MINNEAPOLIS, July 1, 2014 — More than 80 percent of consumers conduct research online before buying a boat, yet few marine dealerships are properly positioned to capture these leads and transform them into customers.
At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., dealership salesman, author and marketing coach Matt Sellhorst will help attendees improve their online marketing strategies, attracting the kind of consumer attention that will ultimately lead to more sales.
In his MDCE session, “Fill the Holes in Your Online Bucket,” Sellhorst will reveal the seven most common holes in dealerships’ Internet strategies and provide easy and inexpensive techniques to stop those leaks and prevent future seepage of valuable time, effort and financial profits. He’ll explore the different types of visitors dealers should consider when crafting their online messages; highlight the powerful marketing strategy that 99 percent of dealers aren’t using, but should; and demonstrate how to turn up the flow of online traffic and convert it into valuable leads.
Attendees will walk away from Sellhorst’s session with a practical game plan to drive a larger share of online traffic through the dealership’s door. The session takes place Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 8 to 9:15 a.m. ET as part of MDCE’s Marketing Track.
“This session will be incredibly powerful because it’s grounded in strategies that Matt has put to work to become a top producing marine salesperson and that he uses to this day,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “His real-world industry experience separates him from other sales and marketing consultants. Not only can he share advice on what to do, but he also can show attendees how to do it because he has put those best practices in place in a dealership environment.”
Each of the 2014 MDCE educational tracks — Sales, Marketing, Leadership and Service Plus — has a total of five sessions each. In addition to Sellhorst’s online marketing advice, the Marketing Track’s sessions feature topics such as increasing SEO through social media, developing an unbeatable marketing plan, rethinking your target customer, and exploring the next wave of digital marketing tools and trends.
“In today’s market, it’s critical that dealers are able to convert their web traffic into boat sales,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “Matt Sellhorst knows that from personal experience working in a leading marine dealership. Those who attend this session can be confident that he won’t waste their time with untested ideas and theories. We’re fortunate to have Matt as part of this year’s MDCE speaker lineup.”
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 for a total of 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.