership’s progress. The next phase of this Certification program will focus on sales leadership training.
Sales Leadership Certification
The position-specific Sales Leadership Certification course writing, editing and filming is underway. The program will make its debut later this fall, but you and your team can pre-enroll now. We recently held a focus group at our new MRAA HQ to capture the insights, wisdom and direction from MRAA members and partners comprised of dealers and boat and engine manufacturers. Along with some trusty colleagues in Liz Walz, Bernie DeGraw, Bob McCann and Stevie Cook, these 11 people gathered for nearly two days, dedicating their time, hearts and thoughts. We received a course outline and overview and had small-group discussions and brainstorming sessions. This team of boating experts, comprised of small and large dealerships, shared personal best practices and potential ideas for course inclusion.
All the focus group participants know that managing and leading a sales department is a monstrous task that requires process, team dedication and seamless communication that ultimately contributes to your customer’s experience. The Sales Leadership Certification course guides members to success by helping leaders steer their team to peak performance and dealerships to thrive.
Strengthen Dealership; Advance Careers
As the one responsible for the sales team, you know you can either master your challenges or they can master you. The MRAA Sales Leadership Certification program helps managers like you excel as a leader so your sales department can reach its true potential.
Enrollees will gain these skills:
- CRM Strategy: Utilize management tools to coach your team in adopting and excelling with CRM systems.
- Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty: Achieve higher sales, learning to build lasting customer relationships for repeat and referral business.
- Leadership & Self-Management: Master effective coaching techniques to drive peak team performance.
- Recruiting, Training & Retaining: Attract, onboard and keep top salespeople that consistently exceed expectations.
- Sales Communication Excellence: Enhance communication between customers, staff and departments to eliminate inefficiencies.
- Sales Process Mastery: Implement a proven sales process customized to maximize results at every step.
Devoted to Boating — By Dealers, For Dealers
I witnessed extreme dedication during the focus group meeting and complete buy-in from the participating dealers and industry stakeholders. They understand the value that the MRAA Sales Leadership Certification program can deliver to dealers. Why? For one, they are dealer principals or work directly with dealers daily, so they share similar needs and desires and understand our industry’s pain points. They are also MRAA members who understand the value of peer support and helping the marine industry advance.
On behalf of the MRAA, our Education and Certification teams and this industry I thank them for devoting the time to help hone the Sales Leadership Certification program. Here is a list of these first-rate professionals and the companies they represent.
- Jeremy Anderson, My Wave Guide
- JJ Bauman of Cobalt Boats
- Andrew Brunholzl of River Valley Power & Sport
- Bill Fulton, former owner BMC Boats
- Collin Heimensen of Marine Max
- J Hurless of Reeder Trausch Marine
- Caleb Marconett of Volvo
- Joe Lewis of Mount Dora Boating Center
- Caroline Overby of Overby Marine
- Paul Pflueger of River Valley Power & Sport
- Garett Solberg of Rapid Marine
Human Connection & Devotion
Share a room with these leaders for a few days and you quickly realize they are devoted to not only their dealership but also their employees, customers and the entire marine industry. They would gladly commit their time, knowledge and energy for the betterment of everyone because helping dealers and the boating industry improve is their mission just as much as it is the MRAA’s.
Seeing this human interaction live was as rewarding as it was inspiring. This focus group represents the very definition of devotion, which Merriam-Webster.com says is, “The act of dedicating something to a cause, enterprise, or activity: the act of devoting.”
If you have questions about the Sales Leadership Certification program, contact Stevie at stevie@mraa.com or 763-402-7236.
