KICKER Marine Audio Kicks Its Boating Presence Into High Gear

KICKER, a nationally recognized brand in the automotive, truck and powersports mobile audio markets, as well as home and lifestyle audio segments, has decided to strategically focus efforts to boost brand awareness and sales within the recreational marine industry. Having earned a solid reputation and growth in the wake/surf boat, pontoon and runabout markets over the past 22 years, KICKER’s expansion efforts as Kicker Marine Audio are designed to generate greater recreational boating reach among boating consumers, OEMs and the retail aftermarket.

“We have been operating successfully in the marine marketplace within a few key sectors serving OEMs and dealers nationally and internationally,” said Jeremy Bale, KICKER Associate Director, Marketing-Marine Division, “We believe our newly expanded marine-specific KM Series product line is well suited to meet the demands of boating customers who seek both quality and top-notch audio performance as part of the boating experience. Our durable, waterproof and maintenance-free products are ideally situated to propel both consumer, OEM and after-market growth.”

To help facilitate its long-term plan for enhanced marine consumer and B2B penetration, KICKER has retained two experienced marine marketing powerhouses and journalists to maximize its efforts.

PR Power’s Marilyn DeMartini, an over two-decade veteran of the powerboat circuit, and Kenton Smith Marketing’s Wanda Kenton Smith, with 35+ years of industry experience, have partnered together on a joint marketing initiative to champion and turn up the horsepower for the KICKER brand. The twosome will assist KICKER with its marine PR/communications and brand marketing initiatives, promotions and sponsorships, special events, and select media initiatives.

“We interviewed agencies and marketers in the marine sector and our sales, marketing and marine OEM team were impressed by the broad spectrum of experience that both Marilyn and Wanda have acquired over many years working in the industry,” said Bale, “We believe their joint professional connections and experience working throughout all sectors of the marine industry will be extremely valuable to our organization.”

Already, the team has developed and negotiated strategic partnerships with the Boating Industry Elevate Summit/Top 100; the Marine Retailers Association of America’s Dealer Week; and as keynote presenting sponsor for the FLIB Marine Marketers of America luncheon and leadership meeting. The team is also actively engaged in Miami International Boat Show media and event planning, among other major initiatives.

“Having worked with boat manufacturers, brokers and media for over 20 years, it is exciting to take on a marine product that reflects the fun lifestyle of our industry,” said DeMartini who was initially introduced to KICKER through a referral from Speedboat Magazine. “After having an opportunity to meet with the KICKER sales and marketing team at their impressive headquarters facility and learning about their vision, Wanda and I both felt we were uniquely well equipped to help them achieve their goals and objectives.”

“It’s awesome to work with a very smart group of executives who represent a rock solid and very successful global organization such as KICKER,” added Kenton Smith. “I’m thrilled to partner with my long-term professional colleague and friend Marilyn DeMartini and to combine our horsepower and skill sets to benefit and grow the KICKER Marine Audio business.”

About KICKER Marine Audio:
KICKER Marine Audio components include the highest grade of durable and waterproof source units, subwoofers, coaxials, amplifiers, towers and enclosures. Colorful lighting is incorporated into the speaker systems with a remote that can change colors with lighting modes and 20 colors. Some of its OEM customers include premium brands like Advantage, Bennington, Cruisers Yachts, Four Winns, Glastron, Scarab, Sea Ray and World Cat.

KICKER’s mission is to continue to be on the industry’s cutting edge, pushing the limits of audio design technology, performance and integration in the quest for ultimate sound.

Dealer to Dealer: October 2019

What is the most impactful lesson you learned about consumers during this selling season?

“Consumers are more than ever confused about what a boat costs. Some manufacturers post a (too low) retail selling prices then hide the additional fees which make the customer irate in the dealership. Bottom line dealerships with less than 5% net margin are not worth owning.” – Jim Sabia, Top Notch Marine

“Even our higher end $150-200K boat customer does not like a $600-700 50HR service bill.” – Greg Silver, Water Sports Central

“They want the lowest price, they DO NOT want the “sly or sneaky Sales Person experience” They want more tossed into the deal like bumpers, ropes, jackets, storage, etc.” – Brandon Mick, Indian Lake Marina, Inc.

“Today’s consumers have a vast array of tools to shop. Now more than ever, you have a very small window of opportunity when a buyer is knocking at the door. Often times a consumer will “overthink”, or find other deals if it drags out to long, so always be closing, but tactfully and without appearing to pushy or desperate. Building a connection or relationship with the consumer is still your best ally.” – Mike Osmanski, South Bay Marina

“…the selling season you really find out how well systems you’ve put in place are working. Customers, at least most of them, prove time and again just how patient they can be. As long as the lines of communication are open and they are kept abreast of where their boat is in the process, most of our customers can be very easy to get along with.

People understand that a boat purchase is not like a car purchase and spot deliveries rarely happen, so there is typically a few days of lag time between when a customer agrees to purchase their new boat and the time they are able to take delivery.

Since a boat purchase is usually something fun versus a necessity, customers in our industry tend to be much more relaxed about the process. Of course, they are anxious to get on the lake in their new ride, and we are just as anxious to get them there, but I feel they give us a lot more latitude than they do with other purchases where timelines are concerned. And the more experienced the boater, the more latitude they seem to offer.

The trick is not taking advantage of this attitude, and keeping the customer informed and excited throughout the process.” – Rob Poindexter, Blackbeard Marine

“We have learned that our users want a better online/digital experience. Everything from their first touch points on social media and YouTube to our website personalization experience. Our customers are affluent and have very little time. We need to help them shop for their boats, service their boats and use their free time in a much more efficient manner. Our Online Boat Shows are a testament to our dedication to changing the way our customer shops to fit their ever changing lifestyle and their needs.” – Abbey Heimensen, MarineMax

“Time is becoming more and more important to them.  Seeing this out weighing cost more often. Has become part of their value calculus.” – Joe Lewis, Mount Dora Boating Center

What lesson did you learn? Tell us below in the comment section!

Continuous Certification Launches Q4 Course on Customer Experience

The Marine Industry Certified Dealership’s Continuous Certification program has released its fourth quarter course “Supercharge Your Customer Experience” with Theresa Syer.

In Q4, Syer teaches dealers about customers’ Emotional Motivators and how dealers can influence those motivators using Key Emotional Drivers. The goal? To improve your customer experience; create loyal, raving fans; and sell more boats.

This course, partnered with the annual Performance Planning course, marks the last elements of the 2019 Continuous Certification program. Dealers in the program learned about coaching and mentoring, productivity, today’s customer and customer experience throughout the year.

With the release of these courses, Russell Marine The Ridge became the first dealership location in Continuous Certification to complete the program in 2019. The deadline for all dealers to complete is December 31.

For dealers wanting to experience this Q4 course in person, Continuous Certification has announced an all-new option, allowing dealers to attend the “Supercharge Your Customer Experience” workshop at Dealer Week for course credit. The workshop will be offered on the final day of Dealer Week, December 11, 2019, in Tampa, Florida.

New York to Sue Over Lake Ontario Flooding

On October 9, The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation filed a lawsuit against the international body charged with regulating water flows between the United States and Canada, including the St. Lawrence river and the Great Lakes. The lawsuit argues that the International Joint Commission must compensate the state for the approximately $1 billion in property damage destruction caused by flooding along Lake Ontario, citing negligence as a key factor. MRAA members are organizing a meeting to coordinate on this issue.

Please reach out to our Government Relations Manager, Adam Fortier-Brown at adam@mraa.com to help.

New Hampshire to Create Office of Outdoor Rec. Industry Development

New Hampshire joins 16 other states by launching the Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development to be housed in the state’s Department of Business and Economic Affairs.  Outdoor recreation is a $2.7 billion industry in New Hampshire, making up 3.3% of the state’s economy – well above the national average.  “The creation of this office will support New Hampshire’s numerous outdoor recreation enthusiasts and businesses, including members of the recreational boating industry which generates $1.2 billion in economic output for the state.” said MRAA President Matt Gruhn. 

Trump Administration Announces Plans to Boost Corn-Based Ethanol

Earlier this month, the Trump administration announced plans to direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Agriculture Department to take steps to close the demand gap faced since granting waivers to oil refineries. This move will effectively force larger refineries not currently granted waivers to increase how much ethanol they blend into gasoline, effectively increasing the supply of ethanol-mixed fuel in the market. This comes after the Trump administration’s May 31 announcement to expand the sale of E15 fuel year-round.

Grow Boating, MRAA Launch Part 2 of First-Time Boat Shopper Sales Course

As part of its educational partnership, Grow Boating and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas have launched “Selling to First-Time Boat Shoppers’ Motivations,” the second in a three-part series of e-learning courses.

The purpose of the series, Grow Your Dealership with First-Time Boat Buyers, is to transform Discover Boating’s research of first-time boat buyers into education, tools and resources that can help marine retailers and their employees provide a customer experience that will lead to more boat sales now and in the future.

 “To grow boating and ultimately boost sales, businesses must continue attracting, and retaining, first-time boat buyers. With educational resources focused on this segment, businesses will be better equipped to lead  shoppers on a customized path to purchase,” says Carl Blackwell, President of Grow Boating. “That is why Grow Boating teamed up with MRAA to offer educational programming that is grounded in sound research on this critical audience. Participants will come out of this e-learning course with a clear understanding of the first-time boat buyer as well as applicable takeaways to provide the best experience for shoppers.”

This second course in the series, taught by leading dealership trainer Jim Million, provides specific guidance for dealership salespeople on how to identify what motivates their prospects and customers, and use the information they’ve gathered about their prospective buyer to provide an outstanding shopping and purchase experience.

“The salespeople who take this course will be better armed to build a strong rapport with first-time boat shoppers,” says Liz Walz, Vice President of the MRAA. “That will lead to better relationships, more sales and higher customer loyalty, which is a win for the salesperson, the dealership, the customer and this industry.”  

To watch the first two courses in the series – Understand and Guide the First-Time Boat Shopper and Selling to First-Time Boat Shoppers’ Motivations – visit www.mraa.com/GrowBoating. The third part in the series, Tools to Turn First-Time Boat Shoppers into Buyers, will be officially unveiled at Dealer Week, the MRAA’s annual conference and expo, December 8-11, in Tampa, Fla.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting marine retail businesses, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, call us at 763-315-8043.

About Grow Boating, Inc.
The purpose of Grow Boating is to identify growth opportunities within the marine industry, and champion those opportunities through consumer communications, targeted programs, and by developing industry education and resources. The Discover Boating program is one of several of Grow Boating’s areas of focus. For more information, visit GrowBoating.org.

MRAA Announces Commitment of Three New Education Champions

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas today announces the addition of three more Education Champion partners in 2019.

Education Champions agree to support the educational programming that the MRAA delivers to its members by leveraging their industry expertise and resources. Additionally, they help fuel the execution and creation of the Association’s education products through a year-round sponsorship. Education Champion is the MRAA’s second-highest level of Partner Membership.

BRP – Evinrude, Alumacraft, Manitou
Headquartered in the Canadian town of Valcourt, Quebec, BRP has been built on a tradition of ingenuity and intense customer focus that go all the way back to 1937. Its portfolio of industry-leading and distinctive products includes Sea-Doo watercraft, Alumacraft boats, Manitou pontoons and Evinrude marine propulsion systems.

Forest River, Inc.
Since 1996, Forest River has operated multiple manufacturing facilities throughout the United States producing motorhomes, trailers, fifth wheels, commercial vehicles, buses, and pontoons while keeping the needs, interests, budget, and lifestyle of their customers at the forefront of everything they do.

“We are excited to partner with MRAA to provide dealers with all the resources necessary to be successful representing Forest River Marine to the retail boating enthusiast,” says Ryan Casey, General Manager at Forest River Marine.

Operate Beyond
Based out of Grand Rapids, Mich., Operate Beyond offers inventory management, website, CRM and DMS solutions. Their web-based platform allows users to post and update current inventory to multiple online marketing avenues (Ebay, Craigslist, etc.) all in one place.

“We are honored to participate in sponsoring the MRAA after developing a platform that better serves Recreational Dealers,” says Josh Slabaugh, CEO at Operate Beyond. “Working with the MRAA will allow us to introduce the best marketing and operational solutions for the Marine Dealer community.”

Education Champions make it possible for the MRAA to work with many of the industry’s top subject matter experts and instructional engineers to create education that will make a lasting impact within marine dealerships, whether through Dealer Week, the all-new MRAA Conference and Expo; MRAATraining.com; or the numerous other publications the Association produces annually.

“We are excited to be able to continue to announce the growing roster of MRAA Education Champions,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA Director of Business Development. “Together, we will continue to utilize the expertise of the association’s Education Champions in order to deliver timely and relevant information to the industry.”

BRP, Forest River, Inc., and Operate Beyond join ARI Network Services, Chris Craft, Dealer Profit Services, DockMaster, National Marine Distributors Association, Vantage Resource Group as the association’s 2019 Education Champions.

About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Correct Craft Recognized As Most Innovative Marine Company

At annual IBEX conference, Soundings Trade Only magazine recognized Correct Craft (in a tie with Brunswick) as the most innovative company in the marine industry at the IBEX Industry Breakfast. The company was recognized for its innovative technology, culture, learning environment and M&A strategy.
 
Soundings Trade Only acknowledges companies using innovation in different ways to advance their businesses in choosing the marine industry’s Most Innovative Company. The magazine considered all types and sizes of marine companies around the world. The judging panel consisted of Soundings Trade Only editors, staff members, and outside industry experts. They reviewed company initiatives that include innovative materials, new manufacturing processes, fresh marketing approaches, workforce solutions, supply chain, export programs and more.
 
Correct Craft President and CEO Bill Yeargin stated, “Correct Craft is honored to receive such a phenomenal award. All our Correct Craft brands have been working hard at developing cultures of innovation. Correct Craft’s Watershed Innovation, our disruptive innovation company, is making a better tomorrow today by identifying, researching and applying disruptive innovation throughout our company.”
 
Yeargin added, “We believe increasing computational power over the next ten years will drive technological development beyond what we can currently comprehend. We want to prepare our company today for this inevitable and disruptive future. We believe our focus on innovation is positioning our company to thrive in the years ahead and help us carry out our mission of ‘Making Life Better.’”
 
Correct Craft has a four-pronged approach to innovation: technology, culture, learning, and mergers and acquisitions.
 
Innovative Technology
Watershed Innovation was formed by Correct Craft for disruptive innovations. Ingenity, Correct Craft’s electric drive company, has developed the most advanced electric recreational boat ever made. Osmosis, our company focused on IoT, has created the marine industry’s most advanced telematics system. Watershed Innovation also acquired Merritt Precision to bring new technologies to the industry by implementing cutting edge milling, tooling equipment, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence and robotics.
 
Innovative Culture
Correct Craft believes innovation is deeper than technology and sees culture not only as a key to innovation but one of its innovations. Correct Craft articulates its culture with the following: communicating purpose over profit, having an open environment for crazy ideas which creates innovation, supporting marine industry advocacy, going on global and local service trips, and many other avenues. Correct Craft also recently announced a marine industry culture summit marine industry executives and HR personnel to share our learnings and learn from others. The summit is being underwritten completely by Correct Craft as a service to our industry.
 
Innovative Learning
Correct Craft University (CCU) was designed for employee development and learning through personal, professional, and leadership growth. CCU creates courses specifically for each brand through on-site classes, micro-learning videos, webinars, and readings. The Correct Craft team aspires to be learners.
 
Innovative Mergers and Acquisitions
Correct Craft has a unique and innovative M&A focus that ensures sellers we will look after their employees, brand and legacy. While most acquisitions are made with an eye toward a future sale, Correct Craft has no exit strategy when acquiring companies. We want to build on the legacy of the seller and invest in the company for long-term future growth, not just short-term profits. Correct Craft has closed three acquisitions within the past year and expect more acquisitions in the future. Sellers can trust Correct Craft to take good care of their company.

 

About Correct Craft

Celebrating 94 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. Focused on “Making Life Better,” the Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, Parker and Bryant boat companies, Pleasurecraft Marine Engine Group, Watershed Innovation and Aktion Parks. For more information please visit www.correctcraft.com.

Bipartisan Conservation Bill and Working Waterfront Bills Advance Though U.S. House Committee

On September 25, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources passed the bipartisan National Fish Habitat Conservation Through Partnership Act (H.R. 1747), introduced by Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Marc Veasey (D-TX), which would authorize public-private partnership programs to conserve fish habitats across the United States. Specifically, this bill would fund dam removals, streambank stabilizations, and aquatic invasive species removals, and fishery restoration. 

The committee also passed the Keep America’s Waterfronts Working (H.R. 3596), introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), which would give states tools to protect jobs, commercial activities, and public access to America’s coast, including recreational fishing and boating businesses, and marinas.

Both bills are expected to head to the House of Representatives floor for a full vote.