Chad Taylor, owner of Taylor’s South Shore Marina in Waynesville, Ohio, has been selected as the recipient of the sixth annual Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship, announced the MRAA Educational Foundation yesterday. This year’s scholarship recipient was unveiled at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo on Sunday evening, Dec. 9, during the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas Opening Night Awards Celebration at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla.
As a second-generation owner, Taylor has been charged with leading his organization into the future. Over the last 7 years, Taylor’s South Shore Marina has experienced rapid growth and has recognized a need to invest in its young and motivated staff.
Taylor was described by nominees as an individual with credibility and conviction that sets him apart from his peers throughout the industry. He is someone who strives to continuously improve himself and his results, but also encourages the personal and professional development of others.
The Duane Spader Leadership Development Scholarship was founded by Spader Business Management and the MRAA Educational Foundation in 2013 to honor the marine industry service of Spader founder Duane Spader, as well as his leadership philosophy of lifelong learning. The recipient receives full tuition to attend the Spader Leadership Development Program, valued at $14,875. Applicants must be employees of a Marine Retailers Association of the Americas retail member.
“My business [Taylor’s South Shore Marina] is at a critical point of growth, and I am eager to learn how to grow it to the next level and cultivate the best team while doing so,” wrote Taylor in his application. “I believe the Spader Leadership Development Program can provide me with the training to be the leader our team needs.”
Chad demonstrates a strong commitment to the future success and stability of the marine industry through his involvement in a Spader Marine 20 Group, as a regional director on the MRAA Board of Directors, and a board advisor for the MRAA’s Young Leaders Advisory Council.
The Spader Leadership Development Program is a 15- to 18-month program for current and future leaders that involves five, three-day sessions in Sioux Falls, S.D. Between sessions, participants are tasked with putting what they’ve learned to work in their dealership and tracking the results of those efforts.
“We are thrilled to award this scholarship to someone who has already contributed so much to the marine dealer community,” states Jeff Siems, president of the MRAA Educational Foundation Board of Directors. “Given his dedication to his dealership and the industry, we are confident that Chad will be able to leverage the scholarship to achieve great things.”
Grow Boating Supports MDCE Threefold
With the mission of providing marine retailers with education, tools and resources to apply with in their businesses, Grow Boating Inc. has expanded its support of the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in 2018.
Through this educational partnership, attendees will have the chance to expand their learning experiences at MDCE through the Pre-Conference Workshops, the MRAA Special Presentation, and the MDCE conference app. The event – which is co-produced by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Boating Industry magazine – will be held December 9-12, 2018, in Orlando, Fla.
“For years, MDCE has been the leading conference for marine dealer education,” says Carl Blackwell, president of Grow Boating. “Our support of these workshops, presentations and the app that delivers the show’s educational resources is one way we are fulfilling our mission to provide industry education.”
One of the most powerful aspects of Grow Boating’s MDCE partnership is the MDCE Pre-Conference Workshops. They are the highest-rated education sessions by dealers each year, as they allow the event’s leading trainers and educators to take a deep dive into the everyday pain points marine retailers are facing to help them build solutions.
Featured in both the Pre-Conference Workshops and the MRAA Special Presentation is marketing and sales expert Marcus Sheridan, who was first introduced to the MDCE team by Grow Boating. During the workshop, Sheridan – who received top scores from attendees in 2017 – will be providing insight into how to master video marketing. However, in the MRAA Special Presentation, his focus will be much broader, as he gives dealers a window into how they can adapt their sales, marketing and customer service efforts to the changing needs of today’s prospects and customers.
Finally, Grow Boating’s partnership is also making it possible for conference attendees to have access to a robust event app. This educational tool provides a platform for attendees to download session resources and better connect with MDCE speakers, manufacturers and suppliers, and their industry peers.
“This partnership with Grow Boating has enabled the MDCE team to build a much more powerful educational event for our dealer attendees,” says Liz Walz, Vice President of the MRAA. “Not only does that make for a better experience on-site, but more importantly, it will allow dealers to achieve higher levels of improvement and growth in their businesses as a result.”
MRAA, AVALA Publish White Paper on Customer Experience
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, in partnership with AVALA, Inc., a Rollick company, has published the white paper, “Defining the Customer Experience: An In-Depth Look at the Ingredients for Pre- and Post Sale Success.”
The digital publication seeks to provide marine dealers with a deeper understanding of the basics of delivering a more rewarding customer experience. The 18-page educational resource not only defines the difference between customer service and customer experience, but it also highlights key points in a customer’s ownership journey that dealers can focus on.
“The customer experience has become the No. 1 focal point for dealers to find greater success,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “In a world where price, availability, and delivery no longer contribute to a business’ competitive advantage, retailers need to deliver the best possible customer experience to boat buyers. This white paper provides clear direction on how to create a quality customer experience.”
“Defining the Customer Experience: An In-Depth Look at the Ingredients for Pre- and Post Sale Success” was designed to complement the 2018 MRAA Continuous Certification course, “Improving Loyalty With A Customer Experience Mindset,” by Theresa Syer. As defined by Syer, in the Continuous Certification Course, customer experience refers to “the sum total of every interaction a customer has with a company.” The new guide dives into research that underscores how critical pre- and post-purchase customer service is to the success of your current and future sales.
“For nearly 15 years, through our work managing the NMMA Marine Industry Customer Satisfaction program, we have measured expectations customers have with the product , service and dealer. That data tells what customers expect, and how we, as an industry, are doing delivering on their needs,” said Steve Pizzolato, Dir. Strategy for AVALA, a Rollick company. “This white paper expands upon the data with good tips and insight to help our industry deliver on these expectations, every day, and with every customer interaction. We were honored to participate in the development of the white paper with the MRAA.”
Defining the Customer Experience: An In-Depth Look at the Ingredients for Pre- and Post Sale Success is available to both MRAA member and non-members here and will be officially released at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo.
Vitullo Advisory Services Signs On To MRAA Partner Membership
Vitullo Advisory Services, an independent, third-party marine industry consulting service, has signed on to support the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas at the Partner level.
‘VAS is the resource marine dealers need to stabilize or improve their operations, enhance the professional capabilities of their teams as needed and eliminate unanticipated surprises,” says Lou Vitullo, Principal at Vitullo Advisory Services. “I’m excited to offer this unique service while partnering with the MRAA to continue to improve the strength, quality and profitability of the recreational marine industry.“
Vitullo Advisory Services seeks to help marine dealerships and their OEMs define and achieve their strategic goals. VAS provides insights and industry knowledge to ensure that all dealership resources and daily actions are aligned to achieve success, from the strategy planning to implementation.
‘We welcome Vitullo Advisory Services to MRAA partnership. We are excited to work with an organization who understands that no two marine retailers are alike, and they work hard to deliver value to each unique customer,” says Matt Gruhn, President of the MRAA. ‘We look forward to a strong partnership that provides support to the marine retail community.’
Vitullo Advisory Services joins a growing roster of boat manufacturers, vendors and suppliers that have chosen to support the dealer community through partnership with the MRAA. Find a full menu of partner benefits here.
MRAA, Centurion-Supreme partner on Dealer Certification
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas partnered with Centurion & Supreme Boats at the manufacturer’s Dealer Meeting and Sales School in mid November to support dealer development through the Marine Industry Certified Dealership Program.
The Centurion and Supreme brands announced at the meeting that they would reward their dealers with a per boat rebate incentive, beginning with the 2020 model year, for those businesses that achieve Certified Dealership status. By launching it at the meeting, the boat brands have given their dealers a little more than seven months to enroll, navigate the program and earn their Certification credentials, and to further incentivize their participation, for those dealers that enrolled at the meeting, Centurion & Supreme offered a travel cost rebate to go along with a $200 discount from the MRAA.
“As we continue to roll out the key initiatives of our three-year strategic plan, it’s important to our entire team that we invest in our dealer network and demonstrate that we will reward those businesses that want to improve alongside us,” says Paul Singer, President of Centurion & Supreme Boats. “We believe this relationship with the MRAA and the Dealership Certification Program will help to optimize our dealer network and propel us to the lofty goals we have set for our growing brands.”
With nearly a dozen dealerships signing up during the meeting, the Centurion & Supreme dealer network now boasts more than one-third of its network that are either already Certified or in progress toward earning their Certification credentials. Dealership Certification focuses on helping dealers create a world class customer experience by helping build a culture of continuous improvement. Through a focus on operations, employee development and customer experiences, Dealership Certification has grown its participation by 88 percent over the last five years while partnering with more boat manufacturers that focus on dealer development.
“We have been incredibly impressed with Centurion & Supreme and their leadership team’s vision for dealer growth and development,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “They have a truly authentic approach to how they fuel dealer success with new tools and opportunities that strengthen the dealer-manufacturer partnership and lead to sustainable growth for both. It’s an honor for us to have the opportunity to partner with them to infuse foundational principles and best practices of dealership operations into their growing network.”
Engaging Conversation
Engage. [en-geyj] verb. to come together and occupy the attention of toward a joint effort task or idea.
A dealer friend found himself at odds with an employee today. His senior technician wants to be paid more — a common issue all the time, right? … but particularly in today’s growing economy and shrinking number of quality technicians.
Ultimately, the dealer wants to do right by his tech – he’s a good guy and he’s reliable. But behind the scenes, he’s also the least efficient in the shop, despite the “senior” designation — and by a long shot. He’s billing less than 50 percent of his clocked hours but seeks the pay of someone far more effective in their role.
As it shakes out, the guy who keeps the shop running while the boss isn’t around wouldn’t have a place to work if it weren’t for his more-efficient yet lower-paid brethren.
In many ways, there’s much to be gained when we can engage our employees in a conversation about the business. When we can sit down and outline the equation of revenue earned to expenses paid – personnel and otherwise. And that’s what this boiled down to: “I can pay you more, but let’s talk about and improve upon the profitability equation of the work you do for us.”
Far too often, however, we treat the idea of engaging like it’s a one-directional conversation. You come to work. You engage in your responsibilities. Everyone’s happy.
By definition, though, “to engage” means to come together and occupy the attention of toward a joint effort, task, or idea. It’s not a one-way street. We need to come together toward a joint effort, task or idea with our employees in order to be efficient and effective, both as individuals and as a business.
I often think of it the same way as our role here at MRAA. We want to engage you in a conversation about the business of boating and how we can aid in your growth and success. It’s a rewarding moment when we get to talk to our members — even our non-members, in this case — about these topics, and it’s even more rewarding when we see them engage in the tools, resources and educational opportunities we have to offer them.
Because ultimately, we need to come together toward a joint effort, task or idea in order to grow our industry. And we can only do that by opening up engaging dialog.
We look forward to doing just that next week at the MDCE. Hope to see you there.
MRAA Launches Guide to Building a Foundation for Accountability
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has released the MRAA Guide to Building a Foundation for Accountability, a digital publication available exclusively to its members and Marine Industry Certified Dealerships. The guide was developed in response to dealer survey results that suggest holding employees’ accountable is one of owners’ and managers’ leading challenges.
Within the 13-page educational resource, dealers are led through the fundamentals of developing a culture in which employees are held accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities and meeting their goals.
“Accountability is like many other areas within the dealership,” comments Liz Keener, MRAA education specialist. “The most significant results often come from mastering the basics. In the case of accountability, the basics involve setting clear expectations for your team members.”
The guide, which is made possible by the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program, was designed to complement the third quarter 2018 Continuous Certification course “How to Create a High Accountability Dealership” by John Spence.
The Marine Industry Certified Dealership program leads dealerships through the development and improvement of a number of tools that help dealers set clear expectations, such as job descriptions, an employee handbook, an employee satisfaction survey, and process maps. The Continuous Certification course is an advanced course specifically for Certified Dealers, while the guide offers value for all dealers, whether they are focusing on this topic for the first time or looking to refine an already robust accountability strategy.
“In his course, John makes it clear that lack of accountability is a barrier to success in businesses of all sizes and shapes,” adds Keener. “We’re excited to be able to offer a resource to the dealer community that can have such a significant impact on their results.”
The Guide to Building a Foundation for Accountability is available to MRAA members at www.mraa.com/page/guides and to Certified Dealers at MRAATraining.com within the 2018 Continuous Certification Curriculum.
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, visit MRAA.com.
MRAA, Nautique grow Dealer Certification partnership
The Marine Retailers Association participation at the 2018 Nautique Boats Sales Training in Orlando, Fla., continued to attract new dealers into the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program. Today, there are nearly 50 percent of Nautique’s dealers enrolled in Certification.
“We understand the importance of investing in tools that will foster growth and development across our dealer networks,” says Greg Meloon, president of Nautique Boats, “As we continue to produce innovative and industry-leading product, we need to ensure our dealerships are set up for success with the tools and resources necessary to deliver world-class customer service. We believe that MRAA’s Certified Dealership program will do just that.”
At last year’s Dealer Principals Meeting, Nautique announced the partnership between the brand and the MRAA that gave dealers greater access to the Certification program and rewards dealers who achieve Certified Dealer status. Beginning with the 2019 model year, Nautique rolled out an incentive for the 2019 model year to Nautique dealers who earned the Certified Dealer credentials. The incentive goes into effect January 1, 2019.
“It has been great to witness the dynamic shift that is happening with the industry’s participation in the Dealership Certification Program,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President, “Manufacturers and retailers alike now understand that the program is more than a checklist. It is a way to bring new life and opportunity into their businesses.”
As part of the Nautique event, the MRAA had the honor of presenting an Employee Satisfaction Award to Russell Marine – Real Island, as the top-rated Nautique dealer when it comes to Employee Satisfaction. It was the second year in a row that the Real Island location was recognized for this award, which is determined by MRAA’s Employee Satisfaction Survey results, a cornerstone of the Marine Industry Certified Dealer Program.
Seattle Boat Company to Represent Barletta in Northwest
Bristol, IN — Barletta Pontoon Boats, located in Bristol, IN, and Seattle Boat Co., located in Seattle, WA, have agreed to partner together to bring the dream of boat ownership to people in the upper northwest corner of the United States.
Since opening in 1984, Seattle Boat Co. has become one of the premier marine dealerships located in the heart of some of the world’s finest, most spectacular boating waterways. Seattle Boat Co. has been recognized as an industry leader throughout North America, named a Boating Industry Top 100 Dealer each year since the inception of the recognition program in 2005. In 2018, they became the only Five Star Certified Marine Dealer in the state of Washington. The boat models that Seattle Boat Co. represents are of the highest quality and standards and the very best that the industry offers. Always on the lookout for the best products in the marketplace for their customers, Barletta Pontoon Boats is a perfect fit for their business.
Barletta Pontoon Boats has assembled, and continues to assemble, an impressive network of exceptional dealers around the country. The Barletta team brings a unique customer-focused/dealer-centric approach that has been widely embraced as a breath of “fresh air” to the marine industry.
“Seattle Boat Co., goes out of their way to provide the best services and attention to the Seattle market,” stated Jeff Haradine, Barletta Vice President of Sales. “Just as with Barletta, Seattle Boat Co. built their business and reputation through creativity and innovation. They pay special attention to the relationships they build with vendors and suppliers to insure that the end customer, Seattle’s boating community, has the best experience possible from start to finish. We are thrilled to partner with Seattle Boat Co.”
Outdoor Industry Execs Urge Congress to Act on Public Lands Package
As the 115th Congress prepares to return for a short “lame duck session,” MRAA and other members of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable are hard at work urging passage of key legislation reflecting ORR’s policy agenda. Two leaders of ORR, Chair Thom Dammrich of NMMA and Vice Chair Frank Hugelmeyer of RVIA recently penned an op-ed that appeared in the Washington Examiner.
The op-ed stresses the importance of the Lands Package which includes several pieces of key legislation that ensure access and improvement to one of America’s most important, but under-utilized resources.
To read the full op-ed, click here.
If you have questions. please contact MRAA Public Policy Manager, Will Higgins.
