Prepare for the Next Recession – Online and In-Person

We’re often asked whether we have tools to help dealers survive the next recession. The answer is “yes.”

It’s impossible to know when the next recession will arrive; however, as anyone who experienced the last downturn will attest, you’d be crazy not to be prepared when it does.

To help with that process, MRAA has a couple of tools available from Spader Business Management, one that is available online now, and one that will be hosted at Dealer Week in Tampa, Dec. 8-11.

The first is John Spader’s online course “Become Bulletproof for the Next Recession,” which is available via MRAATraining.com through February of 2020.

As John Spader notes in his description of the course, if your dealership survived the last recession, you may feel ready for the next one. But feeling ready isn’t the same thing as being ready. The course walks dealers through some tough questions like, “Have you and your business really gotten better since the last recession or have you just been riding the rising tide?”

The course explores what will be different about the next soft market compared to the last one, what will be the same, and walks dealers through assessments to determine the strength of their businesses. It also provides concrete benchmarks to measure your staying power and adaptability, whether you have the right people in the right seats, how well you’re steering the bus, and the speed with which you can change direction.

The course is available for purchase or for free with a Silver or Gold MRAA membership.

The second opportunity comes from David Spader, who will present “The Agile Dealership: Confidently Responding to Change & the Unknown” at MRAA’s Dealer Week.

The two-hour workshop is designed to help marine dealers identify, monitor, and respond to the key issues that their businesses are facing now and in the future. The workshop will walk through the characteristics of an agile leader, the six concerns employees have during change, key people indicators, key economic indicators, and share a dealership case study.

The course will cap off The Dealership Pathway at the Dealer Week. Early registration for Dealer Week runs through Sept. 30.

BoatPAC to Hold Florida Events with Elected Officials and Industry Champions

BoatPAC, the joint political action committee of NMMA and MRAA will host two events in Florida in the coming weeks with key members of Congress and industry champions. On October 1, BoatPAC will host an event in Tampa during IBEX with key industry champions at Jackson’s Bistro from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Then, BoatPAC will head east for an event on October 10 with Congressman Brian Mast.

For more information on attending either of these events or to learn more about BoatPAC, please contact Erica Crocker, NMMA’s director of political advocacy and engagement, at 214-336-1257 or ecrocker@nmma.org.

MRAA Strengthens Dealer Voice in Washington, D.C.

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has strengthened the voice of the marine dealer in Washington, D.C., with the appointment of Adam Fortier-Brown as MRAA’s Government Relations Manager.

Fortier-Brown, whose family owns and operates Clark Marine, a Manchester, Maine-based boat dealership, graduated from the University of Maine magna cum laude, with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science. He has worked in the office of Senator Susan Collins, as well as at The Cohen Group. He also launched and ran Camp Kesem at the University of Maine, a summer camp for children of cancer patients, in Orono, Maine.

“Adding Adam to our team gives us a unique, business-focused voice in Washington, D.C.,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “Adam’s presence and expertise give MRAA the ability to talk specifics about the real-world impact of issues such as ethanol, tariffs and workforce shortages, among many other issues. Having grown up around and worked in his family’s dealership, he knows first-hand the challenges our dealers face, and that experience gives us a powerful voice of dealer representation.”

As Government Relations Manager, Fortier-Brown will be responsible for representing the legislative and regulatory interests of the MRAA and its members, ensuring the Association’s voice is present wherever issues concerning boating and marine retailers are discussed. He will be based out of the offices of the National Marine Manufacturers Association in Washington, D.C., where he will integrate with the NMMA team in representing the marine industry and its significance in the overall economy. He will lead MRAA’s efforts in all areas of advocacy, including BoatPAC, the joint MRAA-NMMA Political Action Committee.
 
“I am excited to be joining such a strong organization to help give the industry that I grew up in a voice in Washington,” Fortier-Brown said. “The team at MRAA is always looking to strengthen and support the recreational boating industry, and I am thrilled to join the team and get to work with them on this.”

Fortier-Brown starts at MRAA on Sept. 16, 2019 and can be reached at adam@mraa.com or 202-737-9779.

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, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer to Dealer: September 2019

How have you made purchasing decisions (for the next model year) at recent dealer meetings based on your current inventory levels?

I have brought in 2020 inventory, so that combined with my existing 2019 inventory, it will match my inventory level that I had last year heading into Q4. The primary difference being, last year at this time, I had less leftover 2018 inventory, where as this year roughly 30% of my inventory is MY 2019. Ultimately, my dealer meeting orders are down YOY. – Quinn Bellamy, Silver Lake Marine

We are backing are orders off by 20%. To much inventory and don’t think It will be a problem to find next year. – Ken Toby, Marine Sales Kentuckian

There has been lots of talk of 30% more inventory in the field than last year and I feel that it has a lot of people scared and dumping inventory at low margins.  The explanation in my opinion is two factors.  The obvious one is bad weather for the first part of the year.  The second is not as clear to many dealers and you guys maybe have a better handle on this and can shed some light.  Many dealers I talk with or sell against will often say sometime in May that they are sold out of new boats and can’t get orders fulfilled, etc.  This has gone on for years.  The often heard (and misguided) response to that is, “ that’s a good problem to have!”.  The fact is that it is not at all a good problem, it is poor planning plain and simple.  So now that the economy and consumers have proven over the past 7 years that things are good, dealers have ordered to accommodate demand.  And to do this you need to have stock over the summer when people are using and buying boats.  Just because 2020’s are now on our lots does not mean that you should be clear of all 2019 models.  It takes time to build inventory so if you were to be sold out in June and 2020s start slowly rolling in to your dealership in July, you will not have a full stock until winter.  The “overstock” of inventory is merely a correction of past “understocking” combined with a later start to the selling season.  No need to panic!  Just my .02. – Stuart Litjens, Boulder Boats

Yes, we did make ordering decisions based upon current inventory levels and the compressed selling season we experienced in 2019. The year began with political and economic news that, to some extent, hindered very early-season boat sales. We went into a dark, wet, cold, long spring before boaters saw any real sunshine around July 1. – Tighe Curran, Pier 33

After reviewing our current inventory we have made a decision to cut back on the initial 2020 orders. There are many dealers that have more inventory than previous years. This means there will be a glut of left over inventory and unfortunately dealers are willing to “blow out” their product below normal pricing. Also in the last few months it seems like the retail sales have slowed a little. Also election year is next year and I have seen for the last 45 years the boat sales slow up every four years just before the elections because of the uncertainty but after the elections business as usual.  We will be cautious for the next 12 months but by no means cut back on our normal inventory levels. You can’t sell it if you don’t have it! – Jim Wiborg, Bob Hewes Boats

Very carefully, still have ‘18s in stock. – Von Skinner, Cozy Cove Marina

Manufacturers have been forcing us to take on more, and in turn put our store into a volatile market. Our area/competition has high inventory levels for this time of year, and if the economy turns we will all be in trouble. While reps share our concerns, they can’t do as much as they could in the past. The continued rising price of new boats, and the cost of warranty to deliver a product in confidence to the consumer is higher. We are now in a situation where it requires more employees just to deliver on the same principles we have in the past, because of poor quality control from the factory. We have scaled back on ordering 2020 product because of this. – Anonymous

The amount of purchasing I’m doing is based on what has turned. I have 4 lines. [Our] purchasing decisions were made based on the idea that it will be a flat or slightly down year – Joe Hoffmaster, Hoffmaster’s Marina

We have, and in most cases we’re anticipating an increase. We doubled the order for one of our best-selling brands, from 40 units in 2019 to 80 units in 2020. – Roger Moore, Nautical Ventures

How have you made your purchasing decisions for next model year? Tell us below in the comment section!

Luxury Expert Christopher P. Ramey to Keynote Marine Marketers of America FLIBs Luncheon

Marine Marketers of America is very pleased to announce its annual membership luncheon October 31 from 11:30 – 1 pm during the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show at Bahia Mar which features a keynote presentation by luxury marketing expert Christopher P. Ramey who will address “The 8 Laws for Marketing to High Net Worth Individuals.”

Ramey, considered the most highly regarded and most often quoted authority on best business practices to serve the affluent, speaks internationally on the topic of luxury marketing and has presented in more than 20 countries. A professional consultant and in-demand speaker, Ramey is president of The Home Trust International with 450 locations in the US and Europe; he is also the former president of the Luxury Marketing Council of Miami and Palm Beach. He brings a great deal of passion and expertise in helping businesses compete more effectively for the luxury dollar.

“We are thrilled to bring an internationally acclaimed speaker of Chris’ caliber to benefit the marine marketing community and believe his experience will prove highly beneficial to our members and guests,” said MMA President Wanda Kenton Smith. “Chris is customizing a presentation explicitly for our crowd and will share the latest in luxury trends, along with key pillars every marine industry brand can leverage to its advantage.”

Ramey’s client roster is impressive, embracing brands from Lamborghini to Bacardi, Bentley, Flexjet, Four Seasons Hotel, International Polo Club, Merrill Lynch, the Miami Dolphins, the NBA, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Ritz-Carlton and many more Over the years, Ramey has also worked with several blue-chip marine brands including Bertram, Ferretti Group, Camper & Nicholson and Merle Wood & Associates, among others.

According to Merle Wood & Associates Marketing Director D.J. Kiernan, “Chris is one of the most knowledgeable consultants in the luxury category, and his knowledge is rivaled only by his public speaking abilities …everyone was captivated by Chris and the subject matter he presented. The energy he brought to the room was incredible.

Continuous Certification Goes Live at Dealer Week

The Certification program is happy to announce that the Q4 Continuous Certification course: Supercharge Your Customer Experience will be available live at Dealer Week!

The course, taught by Theresa Syer of Syer Hospitality, will be offered as a two-hour workshop during the final morning of the MRAA conference and expo. Dealers in Continuous Certification will be able to attend this course in person as an alternative to watching the video course online, though the online version will be available to dealers in Continuous Certification as well. Those who are interested in Continuous Certification, or simply interested the customer experience, are also welcome to attend.

To attend this course, visit DealerWeek.com and get registered before Early Bird pricing ends Sept. 30. Dealer Week is scheduled for Dec. 8-11 in Tampa, Florida.

Chupich, Stevenson Join MRAA Team as MICD Program Consultants

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas welcomes industry experts, Rallee Chupich and Zane Stevenson, as the association’s newest Marine Industry Certified Dealership program consultants.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rallee and Zane to the MRAA Certification team,” says Liz Keener, MRAA Certification Manager, “We have been working tirelessly to promote and demonstrate the value of the Certification, and we are confident that our new consultants will continue to elevate the program.”

Rallee Chupich comes to the MRAA with more than 35 years of marine retail experience, most of that time spent as a third-generation team member of Gordy’s Lakefront Marine in Fontana, Wisconsin. She has worked in various roles throughout the dealership, including in service, dealership operations, human resources, restaurant operations, marina and pro shop. Chupich approaches dealership consulting with a high level of integrity with the goal to collaborate, optimize success, and proactively provide results in a detailed, genuine manner.

“I am excited for this adventure and honored to be a part of the MRAA team.  I look forward to continuing to promote, support and give back to an industry that I love with people I admire.”

Zane Stevenson is an experienced operations expert with nearly 30 years in the retail sector, a majority of that time being in the marine industry. Stevenson’s most recent experience was managing MarineMax locations both in Missouri and in Georgia. He is skilled in retail operations, store management, marketing management, qualifying prospects and business planning.

“This role with MRAA allows me the chance to be a part of the whole industry, not just one organization or dealership. During my time in retail, I found that the Certification process allowed me and my team to acknowledge what we were doing right, and equally as important, bring opportunities to the forefront, create a new standard, and improve from there.”

Chupich and Stevenson will offer numerous marine dealerships enrolling in the Marine Industry Certified Dealer program across North America insightful and implementable guidance. They join MRAA’s current team of Certification consultants, which includes Lead Certification Consultant Bob McCann and Consultant Jim Million.

The Marine Industry Certified Dealer program provides a customizable blueprint to help boat dealers establish efficient and effective processes. The program offers you the tools to engage your employees in your business’ success and create a world-class retail experience that leads to higher levels of customer loyalty.

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, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

MRAA Releases Education Lineup for Inaugural Dealer Week

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas recently announced the education lineup for its inaugural Dealer Week Conference and Expo, which includes new and old faces from past MRAA events; experts from inside and outside the marine industry; and a mix of professional educators, expert consultants and innovators from the front lines of marine retail.

“At the MRAA, everything we do is motivated by our vision statement, which calls for ‘A thriving marine industry, driven by dealer success,’” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President.“Dealer Week is a big part of our strategy to make that vision a reality. The education presented at the conference was developed in direct response to the biggest challenges that dealers have told us they are facing today.”

Dealer Week will kick off with a keynote presentation from bestselling author, Olympic competitor and award-winning salesperson Vince Poscente before breaking into three “Education Pathways,” which will host topics centered around The Dealership, The Customer and The Employee.

Dealer Week will take place Dec. 8-11 at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla. Registration is now open at DealerWeek.com. Attendees can save up to $125 on registration with Early Bird pricing through Sept. 30.

Opening Keynote
With everyone gathered for the opening of the conference, New York Times bestselling author Vince Poscente will deliver an entertaining and thought-provoking keynote on how marine dealership owners, managers and their teams can flourish in an unpredictable and highly competitive landscape. Poscente will share a formula for driving behavior change in yourself and your team that he used to transform himself from recreational skier to Olympic athlete in just four years.

“The dealers on the MRAA Education Committee raved about Vince,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “What stood out to them were his unique combination of abilities as both a wildly entertaining storyteller and a highly effective coach. Given what’s happening in the market right now, they saw how powerful it could be to learn new strategies for thriving in fast-changing and often unpredictable conditions.”

The Dealership Pathway
Kicking off the Dealership Pathway, Tony Gonzalez, Garage Composites, will present a session called “Create a Culture That Delivers.” Culture can make or break your dealership. While we have all heard this idea preached before, have those preaching it mapped out what you should DO about it? This session will provide that and more.

Next up David Spader, Spader Business Management, will host a Dealer Case Study on “Succession Planning.” He will interview Carrie Stacey, Carrie Stacey & Co., a CPA in the U.S. and Canada who owned and operated two powersports dealerships and has worked in both RV and marine. The conversation will include topics such as business valuations, preparing your business for sale and turnaround support.

DJ Stringer, Garage Composites, will use both humor and real-world examples for his presentation “F&I: Does That Stand for Fairies and Imps? … No, The Money Is Real.” According to Stringer, just like fairies and imps, some people believe in F&I and others don’t. Those who do believe get introduced to a magical world of profits that people who don’t believe can never even imagine.

David Foco, A World of Training, will share strategies to address one of the most common challenges faced by dealers in his presentation “Ease the Pain of Seasonality Through Better Processes.” If you’re a marine dealer, the seasonality of the business is a brutal reality. Well, what if there was more you could do to ease the pain? This advanced course is for those dealers who are ready to get their hands dirty improving their service and marketing processes.

Rich DeLancey, Dealership Toolkit, will offer practical advice for “How to Hold Your Digital Accountable.” Developing a gorgeous website, producing stunning videos and posting social media content that gets shared across the Internet is great, if it generates enough leads to be worth your time and money. During this session, you’ll learn what data to collect, how to collect it and how to analyze it to determine how your digital marketing is performing.

The Dealership Pathway will conclude with Education Host David Spader, Spader Business Management, presenting a two-hour workshop titled “The Agile Dealership: Confidently Responding to Change & the Unknown.” Most dealers have accepted that change and volatility are the new norm. This workshop will help you identify, monitor and respond to the key issues your dealership is facing now and in the future.

The Customer Pathway
Sam Dantzler, Wheelhouse College, will serve as Education Host for the Customer Pathway as well as kick things off with “Stop Letting Data Get Between You and the Customer.” Most consumers, and, let’s face it, dealers, are getting bogged down by the noise created by all the data, advice and insight available today. Dantzler will cut through the clutter dealers face every day and focus on overlooked strategies you can use with customers and your team to improve the buying and ownership experience.

In the next session, Dantzler will interview Kevin Zoodsma, Action Water Sports, about “Segmenting Customer Data.” If your dealership has started tracking data that’s a good first step, but are you actually using the data you have about prospects and customers to drive decisions about marketing and buying? Kevin will share insights about how his team slices and dices (i.e., segments) their prospect data.

Longtime MRAA favorite Valerie Ziebron, VRZ Consulting, will be joined by Carrie Stacey, Carrie Stacey & Co., to teach a session on “Reducing Repair Cycle Time.” The faster your shop can get boats serviced properly the happier your customers and the more efficient (and profitable) your shop. This session will look at what shops of all sizes can do to fast track service and close out a larger percentage of work orders quickly.

Next up, MRAA’s own Lead Certification Consultant Bob McCann will be joined by Graham Anderson, Co-Founder of business texting platform Kenect, to discuss “Texting Customers: Do’s, Don’ts, and How to Make It A Win-Win.” This course will help you discover ways to improve the customer experience with texting. It will explore the legal and privacy considerations of texting, sample scripts, how to create a texting policy, the best practices for outreach, team training and what the future of texting looks like.

DJ Stringer, Garage Composites, will present a second session titled “Let’s Play Detective and Solve a Mystery: The Customer.” You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, or even Scooby Doo to be a good salesperson, but to be great, you do have to possess some investigative skills. This session will explore the psychology of the customer as it relates to the greet and discovery, and how to use the information you have to get all the clues you need to solve the mystery of how to sell more.

Theresa Syer, Syer Hospitality Group Inc., will conclude the Customer Pathway with the two-hour workshop “Supercharge Your Customer Experience.” In this session, she will share the 7 Key Emotional Motivators that can shift the tide emotionally for customers. She’ll also show you how to develop Key Emotional Drivers that will affect those Emotional Motivators and keep customers coming to you, working with you and ultimately buying from you.

The Employee Pathway
The high-energy duo of Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz, Courage Crafters, will open the Employee Pathway with their presentation “Go For No.” Sales experts Fenton and Waltz believe that the relationship you have with the word “no” is the single most important factor in determining the level of success you achieve. Learn how a simple change in attitude and perspective can transform you and your team from being slowed down by failure and rejection into actually being energized by it.

After that, Education Host Jim Million, Million Learning, will chat with Eric Smith, Colorado Boat Center, about “Combating a Local Tech Shortage.” The team at Colorado Boat Center has been creative over the years in its approach to hiring in the service department. This session will dive into some of the innovative ideas they’ve used to combat the common dealer challenge of finding good technicians.

The next session features Samantha Cunningham Zawilinski, Portratz Partners Advertising, discussing “Intrapreneurship: Developing Early Adopters & Harnessing Innovation in Your Company.” There have always been go-getters in companies who push the status quo to become champions of your brand. In this presentation for organizational leaders, you’ll walk away with actionable steps to nurture a successful intrapreneur, learn how you create an environment and culture that enables intrapreneurs to thrive within your organization, and understand how intrapreneurs help to build a stronger, more progressive business in a competitive landscape.

Next up Allison Chaney, Boot Camp Digital, will share a roadmap for “Developing Your Personal Brand.” This interactive presentation will empower and motivate the audience to proactively create a powerful, positive and purposeful image of themselves online. At the end of this session participants will understand how their personal brand contributes to boosting their credibility and growing their reach. They will also have the tools to bring the brand to life in an impactful way.

After that Art Hill, University of Minnesota, will present “The Managing Me Workshop.” Most people struggle keeping up with the flood of “stuff” in their world (emails, phone calls, meetings and commitments) that far exceed their mental and emotional capacities. As a result, they lose track of their goals and experience stress, worry and guilt — and are far less productive. The Managing Me workshop takes the latest research about personal productivity, makes it practical, and creates an engaging experience that helps people apply the life-changing principles.

Wrapping up the Employee Pathway will be Education Host Jim Million presenting the two-hour workshop “Telling Ain’t Training.” This “training for non-trainers” session will teach managers how to take the information they’ve learned during Dealer Week and share it with their teams in a way that will engage them and help them remember it.

About Dealer Week
For more than 40 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world class educational programming to dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry and serve today’s boaters. Dealer Week evolves as MRAA’s rebranded and reimagined annual conference and expo, a profoundly new event experience designed to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. The MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is the preeminent means for bringing that vision to life. Learn more at DealerWeek.com.

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, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

DiscoverBoating.com Launches New Content For Use

DiscoverBoating.com has launched new online content in order to provide information and boating resources to boat owners and potential boat owners. Share these these articles and resources on your social media channels in order to generate engagement among your channels.

Check out the latest content updates on DiscoverBoating.com:

Boat ownership resources
How to Register a Boat
How to Get a Boating License
First Time Boat Owners: How to Get Started

Supporting pages for Go Boating Today
Renting a Boat: Boat Rentals Guide
Boat Sharing & Peer-to-Peer Boat Rentals
Boat Club Memberships: Why Should You Join?
How to Charter a Boat

Boating lifestyle articles
Boat Camping: 5 Tips for Sleeping Onboard
Boat Yoga: 5 Poses to Do Onboard Your Boat
Boatgating: Top 4 NFL Stadiums on the Water

RBLC’s New Markets Task Force to Re-Engage on Diversity Initiatives

As part of its continued efforts to grow boating, the Recreational Boating Leadership Council’s New Markets Task Force is reorganizing to address its next phase of work within the recreational boating industry.

According to chairperson Wanda Kenton Smith, the original 35-person task force collaborated a few years ago to research and share latest diversity findings and trends, plus developed and produced a series of custom videos as part of a professional educational module which was presented throughout the industry.

The series, “Proven Strategies to Engage New Markets,” provided a detailed demographic overview of emerging ethnicities, coupled with in-depth interviews featuring five organizations in the marine industry who were successfully engaging diverse audiences. The video series won the national Neptune Award for diversity presented by Marine Marketers of America.  

“Our task force did a great job in identifying the growth of specific ethnic markets and communicating their growing economic clout and buying power,” said Kenton Smith. “Our goal was to educate the industry, share best practices and encourage manufacturers and retailers to be more inclusive and welcoming to a broader audience of prospective buyers.”

In addition to the live presentations conducted around the country, online webinars and tip sheets, plus access to archived videos available on demand, the task force also produced a series of full-and half-page advertisements which were published in key industry B2B trade media.

“We believe the New Markets campaign achieved its initial goals of educating the industry about the explosive growth of key demographic segments and their respective buying power,” said Kenton Smith. “Now, we are ready to re-engage with our task force to discuss and develop the second phase of ongoing education and potential outreach.”

The New Markets Task Force is comprised of individuals working within the North American marine industry who either represent specific ethnicities, or who have interest in becoming involved in efforts to attract diverse audiences to boating. In addition, the task force is interested in hearing from organizations within the recreational boating segment who may have best practices to share regarding sales and marketing initiatives to diverse audiences.

“Our initial task force did an awesome job and their enthusiasm and collective contributions made a positive impact on our industry,” said Kenton Smith. “We are excited to move forward in 2020 to continue this important effort and dialog. We welcome any and all to become actively engaged in our forthcoming plans and development.”