Don’t Split Up the Team

How the strength of the dealer-manufacturer relationship drives customer loyalty.

By Matt Gruhn, MRAA President

“Don’t split up the team,” Christina Fliakos said.

Nearly 50 dealers and manufacturers paused their conversations and turned to Fliakos, who is Senior Manager of Parts and Service Processes at Brunswick Corp.’s Service Center of Excellence.

They had been buzzing about repair event cycle times and the need to collaborate to get customers’ boats back on the water faster. Too often, poor communication between dealers and manufacturers slows down warranty repairs. Dealers contact the manufacturer, whose warranty either allows for the repairs or not. Customers faced with out-of-pocket costs become frustrated with the dealer. Sometimes, they call the manufacturer directly. If the manufacturer then approves the warranty work, it undermines the dealer’s relationship with the customer.

“Don’t split up the team” was Fliakos’ way of saying that dealers and manufacturers need to be on the same side.

The dealer-manufacturer relationship is often overlooked as a bedrock element in the boater’s buying and ownership experience. In fact, warranty-related processes and policies represent just one of six key areas where the quality of the dealer-manufacturer relationship either drives or deteriorates customer loyalty with boating.

In preparing for the meeting where Fliakos brought this reality squarely into focus, I spent a significant amount of time exploring where, exactly, the dealer-manufacturer relationship affects the customer experience and customer loyalty. I talked with more than three dozen manufacturers and dealers. We discussed the desires and expectations that manufacturers held for dealers, and vice versa. Then, we dove deeper into which of those desires and expectations actually affect the customer experience, and how.

I also reviewed articles from outside our industry on dealer-manufacturer relations, including performance-oriented scorecards and state-level warranty laws. I examined nearly two dozen marine manufacturer-dealer agreements, including a model agreement created by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and the National Marine Manufacturers Association. When I was done with that, I reviewed sales and service contracts, eligibility policies, operating standards, evaluation forms and termination notices.

That’s how these six key areas of the dealer-manufacturer relationship were identified, specifically as areas that directly affect the boat-buying and ownership experience:

Supply chain management that ensures quality boats reach the customer. This includes inventory management. Steady orders let manufacturers level-load their production lines, and managing inventory costs is a priority for dealership health. Dealers and manufacturers must act appropriately in response to market dynamics. Both should make ongoing investments in workforce development to support producing, selling, and servicing boats and engines.

Quicker service turnaround times for the consumer. This applies to new-delivery and service-repaired boats alike. It begins with quality assurance efforts — including the quality of products from third-party suppliers — at the manufacturer level. There’s a need for quicker problem-solving, along with effective methods for involving manufacturers when interfacing with customers. There are opportunities to share boat schematics, build sheets and other documentation to enable more accurate parts procurement. There’s also a need for dealers to respond faster, with better-quality information. Improved two-way communication presents a united front to the consumer.

Warranty policies that take care of the issues and the customer. Several opportunities in this area should be explored, including reimbursement policies based on performance with incentives at or above the dealer’s retail rate; preapprovals that speed up the time to get boaters back on the water; policies that speak to dealers’ travel and haul-out costs; and post-dealer termination policies focused on taking care of the customer, including parts access, reimbursements and allowing the selling dealer to provide service for the life of the warranty.

Annual performance reviews that ensure manufacturers and dealers are providing a high-quality boating experience for customers. This opportunity begins with stating clear expectations for the dealer and manufacturer. Identify and document what an actual review process should look like. Use “cure periods” to fix underperformance by dealers or manufacturers.

Manufacturer-sponsored development programs that ensure dealership teams and customers are educated on the product. Such an approach would ask manufacturers to require product sales training, require technician training and require competency training for dealership teams. The approach could also involve the use of certifications or credentialing to ensure that dealership team members are retaining knowledge and skills.

Improved dealer-manufacturer agreements that support partnership, sound business practices and customer loyalty. This catchall interconnects all of the above touchpoints into a written document. It also includes addressing such key elements as an initial contract with proper length and terms; the mutual pursuit of agreed-upon expectations; and the renewal of the contract with considerations around length of the term and conditions for continued improvement.

In the boater’s buying and ownership experience, where every touchpoint with our industry can be consequential, the burden of accountability falls upon the dealer and manufacturer. While many other players — suppliers, distributors, lenders, technology providers and more — play a significant role, the dealer and manufacturer serve as the face of the marine industry to the consumer.

It’s our goal at the MRAA to focus on much more than keeping this team intact. It’s our priority and part of our strategic plan to help strengthen and enhance what this critical team brings to the table. The effort needs to begin with establishing clear expectations, maintaining collaborative communications, and improving on what we learn along the way.

Stay tuned to learn where our efforts are leading us. And please reach out if you think we’ve missed anything: matt@mraa.com.

This article was originally published in the October 2024 issue of Soundings Trade Only.

Beer vs. Boats

In the game of trying to stabilize inventory, there really is no difference.

By Matt Gruhn, MRAA President

Have you ever played The Beer Game? No, I’m not talking about a frat-house game. I’m talking about The Beer Game as chronicled in the book The Fifth Discipline. The book shares the story of three businesses — a beer retailer, a beer distributor and a brewer — seeking to serve their customers well, to keep their product moving and to avoid the risks inherent in supply-and-demand environments.

Author Peter M. Senge has seen the same outcome during the thousands of times his collegiate and management-level students have played The Beer Game. Each participant makes well-motivated, clearly defensible judgments, based on reasonable expectations of what might happen in managing their business. After that, everything goes sideways.

“First, there is growing demand that can’t be met,” Senge writes. “Orders build throughout the system. Inventories are depleted. Backlogs grow. Then, the beer arrives en masse while incoming orders suddenly decline. By the end of the experiment, almost all players are sitting with large inventories they cannot unload.”

The point of the game is to prepare students for similar crises that surface in real production-distribution systems. Take the recreational marine industry. Today, in our factories and our dealerships, the scenario is threatening to play out in real time, despite the fact that we’ve already played this game.

Remember when the Great Recession turned growing sales trends into a precipitous rise in inventory levels that put 35% of our dealerships out of business, seemingly overnight?

More recently, in our real-life version of The Boat Game, demand skyrocketed and dealer inventories quickly depleted during the early stages of the pandemic. Boats were then purchased on pre-order, before they even hit the production line. The pressure on dealers and manufacturers mounted to the point of overwhelm, largely due to the fact that insane demand coupled with worldwide supply chain issues meant they simply couldn’t keep up. Dealers just kept ordering because they knew they could sell everything they could get their hands on.

Then, about a year and a half ago, demand began to subside, those back orders were still being built, and normalization of inventory levels came way faster than anyone expected.

So now we’re on the back end of this round of The Boat Game, trying to adjust our businesses and our inventory levels to the market’s latest realities. The numbers are stark: According to key industry partners, inventory levels at dealerships across the United States on Dec. 31, 2022, compared with Dec. 31, 2021, had effectively doubled. And that trend has continued into the prime selling season of 2023.

Some dealers have noted that they have canceled orders, aren’t taking new orders, and they’re concerned over how to order for the 2024 model year.

“We are receiving 2023 models in May and June,” one dealer told us in MRAA’s May 2023 Pulse Report, “and at the same time being asked for 2024 models to ship in July and August.” This is the point in the game where supply is arriving en masse, while demand has sharply decreased.

Another dealer wrote: “Boat companies are asking for our 2024 orders already. Seems like every year they want [orders] earlier and earlier, knowing that if we order now, the boats will be here in July, and we’ll still have half our 2023 inventory on the lot.”

In response, manufacturers have begun to slow production, perhaps a little too late, as they simultaneously seek to fill the white space in their networks — the market areas where they have no, low or poor dealer representation. Manufacturer promotions have also been on the rise, as dealers cut their margins and fight harder to turn shoppers into buyers.

This isn’t the new normal. It’s the old normal, coming back to life.

We’ve endured periods of rapid inventory growth before. The question is: Do we remember the lessons we learned?

As dealers, it does us no good to complain about manufacturers wanting us to buy more product. A little more than a year ago, dealers were begging for more shipments. Today, perhaps, inventory levels are high enough. But did the manufacturers know that before the request for more orders came in?

As manufacturers, it does us no good to pressure dealers to take more inventory than they are comfortable with, or to introduce more product into the market by finding another dealer. Both paths compromise the health of our industry and our critical distribution network.

What’s needed here is a better understanding of and responsiveness to the cyclical nature of our industry. Dealers must balance the right product offerings and the right amount of product with the demands of the marketplace, while manufacturers seek efficient, consistent production output. Achieving this balance is always a challenge, but it’s something that can be better managed.

The point is: The pressure dealers and manufacturers are feeling could be significantly reduced if we could improve the systemic issues that cause these recurring challenges.

Senge outlines several lessons we can take from The Beer Game. First: More often than we realize, it is the system that causes the crisis, not external forces or individuals’ mistakes. Second: System structure includes how people make decisions (the operating policies whereby we translate perception of demand), goals (established months or years prior to today’s reality), rules (often written by someone else) and norms (such as habits, good or bad). Third: Players of the game have it in their power to eliminate the extreme instabilities that invariably occur, but they fail to do so because they do not understand how they are creating the instability in the first place.

Echoing Senge, I suggest that, if thousands of boat dealers and their respective manufacturers — representing different demographics, customer types and market areas — all generate the same patterns of behavior, then the causes of the behavior must lie beyond the individual dealer or boat brand. The causes of the behavior must lie in the structure of the game itself.

What must the marine industry do to change the structure of our game? Perhaps a good place to start the discussion is the MRAA July 2023 Spotlight topic: inventory management. Find resources to help at mraa.com/spotlight. 

This article was originally published in the July 2023 issue of Soundings Trade Only.

Dealer Week Comfort Spot Returns: Priority One Relaxation Station

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 21 – The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announces the return of the popular Relaxation Station, presented by Priority One Financial Services, to the Dealer Week Conference & Expo, Dec. 8-11, in Orlando, Florida.

Dealer Week Comfort Spot Returns: Priority One Relaxation Station

After last year’s sell-out experience at boating’s only event focused on dealer growth, MRAA Partner Member and Dealer Week Exhibitor Priority One Financial Services will again sponsor a Relaxation Station for three days, Dec. 9-11. Guests can visit the complimentary Priority One Relaxation Station to unwind in a tropical oasis for 15 minutes. They can schedule a massage with a trained massage therapist or stop by for a first-come-first serve massage in a zero-gravity therapeutic massage chair. Additional guest amenities will include fresh snacks, spa water and phone charging stations.

“It’s important to help dealers celebrate all the hard work they do on a daily basis, so the return of the Priority One Relaxation Station allows them a short escape from business and a chance to kick their feet up,” said Allison Gruhn, Vice President of Business Planning. “Dealer Week education helps dealers focus on the year ahead, providing them with clear takeaways and implementable solutions they can take back to their businesses. This complementary chance to relax helps them recharge their mindset, too, as they ready themselves for 2025!”

Find the Relaxation Station inside the Dealer Week Expo Hall entrance, directly to the left, located between Smoker Craft (Booth 124) and Barletta Pontoon Boats (Booth 137).

To experience where rest and relaxation meet recreation in Orlando, reserve your spot today.

About Priority One Financial Services
Founded in 1987, Priority One Financial Services, Inc. offers flexible, business-ready finance and insurance solutions for marine, RV, trailer, powersports, park model and equipment dealers. A division of Forest River, a Berkshire Hathaway company, Priority One provides full-service retail financing to customers through industry-leading technology and award-winning service. 

Headquartered in Saint Petersburg, Fla., the five-time Tampa Bay Business Journal “Best Place to Work”honoree also owns and operates Priority One Equipment Finance and Veritas Insurance Group.  

For more, visit p1fs.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.

7 Tips for Driving Up Dealership Profitability

There’s not much that grabs attention like a promise of a 23% increase in profits.

That’s why I bet Gallup got a lot of clicks on the report it released this fall, suggesting that teams with the highest levels of employee engagement had 23% higher profits than those with the lowest levels of employee engagement.

Employee engagement is a topic that everyone can agree seems really important. However, as managers, it’s not always clear how to move the needle and where it should fit on the priority list. That’s particularly true in a challenging market in which keeping cash flowing, making payroll and ensuring the lights stay on are real concerns for some dealerships.

So, what are some concrete actions you can take to move the employee engagement (and profit) needle now?

• Tip 1: Start measuring employee engagement and satisfaction, if you’re not already. More than 300 marine dealership locations across the U.S. and Canada are already doing this each year through the Marine Industry Certified Dealership program, and we often hear that it’s one of the most impactful elements of getting and staying certified.

• Tip 2: Ask your employee about their training needs. At least five of the 12 employee needs Gallup has identified managers can meet to improve employees’ productivity can be tied to training and education. When you spend time or money to help a team member develop professionally, you demonstrate that:

  • You care about them.
  • You encourage their development.
  • You believe their job is important.
  • You are paying attention to their progress, and it is worth focusing on for you and them.
  • You are committed to giving them opportunities to learn and grow.

Training and education is most effective when it is focused on an area where the employee recognizes a need to improve and grow and is motivated to do so. You will find out what these areas are by asking.

Also, consider the goals your dealership has for the team member. To do so, you might evaluate your employee’s performance in the key result areas of their position. Are they carrying out the responsibilities they were hired to do? How well are they performing in those areas?

• Tip 3: Create a development plan. Use this insight into the employee’s goals and your dealership’s goals to create a professional development plan together for the year ahead. What three or four main objectives do you strive to accomplish and how and when will you accomplish them? If you need a simple training template to create your plan, you’re welcome to download a sample one from the Workforce area of the MRAA Resource Center. You can also find tips for performance reviews on this page.

7 Tips for Driving Up Dealership Profitability

• Tip 4: Assess what training is available. To answer those questions and complete this plan, you’ll need to assess what training is available and choose education and training opportunities for your employee to participate in. Don’t let a lack of funds stop your forward momentum. These opportunities can come in a variety of forms for a variety of budgets, from books to conferences, podcasts and webinars to e-learning courses. If you need help determining the right option for you and your team member, reach out to the MRAA Education Team for guidance. It would be our pleasure to help.

• Tip 5: Prepare beforehand and follow-up afterward. Perhaps even more important than what kind of training you offer your employee is how you, their manager, help them prepare for success beforehand and follow-up afterward.

Authors and training gurus Mary L. Broad and John W. Newstrom researched whose effort is involved in the positive impact of training. They found that supervisors, not trainers or the person actually attending and learning from an education event, had the greatest impact on whether it had a positive effect at work, mostly in the form of that supervisor’s effort before and after the training.

• Tip 6: Create coaching and mentorship opportunities. Remember that managing change isn’t easy for an individual or for a team, even when everyone is on board with that change. New behaviors often take months to become habits, and unforeseen obstacles to change often get in the way. This is where you can assist, coach, mentor and support your employee or your team through the process to positive results.

Even once it appears that a new strategy, process or tactic is in place, regular check-ins are a good idea. The stress of events like new hires, surges in business or other common obstacles can cause a setback in which team members revert to old, comfortable behaviors. Even without stumbling blocks like those, the regular check-in keeps the process moving forward and allows for necessary adjustments to take place.

• Tip 7: Develop a career pathway. When you create a development plan with an employee, the goal is to help them, you and the dealership meet its goals for growth. But where is that growth leading? The ultimate demonstration of your commitment to your employee and their development is to build a path (or paths) together where that growth could take their career. Even an informal conversation about options for the future can go a long way in building employee engagement and loyalty.

Strategies and tactics like these boost employee engagement and retention, while inspiring your team to perform at their best. It’s no wonder, then, that there is such a strong correlation between employee engagement and profitability.

6 New Partner Members Join the MRAA

MINNEAPOLIS, November 19, 2024 — The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announces the addition of 1st Mate Logistics, Amplified People Solutions, Bonsai Media Group, Canopy Financial, Granfort USA Marine Distribution and My Financing USA as its newest Partner Members.  

6 New Partner Members Join the MRAA

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 Partner Members allows the association to expand its offerings and create a positive, long-term impact on MRAA members’ business.  

  • 1st Mate Logistics (Hixson, Tennessee.) provides a range of transportation options, including 53-foot marine haulers, flatbeds, bumper pulls, ocean freight and enclosed trailers for parts. It’s a go-to choice for boat builders and suppliers. 
  • Amplified People Solutions (Las Vegas, Nevada) specializes in tailored HR, project consulting, training and strategic planning for the marine industry. They support marine businesses that need expert HR guidance without a full-time department, no matter the size of the team. 
  • Bonsai Media Group (Seattle, Washington) helps original equipment manufacturers generate leads and boost engagement with targeted social ads and enhanced search rankings. They create fast, award-winning websites and immersive 3D/2D product configurators for detailed customer interaction. 
  • Canopy Financial (Loveland, Ohio) is dedicated to empowering businesses with personalized, transparent lending solutions. Their customer service division simplifies financial experiences with tailored loan options and innovative digital tools, making it smarter and more accessible. 
  • Granfort USA Marine Distribution (Melbourne, Florida) offers premium boats from 21 to 42 feet, blending style, performance and reliability for unforgettable experiences. They provide exceptional craftsmanship, seamless support and transparent pricing for effortless boat ownership. 
  • My Financing USA (Louisville, Kentucky) offers RV, boat and motorhome financing across the U.S. with a quick, secure application process and flexible options for all credit scores, finding the best loan programs tailored to customer needs.

“Partnering with these six exceptional companies strengthens our dedication to delivering innovative, front-line solutions and unmatched support to the marine industry,” says Allison Gruhn, MRAA Vice President of Business Development. “These collaborations not only enhance our ability to meet the evolving needs of the industry, but also reflect our ongoing commitment to driving growth, fostering innovation and creating lasting value for our partners and customers alike.” 

Dealer members are encouraged to explore the list of companies that actively support the MRAA across four partnership levels. View the complete 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. 

Take This Job and … LOVE It!

The first work-related tune that pops in a lot of people’s heads is probably “Take This Job and Shove It,” a David Allen Coe song made popular by Johnny Paycheck (got to appreciate that last name!). According to Wikipedia, the song represents a working man’s attitude toward a gig he’s worked long and hard at, but found no true reward for his efforts. Plus, his woman has left him, making him extra emotional.  

Chances are, as a leader, you’ve either heard a similar phrase from an employee or learned about someone’s bitterness for their job, which may have even come as a surprise to you. So how can you transform the “shove it” into “LOVE it?” By investing in your employees, you can help to build a culture of accountability and trust and create better engagement. Through active listening and taking an empathetic approach, you can help to shift some of their focus to training and personal development rather than only performance and results.

When you create professional development plans for your employees and gain their buy-in, you not only meet their expectations but also improve engagement, trust and satisfaction.

Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson shared a simple sentence on his LinkedIn account that read, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” This is a different take to the old dual-question we’ve heard in the boating industry that says, “What if I train them and they leave? What if you don’t train them and they stay?”

So how can you invest in your employees more, even in challenging times? It’s more affordable to train them and retain them than it is to hire new talent. It’s also painful to see the revolving door of talent keep spinning because it drains your confidence and that of your remaining staff. Of course, some people’s departure feels more like a gift more than a gut punch, but that’s why it’s critical to set them up for success; so the good ones stay!

In a recent MRAA Pulse Report, we asked leaders a question to identify their most challenging aspect for selecting and assigning staff to training opportunities? Those opportunities for continued learning and professional growth. The top obstacle was finding the time within the schedule and was followed by the cost of training in general. View the results in this MRAA Infographic.

Take This Job and … LOVE It!

Once you overcome your dealership’s limitations, the next critical step is to create and follow a plan for to help them find success, not discouragement. Use these helpful tips to set up a training program that helps your team.

  • Specific Training and Development Plans: For employee development, it’s vital to set up a structured training plan that gets employee buy-in. You can help your employees – sometimes even at a different pace based upon the individual – improve their skills and confidence with a definite pathway for success. Set up their plan together, complete with directives and expectations, to avoid any confusion.
  • Employee Engagement and Feedback: Your timely, constructive feedback can make a world of difference in their training success (or failure). Employees need regular feedback, as it helps them understand where they are and where they need to be. HOT TIP: Make your feedback timely by sharing it with them as close as possible to their training event. HOT TIP: A key pillar within the MRAA Certified Dealership Program is an Employee Satisfaction Survey, that captures your team’s anonymous feedback and suggestions for improvement. 
  • Advancement Opportunities: Employee retention can improve by showcasing your interest in making possible their desire for advancement. For them to understand and have a clear vision for growth can be motivating and help them reinvest in your dealership.
  • Needs Analysis: Do you even know what each of your employees wants from their role and daily work? Think: What’s in it for them? When you create opportunities for them that align with your business goals, they gain perspective. By allowing autonomy and providing meaningful work you can help them gain gratification within the work they perform.
  • Cultural Fit and Values: In order to develop a respected work-place culture, you want to help develop employees who fit within your organization and share similar values. This leads to improved performance and greater satisfaction among your crew. This includes both hard skills and the ever-important soft skills (critical thinking, creativity, adaptability …).

The MRAA has a couple courses to aid you in employee development, including:

Even with a plan in place, your busy dealership environment makes it challenging to find the “extra” time to watch, listen and learn additional education and insights. Try these strategies to help your training operations progress:

  • Integrate Training into Daily Operations: By integrating learning into your team’s daily tasks, you ease the pain to “find time” for it. HOT TIP: Use a mentor/apprentice method to help some employees learn on the job. This can be more efficient and offers real-world education and implementation.
  • Start Small & Simple: When employees are doing what they enjoy, the clock moves quickly. You don’t want them counting down the hours and becoming clock watchers. That’s why building an uncomplicated plan for education is critical. The idea is not to add more time in their day. You’re better off creating short, focused training. Also, convenient training programs and using friendly digital platforms (where they learn) create less hurdles and excuses for failure.
  • Time Management: We all know employees manage their time differently. Some shine by concentrating their efforts on creating perfected work habits that lead to successful outcomes. Others need guidance, and sometimes coaxing, to become more focused and consistent. Better time management can help remove the excuse of “there’s no time.”
  • Budget: More often than not, through a membership, travel, conferences and other offerings, training is not free. It’s wise to budget for your training plan, whether that includes distant travel or digital education programs. When you plan for it and include it in your budget, you’re committed to use it. Plus, your team gains a better understanding of your dedication to training so they buy-in because they see avenues for personal and professional growth.
  • Employee Input: While you could drive the bus, it’s often better to let the employees take a turn behind the wheel during the planning phase to be sure it meets their needs and interests. They are also more likely to engage with the opportunities provided.
  • Highlight the Benefits: As a leader, your ability to showcase the benefits of training and career advancement clearly to your employees can make a huge difference. When they know you want to help them improve and grow, you gain active participants, not superficial players who were assigned an additional task.

Explore the MRAA’s Guide to Dealership Improvement to find more improvement strategies, including how to develop a training plan and budget customized for your dealership.

Incentive Pay for Training?
Some leaders view the training as a perk to their employee, as in an opportunity for career advancement. Determining whether to provide incentive or pay upon training completion depends upon your dealership’s financial situation, the type of training and the predetermined education plan you set up with your team.

  • Added Value: Because it enhances your employees’ skills and professional growth, you can choose to make training a perk to the employment. Just remember to make it clear from the start that you’re investing in their professional development so they understand the program. Gaining their satisfaction and helping them perform better is essential to their success and yours.
  • Compensation Alignment: Training is valuable for sure, but can be more rewarding if it involves increased skills and more responsibilities. You have to determine if your employee can take on more complicated jobs or improve efficiency so you can justify paying them more. And if it’s not cash or a pay raise, perhaps you can find other clever way to reward your best students.
  • Employee Expectations: Again, managing expectations is critical for your training program’s success. Discuss the two previous points with your entire team to clearly communicate if the training could lead to a pay increase or if it is primarily for skill development. Your transparency avoids misunderstandings and helps employees understand the training benefits.
  • Performance-Based Increases: Once your employee completes the training and it leads to improved performance, you could consider a pay raise. But this is something you need to determine beforehand to eliminate confusion and distrust.
  • Market Competitiveness: How does your compensation package compare with industry standards? You need to know what your competitors pay, as it may sway you to adjust your compensation or incentives for training.

Ideally, you want to be able to find a balance within training that both motivates your team and helps retain them while also helping them advance their career without necessarily burdening your financial health.

Use the following MRAA resources to help advance your service department.

Long-Term Success
As a leader in your dealership you have many opportunities to further your success in 2025. Remember, though, that employees are often viewed as the lifeblood of a business because their contributions are vital to its success. Investing in team training is more than an expense. Sure, time constraints and budgeting are hurdles you must consider, but they don’t outweigh a more engaged and well-trained workforce.

Your commitment to employee growth and career development can help to build a stronger culture and a crew that is more invested in the dealership. Your team’s success is ultimately your dealership’s success. Finally, you want your employees singing your dealership’s praises and to bellow the words, “take this job and LOVE it, I ain’t leaving here no more!”

[AIMIE, MRAA’s AI for Marine Industry Education and content delivery system, was used as a resource in the production of this content. Learn more.]

General Election Update – Implications for Recreational Boating Industry

By Chad Tokowicz, MRAA Government Relations Manager & Mike Sayre, MRAA Director of Government Relations

As the results from the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, continue to take shape it is clear that Donald Trump has emerged as winner of both the popular and electoral college votes, and will be named the 47th President of the United States. Furthermore, the U.S. Senate has flipped and now features a Republican majority, with 52 seats to 47 Democrats with one race still too close to call. At the time of writing this, results for the House race are still inconclusive, however, it is leaning toward a Republican majority. Regardless of who wins the majority, the margins in the House will remain razor thin. In the event that the Republicans do take the House, they will control the Presidency, Senate and House, which will make the passage of policies through Congress and Senate confirmations much easier.

Impact on Recreational Boating
The results of the election have major implications for the recreational boating industry and this blog will outline some of what we expect to come.

  • A second Trump Administration will hopefully be good news for major industry issues like the Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule. While the Biden Administration could still finalize the Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule before the end of the year, there is a very high likelihood that it will be overturned by the Trump Administration come January. If the Biden Administration does nothing with the rule before the transition, it will surely be dead upon Trump’s inauguration.
  • The Trump Administration will also usher in another era of deregulation, and this may mean that various worker protections put in place by the Biden Administration are undone, potentially including policies like the Overtime Rule change. Similarly, many of the regulatory activities of the Biden Administration’s Federal Trade Commission, such as the proposed Junk Fee rule, will also face scrutiny from the new Trump Administration.
  • Additionally, the Trump campaign has promised to put in place tariffs on imports, which may ultimately increase the price of imported items used for building recreational vessels as well as imported accessories and related items — and this increased cost may then find its way to dealers and therefore consumers. The Trump campaign proposed tariffs of 10-20% for all imports entering the United States, and tariffs between 60-100% on Chinese imports. Whether or not the incoming Trump Administration follows through on these trade policies remains to be seen but such wide-ranging tariff proposals will face pushback from many industries that depend on imported goods and raw materials.
  • Tax policy is another area where we will see a flurry of activity from the Trump Administration and unified Republican Congress. President Trump has long been focused on lowering the tax burden on citizens and businesses. While the details of the Trump tax plan are complex, from a macro-level perspective, we can expect that the original provisions of the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are made permanent. Furthermore, we may see tax policy focusing on exempting tips and overtime pay from income taxes. As Congress and the Administration begin to discuss these tax cuts, the MRAA will be at the table to see if further tax cuts for small businesses can be secured.

State of the States
While this election resulted in significant changes to the composition of the federal government, at the state level, the changes were much more modest. Of the 11 governorships up for grabs, none changes party hands. Not every state legislative result has been fully determined but so far only three state legislative chambers have changed party control with Republicans making most of those gains.

General Election Update and Implications for Recreational Boating Industry

As the MRAA continues to prepare for the 119th Congress and to work with the Trump Administration, we will be sure to brief you with any important updates or calls to action. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Government Relations Manager Chad Tokowicz at Chad@mraa.com.

Discover Boating Dealer Finder Drives Increased Users to Dealer Sites in 2024

Over the last 12 months, Discover Boating’s Dealer Finder tool saw a significant increase in the amount of people it drove to dealer sites, indicating the value of this tool to potential boat buyers. As today’s consumer expects to be in control more than ever, Discover Boating Dealer Finder puts the consumer at the helm, allowing them to research, explore and connect with dealers in their area. 

  • This year, the U.S. Dealer Finder drove more than 65,000 introductions/clicks to dealer websites and phone numbers, up 145% increase from last year. The tool saw more than 93,000 users, up 150% compared to last year, and 128,000 pageviews. 
  • The Canada Dealer Finder also saw an increase with 11,500 introductions to Canadian dealers – up 106% compared to last year. The tool had more than 25,000 users (up 1% year-over-year) and nearly 30,000 pageviews this year.
iscover Boating Dealer Finder Drives Increased Users to Dealer Sites in 2024
Image courtesy of Discover Boating

Additional enhancements to the tool are underway including a fresh look and feel of how the dealer listing cards are displayed as well as the implementation of the geolocation functionality. With this new feature, users can opt in through their browser settings to allow location permission, so the tool automatically presents dealers within a 25-mile radius in that location.

Once these potential boat buyers are introduced to the dealers, the dealers must welcome and nurture them through their boating journey. This is an important step to help build and grow our industry for the future.

Dealers looking to update their listing or be added to the Find a Boat Dealer locator tool can simply fill out this form, and MRAA will reach out to help make changes.

Discover Boating is powered by NMMA and MRAA.

Dealer Week 2024 is 1 Month Away

• Annual MRAA Conference and Expo Runs Dec. 8-11, in Orlando, Fla.

MINNEAPOLIS, Friday, Nov. 8 – The countdown is on! In one month, Dealer Week 2024 will bring the marine industry’s largest dealer education event to life, beginning Sunday, Dec. 8, in Orlando, Fla. Boat dealers and industry professionals alike are gearing up for a week filled with transformative insights, hands-on education and unequaled networking opportunities.

Dealer Week, hosted annually by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, connects boat retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, service providers and more professionals for a conference and expo dedicated to helping boating retailers – and, by extension, the industry – succeed in 2024 and beyond.

Dealer Week registration is on track with last year’s record-setting levels leading up the four-day event. Here is an overview of some of the highpoints event attendees can expect.

Economic  & Industry Updates
Gain the latest projections for the economy in the year ahead, along with deep insights and reasoned strategies, from boating experts and industry leaders. Industry thought leaders will open and close the conference with in-depth presentations on how to attact endless customers and innovative strategies to build thriving, future-focused workplace cultures.

Dealer Week 2024 is 1 month away

An Emphasis to “Outperform”
Top educators will host four different Dealer Week Pathways (Leadership, Marketing, Sales & F&I and Service & Parts) highlighted by 24 educational sessions with subject matter experts who will provide specific examples of how to drive performance in today’s market. This is your chance to set apart your business and your team from the competition. Learn more about the Dealer Week theme, frequently asked questions and a calendar of events, here.

Expo Hall
The Dealer Week Expo Hall contains innovative products and the latest vessels from a wide selection of boat and accessories manufacturers. Attendees can meet with partners and service providers who are dedicated to dealer success. The 2024 Expo Hall at Dealer Week, the largest in the event’s history, houses the educational classrooms because the exhibitors serve as educational partners for the dealership attendees. The record number of booths includes 50 first-time exhibitors.

Special Service Event
The official start of Dealer Week 2024 happens Sunday, Dec. 8. The exclusive Service Department Special Event is designed to help dealership service departments outperform in a challenging market. The event  unites service managers and service advisors for a robust educational workshop to help them work together to operate at the highest level. The Dealer Week add-on session is designed for anyone currently involved in service management, working as a service advisor or training for one of these roles. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today.

THE Networking Reception
Dealer Week is held in December because a majority of dealers have said it’s the time of year where they can get away and focus on learning and to connect with peers and other industry leaders. The annual  networking receptions have spurred nearly as many great business collaborations and ideas as the educational sessions. This year, the Opening Reception will be held at the Rosen Plaza, where event participants can enjoy food, drinks and great conversation while they are meeting new people and reconnecting with old friends.

Dealer Week 2024 is 1 month away

A Rockin’ Celebration
Open to all Dealer Week attendees and exhibitors, the MRAA’s Industry Celebration 2024 is themed “Get Ready to Rock” and made possible by KICKER Marine Audio. Hosted at Orlando’s famous Howl at the Moon, the rock-themed event will include great food and drinks, dueling pianos, contests and fun from 7-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Rock-and-roll-themed costumes are highly encouraged for all attendees. 

To see a complete event rundown, and to register, visit DealerWeek.com. Hotel blocks at some of the nearby hotels have already sold out, so please book your lodging soon. See you in Florida!

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About Dealer Week
For more than 50 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 exists 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.

Deadline Approaching to Join Discover Boating 2025 Boat Finder for Upcoming Shows

The deadline for getting brands listed in the Discover Boating Boat Finder is Friday, Nov. 22 to ensure representation amongst competitors ahead of the 2025 boat show season, and put boats in front of potential buyers before, during and after the show. This free tool is exclusive to Discover Boating boat show brands.

Deadline Approaching to Join Discover Boating 2025 Boat Finder for Upcoming Shows

Reasons Boat Shoppers Use Discover Boating’s Boat Finder:

  1. Efficiently isolate brands and models that match their specific needs to get to their desired product faster.
  2. Take a deep dive into boat models with helpful descriptions, specs, and features.
  3. Connect directly to the boat brand website and view complete model information.
  4. Compare and contrast boat brands and types as they prepare to shop a boat show and visit dealers.

Adding or updating boat info is easy through Boat Finder’s data portal system:

  • Current Boat Finder participants will receive an email from the NMMA Team including a custom URL to access the Data Portal and instructions. The system makes it easy to clone existing boat models and update with the current model year and pricing, and add new models. If you have NOT received an e-mail with your dedicated link, please reach out to BoatFinder@nmma.org.
  • New to Boat Finder? Contact BoatFinder@nmma.org, and someone from the team will be in touch to help you get started.

To take advantage of Discover Boating Boat Finder, which is being promoted to hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts, exhibiting brands must ensure they are represented at a Discover Boating boat show and update their boat data to reflect current model year and pricing.

Visit DiscoverBoating.com/boatshows for a list of shows happening nationwide.

Learn more about Discover Boating, powered by NMMA and MRAA.