The Fortune is in the Follow-Up

By Bob McCann, Lead Certification Consultant

Let’s say you’re in the market for a new SUV – a big investment these days. You’re torn between two models from two different dealerships. They seem similar from the looks, performance, price and test drive.

Bob McCann, Lead MICD Program Consultant, shares tips about pre-sale follow-up and why it's a huge step of the sales process.
Bob McCann

The salesperson at one dealership has called to check on you since your visit – “What questions do you have?” He texted and asked how your weekend was, taking the kids to the cabin. He continued to ask, “Where are you driving to next?” The other salesperson? Crickets. You haven’t heard a thing.

Which person are you likely to buy from? The one who cares enough to know about you and your situation and why you need the bigger vehicle (that ride to the cabin was cramped), or the one who seems to care less if you return to buy?

Touchpoints & Rapport
Our boat buyers are thinking the same. And pre-sale follow-up in the boat sales business is a long-and-delicate process due to the large number of people who don’t buy on the first visit to your showroom.

The pandemic had a major impact on boat sales all over North America to the point that pre-sale follow-up was transformed from traditional prospect follow-up to quickly closing the sale, and then following up to keep them on the hook until their boat arrived.

It’s time we flip the follow-up process to accommodate the 187-day buying cycle we managed before covid lockdowns had people buying boats on the spot. If you want to outperform the competition and be the top salesperson at your dealership — or better yet, in your market — you better Get Real about Follow-Up or Get Gone says, Jordon Schoolmeester from Garage Composites.

Selling boats is about building relationships and spreading the word that you can give the customer what they are looking for. You need to be the first person who comes to mind when a customer is ready to buy a boat, and staying top of mind requires follow-up.

The pre-sale follow-up process in the marine industry is by no means a linear process. It is composed of many touchpoints, which should be managed by multiple channels: return visits (be-backs), phone calls, emails and texts (with permission). Very few boat dealers have the luxury of a boat that is totally unique and sells itself. Most must work hard for sales, and in the changing climate, it really is survival of the fittest. If you are not in a customer’s “line of sight” or on their mind, you will simply not be considered when it’s their time to buy.

A significant element of your successful long-term sales strategy is follow-up. It is designed to build relationships and bring customers back to you, repeatedly. One simple follow-up call, text or email can be the thing that makes a customer choose your product over the competition.

Improve Your Sales Process
After working with dealers going through the Marine Industry Certified Dealer program, I’ve learned that many boat buyers never receive any follow-up after visiting a dealer’s showroom.

We cover this sales step in Certification and took a deep dive into the process in the Continuous Certification Curriculum and then again at Dealer Week, our annual conference and expo.

Below is the section from our Guide to Improving your Sales Process:

Pre-Sale Follow-Up — Following up with a customer who has spent meaningful time with you is not only suggested but expected by customers who are considering large ticket purchases. The reality is that the average boat buying cycle can be measured in months, and when a prospect doesn’t hear from you, it will make it easy for them to look elsewhere.

Every customer will require a different frequency of contact during their buying cycle. Some will need to be phoned the same day because they are ready to go boating this weekend, and others may need more time to consider the purchase. However, EVERY customer should be followed up with promptly and systematically after they visit your showroom.

These post-visit contact points should include several communication methods in the event your emails land in their junk folder or your voicemails aren’t heard. For instance, a quick email or text (with permission) can be sent shortly after they leave the dealership thanking them for their time with a link back to their dream boat. There is no reason for not calling the customer the next day to thank them again for the visit and to answer their questions that came up after they left. The real intent for the call is to continue the rapport building, answer their questions, overcome their objections to buying now and creating desire to revisit the showroom, continuing the buying process from a distance, or taking a deposit securely by phone or online.

To ensure your customer doesn’t miss your follow-up by overlooked emails or voicemails, consider separating yourself from that sea of fiberglass or aluminum by sending a classic follow-up letter. A letter is a good opportunity to allow the sales manager or owner to engage. Some people are simply wired to speaking with the boss, and doing so will deepen the connection with the dealership and might help to sell a boat!

As important as your initial follow-up with a client who visited the dealership, the follow-up is not complete until the CRM is updated. Add what was learned from the contact to your CRM immediately before anything is forgotten, along with scheduling your next contact.

Pre-sale follow-up is a huge step of the sales process and is dependent on executing on the steps that lead up to the follow-up. The underpinning of the sales process is building rapport and establishing a relationship. Therefore, it’s far more effective and fun to follow up with boat buyers you have good rapport with.

For more help with fine tuning your sales process check out these guides and courses:

And make sure you’re following up with every prospect, every time. The Fortune is in the Follow-up!

MRAA Adds Stabicraft USA as a Partner Member

MINNEAPOLIS, — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) announces the addition of Stabicraft USA to its growing list of MRAA Partner Members.

Marine manufacturers, suppliers and service providers, through Partner Membership, commit to aligning their brands with the programs and opportunities that MRAA offers in its efforts to fuel the success of the marine industry. Support from Partners allows the Association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact in MRAA members’ business.

Stabicraft USA, Port Angeles, Wash., manufactures aluminum chambered boats that focus on both form and function – they commit to their mission of supporting the marine industry by partnering with MRAA. Learn more about Stabicraft USA.

“Adding another boat manufacturer as a supporting Partner Member gives our dealer members more opportunities to expand their marine ensemble and provide variety for their customers,” said Allison Gruhn, MRAA Vice President of Business Development. “MRAA is better equipped to fulfill our mission of serving the entire marine industry with Stabicraft USA’s support.”

MRAA encourages its dealer members to explore the entire list of companies that actively support the MRAA across four partnership levels. View the full list.

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 8 Special-Edition Dealer Week Podcasts

MINNEAPOLIS, March 6, 2023 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) has released eight, special-edition The Boat Biz podcasts.

Recorded at MRAA’s Dealer Week Conference and Expo in Austin, Texas, the special-edition podcasts feature eight distinct guests — two MRAA Strategic Partners (Boats Group and Lightspeed) and six MRAA Education Champions (Boatline, Elite Recreational Finance, Global Marine Insurance, National Marine Distributors, Northpoint Commercial, Vantage Resource Group) — offering expert viewpoints about the business of boating.

Matt Gruhn of the MRAA
Matt Gruhn, MRAA President

“The Dealer Week environment provides a great platform for the marine industry to capture reflections on the current year and a look forward to the year ahead of us,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “We wanted to capture that insight through the minds of some of our most significant industry partners – MRAA Strategic Partners and Education Champions — because they have the leadership, knowledge and industry awareness to help dealers find greater success in 2023 and beyond.” 

For these Dealer Week-edition podcasts, MRAA enlisted professional podcaster JB Hager, host of the Get Ship Done podcast and co-host of both THE MOVE, and Austin Found podcasts (and a producer of the Garagecast podcast, which is hosted by Sam Dantzler and Tony Gonzalez of Garage Composites).

The Boat Biz Podcasts — Dealer Week Special-Edition Episodes

John Souch, Boats Group Sales Director, shares insights into what the recent model year listing activity and the overall healthy consumer activity mean for 2023.

Russell Baqir, Northpoint Commercial Finance, talks key elements dealers should be thinking about in 2023, adding RV industry perspectives that may translate into the marine market.

Jimmy Delegro, founder of Elite Recreational Finance, shares how he built the company from the ground up, how he’s carved out a niche as an industry leader and forming relationships.

The world of marine insurance has undergone some significant changes over the last few years. Global Marine Insurance’s Troy Buttleman discusses the changing state of insurance and how Global delivers for today’s dealers. 

Ross Solwold of Vantage Resource Group shares his insights into how dealers can strengthen their alternative profit centers through Vantage’s unique products. 

Drawing from her experience, Nancy Cueroni, National Marine Distributors Association President, explains the distributor side of the COVID-related supply chain issues. 

Brad Lloyd, Lightspeed Dealer Management Systems, says automating processes help dealers become more effective in their customer communications and overall dealership systems.

Boatline’s Lori Stacy and Nicole Schantz share great insights about digital marketing and digital retail and how dealers can tap into the wealth of data and information from Statistical Surveys.

“We have built a solid foundation with The Boat Biz podcast, which was one of our essential goals derived from the 2023-2025 MRAA Strategic Roadmap planning meeting last year,” adds Gruhn. “These new episodes double our current output, giving us 16 compelling episodes. Each one provides a unique story and supplies the industry with beneficial market breakdowns, actionable content and highlight many different business aspects within our industry.”

Learn more about The Boat Biz podcast here.

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.

Improve Your Customer’s Experience by Owning Your RECT

Because you’re involved in a dealership service department, you know what’s coming. It’s the chaos of spring launch season.

And while pulling it off is a heavy lift for even the best-of-the-best service departments, it’s a huge opportunity for your team as well. An opportunity to kick off your customers’ boating season on the right foot … or not. To increase their boat usage … or not. To build long-term customer loyalty (read: repeat business) … or not. And to add general referral business … or not.

Liz Walz MRAA VP of Education image
Liz Walz

That’s why we picked this February Spotlight topic – Ease the Service Stress of Spring Deliveries – and it’s why we are partnering with MRAA Strategic Partner Lightspeed to share meaningful Repair Event Cycle Time (RECT) insights with you. We know your customers’ experience (CX) with your service department is critical to the quality and longevity of their relationship with your dealership – and RECT is a big part of that. Spring launch is a fresh chance at getting the season started in the correct way.

Here are a few RECT insights to get things rolling:

  1. If you’re not tracking your dealership’s RECT, now is the time to start. Some Dealer Management Systems (DMS) make it easy for you to track. But any dealer can measure the time between opening a repair order and closing it. Learn more about measuring and improving RECT from MRAA’s Spotlight on the topic last February.
  2. Different DMS companies and different dealerships track it in different ways. What matters most is that you’re tracking it … and you’re actively working to reduce your RECT numbers so your customers have a better service experience and enjoy more time using their boat on the water.
  3. MRAA and VRZ Consulting worked together to identify proven tactics leading dealers use to overcome common challenges during each step of the service process that can lead to longer time in the shop and disappointed customers. You can find these solutions related to detailing and delivering – the final step of the service process – as part of this month’s Spotlight.
  4. As the marine industry gains more experience tracking RECT as an important customer experience metric and service department key performance indicator, our understanding of the numbers improves. For example, when Lightspeed first started tracking RECT, they only included repair orders in which marine dealers had recorded parts and labor in their DMS, which was a small subsegment of the total repair orders submitted. Today, they include repair orders with no parts or labor entered, which allows for a much larger pool of total repair orders. In addition, they’ve removed statistical outliers created by circumstances like storage. As a result, they are reporting a lower average RECT: about 24 days. Dealers report this is more representative of what’s happening in their shops than earlier methods, according to Lightspeed. Read more about MRAA and Lightspeed RECT changes.
  5. While our understanding of the numbers continues to change and improve, our commitment to helping you improve RECT through the sharing of best practices, education and resources remains steadfast.

Not only will Lightspeed and MRAA be regularly sharing metrics related to the factors that influence RECT, but our team will soon be releasing dealer case studies from Lightspeed’s RECT award winners, sharing strategies these businesses have applied to achieve industry-leading customer experience.

If you have ideas for RECT education and resources that would benefit you and your team, we’d love to hear them. You are always welcome to email me at liz@mraa.com.

Discover Boating Recognized with 2022 Neptune Award for Best Integrated Marketing Campaign

Discover Boating’s “See You Out Here” campaign was recognized with a 2022 Neptune Award for best integrated marketing campaign. The winners were announced by the Marine Marketers of America (MMA), the association for marketing professionals in the recreational marine industry, at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show.

Matt Gruhn of the MRAA
Matt Gruhn, MRAA President

“Our ‘See You Out Here’ campaign has helped maintain industry momentum and welcome a diverse audience of newcomers to recreational boating,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “This recognition and award reinforce the importance for Discover Boating to continue creating and distributing strong marketing efforts that engage future boaters and promote the benefits of boating.”

The entries spanned 22 different categories and were judged by a committee of creative professionals. The judges’ comments about Discover Boating’s See You Out Here Campaign included:

  • This campaign truly epitomizes what an integrated marketing campaign should be and propels the marine industry forward.
  • Very well designed, executed and reported. Well documented with ambitious goals, well-addressed and results documented.
NMAA staffers receive the 2023 Neptune Award for Discover Boating's See You Out Here 2022 marketing campaign.
Discover Boating, powered by NMMA and MRAA, received a Neptune Award for the 2022 “See You Out Here” marketing campaign.

“We are honored to receive a Neptune Award for Discover Boating’s 2022 ‘See You Out Here’ campaign,” said Kevin Williams, NMMA’s Vice President of Marketing. “It’s a testament to the effort that went into our marketing approach and the progress we are making in attracting the next generation while connecting with existing boaters since the campaign launch.”

For images and the full list of Neptune Awards winners, click here.

2022 Florida Boating Safety Act Means Changes for Your Business

Beginning on January 1, 2023, Boat Rental Operators, or Liveries, in Florida have been required to obtain annual permits as well as have valid insurance for both the business operations and for their customer, the renter. This new requirement was included in the Florida Boating Safety Act of 2022, Sponsored by Senator Ileana Garcia (Miami) and Representative Adam Botana (Bonita Springs), and passed during the Florida Legislature’s previous session in 2022. Although the bill mandates that the new regulations go into effect on January 1, 2023, the changes are not being enforced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for six months, or until June 1, 2023.

Besides creating the requirement for the no-cost permit, the legislation also makes changes to boater education requirements and insurance requirements for liveries, as well. The insurance aspect stands to be the most contested requirement because, during the final few days of session, additional language was added to the legislation, causing a “glitch” to be created, and requiring insurance for the renter as well as the operation.

Background:

This new legislation was put in place partially to stop illegal rental operations that are commonplace throughout Florida. These illegal rental operations put all boaters on the water at risk and this legislation was meant to create a safer overall boating environment by making changes to Temporary Certificates and by requiring the rental operations to be permitted.

The new regulations now explicitly state that the rental operator, or their employee, must also have a boating safety license and also outline what must be covered with renters during the pre-rental and pre-ride check list. These new pre-rental and pre-ride instructions are designed to minimize the number of on-water accidents. The no-cost permits for livery operators are also designed to increase safety and ensure proper business practices. In order to receive a permit, the applicant must list all of the vessels available for rent, proof of insurance, local business license and tax receipts, and more.

While the aforementioned changes will ultimately create a safer and more enjoyable boating experience for rental operators and boat owners alike in Florida, three words make the proposed legislation untenable for rental operators. In the final days of the 2022 Legislative Session, the words “…and the renter” were added to the legislation – ultimately requiring that the livery offer insurance for the renter, up to $500,000 per individual and $1,000,000 per incident. Currently, this creates an impediment for livery operators as there are limited providers of such insurance and that currently makes it too expensive for rental operators.

The addition of “and the renter” is considered by many as a “glitch,” as it was only added in the last few days of session and fundamentally changed the nature of the new regulation, changing it from something liveries were happy to implement immediately to a formidable challenge that may risk the health of their business.

Moving Ahead

Currently, Senator Garcia and Representative Botana are working on a fix and have pre-filed HB 261 which attempts to remove the “glitch” language. We are now waiting for Florida’s legislative session to begin and provide input and support for this bill as it makes it through the legislative process. If you would like to learn how to support our efforts to pass HB 261, reach out to Chad Tokowicz, MRAA’s Government Relations Manager here.

Additional Resources

If you would like to learn more about the Florida Boating Safety Act, please see the below pages.

Want more insights on running a successful dealership or retail store? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Toolbox, and get exclusive tips on operating your dealership as well as relevant marine industry news – delivered straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe to Toolbox.

‘BoatUS Magazine’ Wins 5 Awards for Writing Excellence

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Feb. 22, 2023 – Boating Writers International, the professional association for writers, editors, publishers, bloggers, photographers and videographers in the recreational boating and fishing industries, bestowed five awards on BoatUS Magazine staff and contributors during a presentation recently held at the group’s annual meeting at the 2023 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show.

The awards, which attracted 267 entries, recognized the best marine writing and content to winners across 15 categories. Recipients were awarded a plaque noting their “excellence in creating compelling stories about boating through entertaining, educational and inspiring journalism” as well as cash prizes.

BoatUS Magazine articles earned a first-, two second-, and two third-place awards across three categories.

BoatUS Magazine contributing editor Frank Lanier earned a first-place prize in the 2022 BWI Awards for his feature, “7 Ways to Murder Your Diesel.”

Category: Seamanship, Rescue & Safety (sponsored by Sea Tow Services International)

First place: “7 Ways to Murder Your Diesel” by BoatUS Magazine contributing editor Frank Lanier (April/May 2022 issue). BWI Judge Jim Rhodes said, “This subject could have been just another boring technical piece on diesel maintenance, but the author cleverly introduces famous fictional detectives to pose the question: Who killed this diesel, and how did the murderer do it?”

Second place: “When the Tail Wags the Dog” by BoatUS Magazine contributing editor Dan Armitage (April/May 2022 issue). A scary firsthand experience creates the perfect entry to explain how to reduce the chances of fishtailing or jackknifing while trailering a boat.

Category: Boating Issues, News and Analysis (sponsored by Mercury Marine)

Second place: “How Often are Your Electronic Charts Updated?” by BoatUS Magazine contributing editor Tim Murphy (November/December 2022 issue). Electronic navigation charts aren’t updated as often as boaters think they are. Tim gets to the bottom of the issue and offers a few workarounds for when having the latest info is critical.

Third place: “From Barges to Pleasure Boats” by BoatUS Magazine senior editor Rich Armstrong (February/March 2022 issue). BoatUS is helping to shape the future of recreational boating on New York’s historic Erie Canal.

Category: Environmental Awareness & Education (sponsored by Torqeedo)

Third place: “Can we Rise with the Tide?” by BoatUS Magazine contributing editor Fiona McGlynn (September/October 2022 issue). Sea levels have been creeping up for decades, and the speed is accelerating. Recreational boaters need to be proactive.

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U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss Visits Discover Boating New England Boat Show

U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) visited the New England Boat Show Thursday, Feb. 16, touring the show with NMMA Vice President of Northeast Boat Shows Jon Pritko and MMTA Executive Director Randall Lyons.

(From left) NMMA Vice President of Northeast Boat Shows Jon Pritko, U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) and MMTA Executive Director Randall Lyons at the 2023 Discover Boating New England Boat Show.

During the visit the importance the recreational boating industry plays in New England was discussed. The economic impact in New England is over $15 Billion dollars with close to 80,000 jobs within the industry and over 3,000 businesses represented (See infographic below right). Additional topics discussed, included the NOAA proposed speed restrictions effecting the industry, the blue economy and workforce challenges. There are several new and existing training programs in New England focused on training the future leaders within our industry. 

Representative Auchincloss noted: “Marine science & tech is the most important growth edge for southeastern Massachusetts. I’m committed to promoting jobs and businesses in this sector.”

Business visits with elected officials are critically important opportunities for highlighting the recreational boating industry and both NMMA and MMTA encourage their members to work with both state and national elected officials on scheduling business visits. Representative Auchincloss recently became the newest member of the Congressional Boating Caucus joining close to 100 other national Senators and Representatives.

“Representative Auchincloss has been a strong advocate on behalf of the recreational boating and fishing industry in Massachusetts and has long supported industry efforts on Capitol Hill and beyond,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, CEO and President of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). “As a boating champion and valued member of the Congressional Boating Caucus, the NMMA and MMTA teams valued the congressman’s visit and look forward to working with Representative Auchincloss’ office to advance and protect the $170 billion recreational boating and fishing industry.”  (See infographic, right)

MRAA Dealer Solutions Unveils Expanded Marine Pre-Owned Program

MINNEAPOLIS, February 22 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) and MRAA Dealer Solutions successfully launched the MRAA Verified Program for dealers looking to drive more revenue in their pre-owned boat business. 

The new program, named “MRAA Verified,” expands on the confidence provided by MRAA’s industry-leading Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program (CPO) and will welcome boats that may not meet the requirements to earn the Certified-Pre-Owned designation. 

The MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program has established itself as the only universal, turnkey CPO program in the marine industry. Boat dealers and their customers gain confidence in buying and selling pre-owned boats that are less than 10 years old through MRAA’s Certified Pre-Owned process that offers the most thorough evaluation and testing of pre-owned boats in the marine industry. 

All pre-owned boats that dealers take in on trade could benefit from the deeper inspection and analysis provided by MRAA Verified but may not meet the age requirements, for example, to be eligible for MRAA’s Certified-Pre-Owned designation. The success of the MRAA CPO program generated dealer requests for a similar product to cover additional boats in their inventory that have a production date that exceeds 10 years. 

“In a market where the vast majority of product research is done and decisions are made before the consumer even engages a dealership sales team, the MRAA Verified program can be an instrumental tool to drive customer engagement and differentiate your inventory from the competition,” says Jason Walz, MRAA Director of Programs. 

The MRAA Verified program maintains two essential elements from the Certified Pre-Owned program – the Boat History Report® and Titan Certified wear and fluid sample testing. The detailed information obtained through these services provides pre-owned buyers with a historical record of the vessel, as well as the condition of the engine and transmission helping them make a confident, informed choice. 

Additionally, MRAA Verified, like the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program, features customized website widgets to differentiate your dealer’s pre-owned inventory from your competitor’s boats that are not backed by the Titan Certified Limited guarantee. After passing the certification or verification process, a program-specific logo automatically appears with the boat on the dealer’s website, where consumers can access detailed reports, detailing the process the dealer took to certify or verify the vessel helping them to make an informed decision.

MRAA CPO Boat Program
MRAA’s Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program

“By identifying the pre-owned units that have passed the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned and MRAA Verified process, dealers can set their inventory apart, demonstrate that they exercised all due diligence on the boat inspection, and add another level of trust with their customers,” says Walz. 

Titan Certified is a high-technology company providing the electronic communication path between its “DNA Blood Test” wear and fluid analysis and consumer-centric dealers’ websites for the auto, trucking, heavy equipment, RV, powersports and marine industries. In today’s competitive consumer market, full disclosure is paramount. Statistics show a preference among consumers to receive condition reports before purchasing used vehicles and watercraft. A Titan Certification is the missing link, as no technician can see inside an engine or powertrain components during a regular inspection. Titan provides that view electronically and an automated process delivers it to the dealer’s website. The reports display the data in parts per million. Titan Certified specializes in connecting strategic companies for the benefit of consumers and industry-leading dealerships.  

Boat History Report, the leading provider of watercraft history reports, helps its customers make better used watercraft purchase decisions by putting all available information at their fingertips. This information helps individual boat buyers and dealers avoid buying a stolen boat or one with costly hidden damage, which could negatively impact safety on the water and severely affect trade-in values.  Additionally, Boat History Report offers boat dealers confidence in the condition and price of their inventory as well as a greater level of trust with their customers. Founded in 2005, Boat History Report has amassed the largest boat database with more than 122 million unique records and over 1.5 million significant negative events! 

About MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified
The MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified are owned and operated by MRAA Dealer Solutions, LLC, a subsidiary of the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. Through a licensing agreement, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas provides MRAA Dealer Solutions and the MRAA Certified Pre-Owned Boat Program and MRAA Verified with marketing and staffing support. Visit https://cpoboats.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.

700Credit Partners with IDS to Improve Dealer Sales Process

700Credit is pleased to announce an integration alliance with IDS, a complete DMS and CRM for RV, Marine & Trailer dealerships. Our partnership with IDS aligns nicely with our growth in these markets.

Sample Vendor Spotlight

Through this new integration, dealers will be able to pull credit reports, manage compliance efforts and run prescreens directly from the IDS platform, simplifying dealer workflow and giving dealers access to a consumer’s credit score earlier in the sales process so they can close more deals, faster.  In particular, the integration of the 700Credit prescreen platform (Quickscreen) in the CRM provides insight at the top of the sales funnel enabling the dealer to provide accurate payment quotes earlier in the process.

To learn more about this new integration, click the button below.

Sign Up for Integration Here

Both 700Credit (Education Champions) and IDS (Partner Member) are partners with the MRAA.

About 700Credit, LLC

700 Credit is the largest provider of credit reports, compliance and soft pull products to automotive, marine, powersports and RV dealers. Our offerings include credit reports, prescreen and pre-qualification platforms, OFAC compliance, Red Flag solutions, MLA, Synthetic Fraud Detection, Identity Verification, score disclosure notices, adverse action notices and more.

About Integrated Dealer Systems

Integrated Dealer Systems is the leading provider of complete software solutions for RV, marine, and trailer dealerships. Trusted by 1,100+ dealers, IDS has set the standard for quality and technological innovation since 1987.