Program evolution replaces “Re-Certification” with exclusive educational curriculum.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today the launch of an exciting new evolution of the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program, known as Continuous Certification. This all-new Continuous Certification approach will replace what has historically been known as “Re-Certification.”

The Continuous Certification cycle will provide Certified Dealers with a timely, relevant and impactful educational course every quarter, giving them exclusive access to training that helps their teams navigate the latest trends and strategies in an easy-to-digest format. MRAA designed the Continuous Certification coursework to assist dealers in further developing the core tenets of Dealer Certification — Customer Service, Operational Excellence and Employee Engagement — while simultaneously feeding them new ideas and opportunities to help them drive greater success.

“Since the kick-off of Dealer Certification almost 13 years ago, dealers have navigated a Re-Certification cycle that asks them to validate that they’re still executing the fundamentals they’ve already proven to be doing. We saw an opportunity to add more value for dealers with a new approach,” explains Matt Gruhn, President of MRAA. “We’ve spent the last couple years building the concept of Continuous Certification, and today, we are launching the most significant investment we’ve ever made in Dealer Certification — an investment that will add incredible value to the development, growth and prosperity of our dealers.”

MRAA has developed a pilot course, which is now available to any industry professional that would like to sample the program’s educational offerings. On January 1st, the first formal Continuous Certification course will be unveiled exclusively to those Certified Dealers who have registered for the program. Here’s an overview of the pilot and 2018 Continuous Certification Curriculum:

• Pilot: Buyer Motivation: The Key To Building Value, with Jim Million
• 1st Quarter: Take Your Dealership from Good to Great with CRM, with Sam Dantzler
• 2nd Quarter: Improve Loyalty with a Customer Experience Mindset, with Theresa Syer
• 3rd Quarter: The Essentials of Accountability, with John Spence
• 4th Quarter: The Strategic Dealership, with David Spader

While the Continuous Certification curriculum will be made available exclusively to Certified Dealers, the courses themselves will be available to all employees at the participating Certified Dealership location. And the Pilot Course, which is accessible here, will be made available to anyone that is interested. The Continuous Certification curriculum will be re-loaded each year with four new courses that feature a hybrid approach to education, asking dealers to watch, listen, converse, test theories, and grow through what they learn.

“This is unlike any education we’ve ever offered,” explains Liz Walz, Vice President and Director of Education at the MRAA. “We’ve studied the latest research into performance improvement and how the brain learns, and we’ve built a series of courses that will not only share strategies, expert advice and best practices, but also guide dealers and their employees in implementing them.

“Our hybrid educational approach will include video, reading materials, exercises, dealer-to-dealer interaction, consultant interaction, as well as testing, to ensure those who participate in the course are truly learning from it and have the tools to act on it. These advanced e-learning principles have been proven successful in numerous educational settings. We’re applying them with maximum effectiveness by customizing these courses exclusively for Certified Dealers.”

While the concept of re-Certification is being left behind, some of the key elements of the program will remain intact. For example, Certified Dealers that are enrolled in the Continuous Certification Program will still have access to the popular Employee Satisfaction Surveys, and participating dealers will still complete items such as the Pre-Certification Business Assessment, Quarterly Management Reviews, CSI Tracking & Trending, Process Improvement Worksheets, and Performance Planning-style documents.

Continuous Certification enrollment is available only to those dealers who have achieved Certification status through the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program. Dealers who have not yet achieved Certification status can enroll at mraa.com/certification. Upon becoming Certified, they can immediately gain access to the Continuous Certification curriculum. Dealers that were due for “Re-Certification” at any point during 2018 should enroll in the new program by January 1st to maintain their Certification. The annual curriculum for Continuous Certification is available for only $999 as a standard rate and only $899 for MRAA Members.

Visit www.mraa.com/certification for more information.

About the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program
The MRAA’s Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program provides boat and engine dealers with a blueprint for running a successful dealership. Covering a broad range of requirements designed to cultivate a high level of customer satisfaction, employee engagement and operational efficiencies, Certification helps dealers elevate their performance and grow by instilling a culture of continuous improvement throughout the dealership. To learn more about the MICD Program, visit www.MRAA.com/certification.