MRAA Provides Free Access to Online Learning for Boat Dealers

The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas announced today that it has made its entire library of standard educational courses found at MRAATraining.com available for free to any boat dealer who would like access.

MRAATraining.com features 140 courses key to dealership growth and success, such as sales, marketing, customer service, F&I and the service department. Nearly 130 of those courses are being made available to any dealer and their entire staff, no matter if they are currently an MRAA member or not. Normally a $1,000 annual investment, MRAATraining.com has been opened up to assist dealers with training and development opportunities while we navigate the uncertainty of the weeks and months ahead.

“Our hope and desire with this offer is that dealers and their teams tap into the truly word-class educational resources that the MRAA provides,” explains Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “With business slowing down, we believe keeping your staff busy with training and education is a great way to set your team up for a quick rebound, and we sincerely want to help dealers and their teams come out of this slowdown stronger than they were when they went in.”

MRAATraining.com courses include video, often accompanied by downloadable resources, as well as several publications specific to dealership operations. They feature the leading industry experts like Sam Dantzler, Valerie Ziebron and more. And the robust learning management system allows dealership personnel to create course preferences in addition to giving you the opportunity to search the vast library of content.

Last week, the MRAA launched a COVID-19 resource page for dealers to tap into the latest information available to them. Then MRAA refocused its Ask The Expert Webinar series to give dealers timely insights into how they can adjust their business for the new climate. This latest announcement gives dealers direct access to the heart of the MRAA – its highly regarded educational programming.

“Dealers have repeatedly told us that the courses on MRAATraining.com provide actionable information that makes their businesses run better,” says Liz Walz, MRAA Vice President. “At a time like this, we want to put that information into as many dealers’ hands as possible to help them get through the current crisis and succeed well into the future.”

To access MRAATraining.com, log in using your pre-existing MRAA account or create a new one. Instructions for adding staff to your account are here. Instructions for creating a free non-member account to access MRAATraining.com are here (creating) and here (accessing). If you have questions, contact Nikki Duffney, Member Development Manager, at 763-333-2420 or nikki@mraa.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, contact us at 763-315-8043.

Supercharge Your Customer Experience, with all customers, all of the time

Note: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, all standard MRAA educational courses found at MRAATraining.com will be available free of charge to any dealer who wants to use the content from now through May 31st. Between now and then, we will be posting regularly to highlight courses that may be useful during this time.

 

Have you ever looked at your online reviews or your CSI results and noticed they’re sometimes lopsided? Maybe some customers had a great experience, especially as they interacted with a specific employee. But maybe another customer had a horrible experience because they worked with someone who was not focused on the customer experience.

 

It’s mind-boggling and frustrating.

 

What if you could work toward a more seamless customer experience at your dealership? What if your porters knew how to greet customers when they walked in? What if that customer gets the same treatment from the receptionist, their salesperson, their service advisor, the tech that walks by and management?

 

Now that would be great! But building such a culture takes a little work and a lot of practice. In this unique workshop, originally created as an e-learning course for Continuous Certification, and then presented live at the 2019 Dealer Week, hospitality expert Theresa Syer gives you a plan for creating that consistent customer experience throughout your dealership.

 

Two key points Theresa focuses on are Emotional Motivators and Key Emotional Drivers (KEDs). The Emotional Motivators are what drive customers to take action, such as making a purchase, and the KEDs are how you can influence those Emotional Motivators to get customers to close on the sale. Theresa will show you how to create your own KEDs, and she’ll give you a set of KEDs that she’s developed, if you’d rather implement those instead.

 

She also offers a plan for rolling out the KEDs in your dealership, with constant reminders and practice, so you can get your whole team rowing in the same direction and remembering to stay the course. 

 

I had the opportunity to attend this workshop in person at Dealer Week, and I can tell you people were excited and energized to make changes to the customer experience at their dealership as they walked out. And, this workshop was one of the most highly-rated courses at the 2019 conference.

 

Now — pre-season for much of North America — is the time to start thinking about how you can amplify your customer experience and create an environment where people will want to buy.

Intrapreneurship: Now is the Time for Innovation

Note: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, all standard MRAA educational courses found at MRAATraining.com will be available free of charge to any dealer who wants to use the content from now through May 31st. Between now and then, we will be posting regularly to highlight courses that may be useful during this time.

Innovation is always important, but during times like these it becomes absolutely essential.

At Dealer Week in December, Samantha Cunningham Zawilinski presented a course titled “Intrapreneurship: Developing Early Adopters & Harnessing Innovation in Your Company.” The point of the session was to create a culture that empowers innovative thinkers to apply their smarts to making your business stronger.

Right now, business as usual isn’t possible, whether we like it or not. But that hasn’t stopped some retailers from getting creative. We saw one dealership – Norris Lake Boat Center – offering a “Canceled Vacation Sale.” The deal is, anyone who brings a receipt from a canceled vacation can get that amount off any new boat. I doubt you’ve seen that offer before, and I’m sure two weeks ago they had never considered having a sale like that. But they’re adapting to these strange times.

In her presentation, Samantha lists a number of ways that cultivating intrapreneurs (i.e. people who bring an entrepreneurial spirit to your internal operations) can benefit you in the long term.

If you’ve got some employees who might benefit from that kind of attitude, or you want to instill that type of culture in your business, I’d encourage you to watch the course while it’s available free to the industry.

Just log in or create an account here on MRAA.com. Instructions for adding staff to your account are here. Instructions for creating a free non-member account to access MRAATraining.com are here (creating) and here (accessing).

It’s Time to Text Your Customers, but You Have to Do It Right

Note: In response to the COVID-19 crisis, all standard MRAA educational courses found at MRAATraining.com will be available free of charge to any dealer who wants to use the content from now through May 31st. Between now and then, we will be posting regularly to highlight courses that may be useful during this time.

Are you open? Are you closed? Are you providing video walkthroughs of your boats? Are you offering early delivery of stored boats? Customers want to know this information, and by providing it to them, you can probably sell more boats and get more of your customers out on the water using them.

But how do you share this message in our current COVID-19 world?

Text messaging may be the easiest way to get a hold of customers. Even in times of crisis, we all have our phones on us 24/7.

But there are a lot of considerations.

First, do you have the technology to text? This may be through a service that provides texting from a computer or mobile device, or it could be your staff using their dealership-provided or personal cell phones. You have to work that out.

Second, are you prepared with messaging? You need to make sure you have people on staff who have the spelling and grammar skills to text with customers. And it helps to have some planned responses to common questions ready to go.

Third, you need to be prepared to respond. We know from 2018’s online mystery shop that follow-up isn’t always frequent or well-planned out. If you’re going to start texting, customers are going to text back, and they’re going to want a quick response. Make sure that once you send a text, you’re ready to reply in a timely manner.

Fourth, have you asked permission to text your customers? This is extremely important. Before you start sending a barrage of texts to your customers, you need to ask them if you can text them and only text them if they say yes.

Just the other day, I was looking for an electrician, and as it was off-hours on a Sunday evening, I saw there was a text option, so I thought I’d use it. The whole experience was awkward. The person texted back, but nothing was in complete sentences, and the person didn’t even introduce him or herself. It was uncomfortable, so I didn’t book with that electrician.

There are so many ways texting can go right or wrong. If you do it right, the service can be extremely beneficial, and you can communicate with customers, even when they’re quarantined at home.

To get the most out of texting, I suggest you watch “Texting Customers: Do’s, Don’ts and How to Make It a Win-Win,” in which Bob McCann of the MRAA and Graham Anderson of KENECT, discuss texting tips, best practices and more. Bob even shows you how to create a text signature, so everyone you text with will know who you are and which company you represent.

MRAA Expands Its Webinar Series for Boat Dealers

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas expanded its Ask the Expert series of live webinars for boat dealers to help them navigate decision-making in the coming weeks and months.

“Today’s business environment leaves dealers with numerous critical questions — questions about caring for their employees and customers, managing their costs, generating revenue, and just generally about how they can ensure the continued success of their business,” explains MRAA Vice President Liz Walz. “Our goal with these webinars is to ask those questions of industry experts who can provide sound insights and help our dealers make informed decisions.”

Going forward, the once monthly Ask the Expert webinars will increase in frequency, being held as often as MRAA and its network of experts can provide fresh, actionable content to answer dealers’ questions. These webinars will continue to be recorded and made available to all dealers in MRAA’s Resource Center at MRAA.com/Resources.

The first webinar, launched yesterday and now available on MRAA.com, featured Walz and MRAA President Matt Gruhn discussing ways in which dealers can tap into the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas for support. In the webinar, Gruhn reminded the audience that MRAA exists for one purpose — to fuel the success of boat dealers — and during what is perhaps their greatest time of need, the MRAA has refocused its entire team and all of its priorities around supporting the marine dealer body.

During the webinar, Walz and Gruhn outlined the five steps MRAA is taking support dealers across the industry: 1. Resources found at www.MRAA.com/COVID-19; 2. Regular “Ask The Expert” Webinars specific to the concerns of today; 3. The launch of a dealer forum for Dealer to Dealer interaction; 4. Free access to all standard MRAATraining.com courses for dealers; 5. Hand-in-hand collaboration with our industry partners to work with government to secure support and relief for our small businesses.

“For some dealers, it’s business as usual out there and for others there’s serious concern about the economy, but for all of us there’s a great deal of uncertainty on how the selling season and the remainder of 2020 will unfold,” explains Gruhn. “No matter how things transpire, I am making it clear that supporting our dealers is MRAA’s No. 1 priority. We have redirected the focus and efforts of every one of our team members to contribute to this mission. I urge anyone to reach out to MRAA for any need they may have, and we will respond with an answer or with someone who can provide the answer.”

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

Responding to the Coronavirus: A Place to Start

Let’s face it: There’s no one here on Earth who is an expert on how to adjust your marine business for success in the face of this Coronavirus Pandemic. Frankly, none of us have been through this before – the “experts” included.

But we all need to begin adapting to the changes taking place, whether we feel perfectly prepared for it or not. Whether we have all the answers or not.

We’ve gathered together some COVID-19 resources for businesses that we hope will help, and we keep adding more. You can check them out here.

But where to start? We like the guidance provided by business thought leader, educator and speaker John Spence in his video, Leading Thoughtfully and Effectively in a Crisis, available here.

In it, John shared the four lessons on where to focus during challenging times that he learned from the best, most successful leaders during the last recession:

  • Priority #1: Take amazing care of your employees, especially your top talent:
    • Provide:
      • Training
      • Support
      • Resources
      • Help
      • Coaching
      • Mentoring
      • Give them as much safety, trust and stability as possible
      • Communicate courageously and transparently about problems
  • Priority #2: Take incredible care of your customers
  • Priority #3: Keep your eyes on the financials
  • Priority #4: Find someone outside of your business to talk to

 

Here at MRAA, we can help with all four of these. And we’re going to continue to develop new resources in these areas and others. Here’s what we can provide today.

  • Priority #1: Take amazing care of your employees, especially your top talent:
  • Priority #2: Take incredible care of your customers

    • This starts with having a plan for communicating with current and prospective customers about what you can do to serve them safety and securely – and what you’re doing to protect them. For example, if you have customer boats in storage or in the service department, you may be getting questions like: Can I pick up my boat? If so, when and how? How can I pay for it?
    • It’s okay to not have all the answers right away. But that shouldn’t stop you from communicating. At a minimum, let them know that you care about their situation, and you’re working on a plan as you and your team adapt to a fast-moving situation. More about communicating in a crisis is available here: https://www.ready.gov/business/implementation/crisis
  • Priority #3: Keep your eyes on the financials

    • Three key areas you will want to watch closely are your budget, the aging of your inventory, and your cash flow. Need help tracking these? Our friends at Parker Business Planning have made templates available to you here: https://mraa.com/page/FinancialManagement
  • Priority #4: Find someone outside of your business to talk to

    • If you belong to a 20 Group or you’ve participated in Roundtable Discussions at MRAA’s annual conference, you know the power of this first-hand.
    • But what if you could plug into an even larger segment of the dealer community 24/7/365? That’s the goal of the platform MRAA is about to launch on its website, which you can access by logging in to MRAA.com. If you don’t have an account, you can create one (even if you aren’t a member).

Just like you, the team at MRAA is adapting to a fast-changing situation, developing new tools, resources and education to serve you and your team. As you navigate the uncertainty and challenges that come up, our goal is to meet you where you are with as much of what you want and need to be successful as possible. Please contact us to let us know how we can help.

Matt Gruhn, President
763.333.2421
matt@mraa.com

Liz Walz, Vice President
315.692.4533
liz@mraa.com

Allison Gruhn, Director of Business Development
763.333.2419
allison@mraa.com

Mike Davin, Brand Director
763.402.7232
mike@mraa.com

Liz Keener, Certification Manager
763.333.2417
lizk@mraa.com

Nikki Duffney, Member Development Manager
763.333.2420
nikki@mraa.com

Mickaela Hilleren, Program Marketing Coordinator
763.333.2424
mickaela@mraa.com

Katie Eichelberger, Marketing Specialist
763.333.2423
katie@mraa.com

Sarah Korbel, Events & Operations Specialist
763.333.2418
sarah@mraa.com

Adam Fortier-Brown, Government Relations Manager
202.737.9779
adam@mraa.com

Michele Rosacker, Administrative Manager
763.333.2425
michele@mraa.com

Bob McCann, Lead MICD Program Consultant
763.333.2422
bob@mraa.com

Jim Million, Certification Consultant
jim@mraa.com

Rallee Chupich, Certification Consultant
rallee@mraa.com

Zane Stevenson, Certification Consultant
zane@mraa.com

MRAA Launches COVID-19 Resources for Boat Dealers

In the first of a multi-step plan to support marine dealers with their response to the coronavirus and ensuing economic challenges, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has launched a webpage with resources for the industry to tap into.

This page will be updated daily with new resources as they become available.

“If you’re like our team, you may be feeling overwhelmed by all the resources, information and advice you’re receiving in regard to COVID-19,” explains MRAA Vice President Liz Walz. “Some of it applies to you as a marine retailer, and some of it doesn’t.

“Our goal at MRAA is to meet you where you’re at and be here when you’re ready with as much of the information and education you need as possible — not because we’re experts on the virus, but rather because the way we see it, it’s our job to collect insight from experts on what you might need to make decisions today and tomorrow.”

To begin with, the MRAA’s COVID-19 resource page, available at www.MRAA.com/COVID-19, provides a listing of national- and state/province-provided resources for small businesses in the United States and Canada. They include links to organizations like the U.S. Center for Disease Control, Small Business Administration, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Employment and Social Development Canada.

In addition, the site includes links to useable resources like sample communication plans, social distancing guidelines for the workplace and more. Also listed are links to several articles with worthwhile insights into how dealers might consider navigating today’s uncertainty. They include a list of employer FAQs for responding to the coronavirus from workforce attorneys and a National Law Review article, “The Emergency Coronavirus Bill: What Employers Need to Know Regarding the Legislative Response to COVID-19.”

“The MRAA exists solely to serve and fuel the success of our dealer body,” states Matt Gruhn, MRAA President. “In a time of uncertainty like we’re facing today, MRAA has refocused all of its energy on providing critical insights and resources that will help dealers gain clarity and make informed decisions about their business.”  

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

MRAA Adds Valuable New Bronze Benefit

In order to share the value of its extensive library of online learning with more dealers, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has added a valuable new member benefit for all Bronze members. All current or newly enrolled Bronze Members will now have free access to one online course on MRAATraining.com per year. MRAATraining.com currently offers 130+ online courses and other resources geared toward improving and strengthening marine businesses and personnel. Subject matter experts and industry leaders discuss topics relevant to leadership, sales, marketing and service. “Delivering education to the marine industry is at the core of why the MRAA exists. Expanding access to MRAATraining.com to all members is important as it gives marine retailers an opportunity to try online education in their dealership for growing all their staff with a low annual investment that goes directly back into the industry to develop more education.” Each Bronze member now has access to one MRAAtraining.com course of their choosing each year. The course will be available to all employees within the member organization for an entire year in order to increase the number of staff who can benefit from it. “The goal and drive behind this new Bronze member benefit is to expand the reach of MRAATraining.com and the other tools and resources that the association work to produce each year in order to contribute to a successful future for marine retailing,” says Duffney. To gain access to this new Bronze benefit, or to sign up for MRAA membership, contact Nikki Duffney at nikki@mraa.com or at 763-315-8043. About the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas
At the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, we believe that for the marine industry to thrive, the retail organizations that interact with the boaters in their community must thrive. With that in mind, MRAA works to create a strong and healthy boating industry by uniting those retailers, providing them with opportunities for improvement and growth, and representing them with a powerful voice. For more information, visit MRAA.com or contact us at 763-315-8043.

Dealer to Dealer: March 2020

If you were to start a brand new dealership today, what would be your first priority for establishing a foundation for success?

“The key to starting and maintaining any business begins with your people and their culture.  You can be the best at what you do but without a strong team behind you, the long term successes will be short lived.  A formal plan to educate and maintain your team allows them to grow within your business.  Your people are the face of your business and who form the relationships with your customers.  As a business owner you can only wear so many hats and be successful.  Hire and take care of your staff and they will look out for you.” – Jeff Siems, Blue Springs Marine

“Creating an internal company culture which promotes and fosters individual growth through collaborative, team centric and employee focused programs. Build the company around building up your team. That foundation is unshakeable. Businesses should promote human flourishing, both inside and outside of the company. But we have to start with allowing our people to flourish.” – David deAndrade, White Lake Marine

“To make sure the team is clear on the mission of the organization. This goes for President to the lot person. This needs to be put in a handbook. That is used and not stored away.” – Ken Toby, Marine Sales

“The first priority must be hiring the best people for where you want the company to go.  Sometimes that means paying up for a better person, but in the long run it’s worth it.” – Jeremy Anderson, Big Thunder Marine

“Putting a good business plan together would be the first thing I would do. You need to know the area and the opportunities that exist. Establishing relationships with banks and vendors, what products you would like to sell and what lines are available for that area are key. Specialize in something! Have a product or service that no one else has or can provide. Although location is always important if you specialize in something I believe it is not as important as it used to be.” – Lou Cecchini,  Off Shore Marine, Inc.

“One of my first priorities would be to have a well laid out plan for departments which would include clearly documented processes along with properly educated employees with clear job descriptions and proper training.  This has been one of our biggest challenges to implement after being in business for 30 years and allowing the business to grow without these items in place.” – David Muirhead, Willey’s Marine

“Purchase a on-water location so storage and rental could be included as revenue contributors.” – Joe Lewis, Mount Dora Boating Center

“Products are an important piece that can attract a new customer. Many products are available online, but a store that carries quality merchandise can give consumers their first chance to experience a feel/smell/touch of something that makes them decide whether or not it is the right choice and why it is important to carry a wide variety of different items when trying to see what your new area is in need of.” – Dave Larrison, Waterfront Marine

“[When you first start a dealership], you have nothing… and nobody knows who you are. My first priority would be to create vision, mission and value statements. As you go out into the world to create your dream business, people need to know who you are and what you stand for. Having these statements will inform and impress prospective lenders, vendors, employees and customers that you have a direction, how you intend to get there, and that you are someone that can be trusted.” – Larry Russo, Sr., MarineMax Russo

“My first priority would be finding the right people to help me run it. I truly believe that The Sportsman is very successful because of our staff. You have to have the right people in the right places to do the right things!” – Christi Romero, The Sportsman

“It would be the location! We’ve all heard the saying “location, location, location”  Where are your competitors located? How close are you to water for demoing? How many people drive by your location each day? Freeway visibility is a huge way to get your name out in the local community.” – Bob Bense, Superior Boats

“With experienced personnel at a premium, finding the best Dealer Management System has become more important than ever. Picking the product that has a foundation of managing the day to day business and not just an accounting system with management tools added, is critical. The time spent learning the pros and cons of the many DMS that exist will pay dividends for years to come.  The DMS will be the very foundation that the business will be built upon and will play a pivotal role  in achieving success.” – Frank Sublette, Marine Sales

What would be your first priority? Tell us below in the comment section.

Virginia Governor Signs Legislation to Strengthen Menhaden Conservation

Recreational fishing and boating groups applaud new bipartisan law

Following vocal support from recreational fishermen, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed a bipartisan bill improving menhaden management in the Atlantic.

The legislation transfers management authority of Atlantic menhaden—a small oily baitfish that feeds sportfish like striped bass—to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees every other saltwater fishery in the Commonwealth.

Now that the bill has been signed into law, the legislation puts Virginia on a path toward compliance with the regional fishery management plan, which Omega Protein violated last year.

“This new law will pave the way for stronger management of the Atlantic menhaden recognizing its critical role in the entire marine ecosystem and its benefits to the recreational fishing economy,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We want to thank Governor Northam, the bill sponsors, Natural Resources Secretary Matt Strickler, and the recreational fishing sector for working together on this legislation.”

“There is a growing need for more robust conservation practices in our fisheries – including menhaden and all forage fish – this law is an important step towards better recognizing and correcting the harmful impacts overfishing can have on our communities,” said Nicole Vasilaros, senior vice president of government and legal affairs for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “Protecting forage fish and sportfish stocks is essential for recreational activities in the Chesapeake Bay and across the country and we thank Governor Northam for taking action to that ensure our marine ecosystems remain healthy for generations to come.”

“Thanks to the signature of Governor Northam, menhaden will now be managed by fisheries experts at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission,” said Mike Leonard, vice president of government affairs for the American Sportfishing Association. “Adequate menhaden populations are key to striped bass and other sportfish that support Virginia’s $583,806,000 saltwater recreational fishing economy. This important shift in management authority will help ensure a future of science-based management of menhaden that accounts for their important role in the ecosystem.”

“This commonsense legislation will help fisheries in not just Virginia, but along the entire Atlantic Coast,” said Chris Edmonstron, vice president of government affairs for Boat US.  “Anglers and boaters should all applaud this long overdue change in fisheries management and encourage more science-based management practices be developed and implemented. BoatU.S., along with our 28,000 Virginia members, applaud the passage of this legislation.”

“This decision by Governor Northam and the Virginia General Assembly, which was decades in the making, recognizes the importance of science-backed conservation efforts in maintaining the health of our nation’s fisheries,” said Adam Fortier-Brown, government relations manager for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas. “Having menhaden fisheries managed by the Virginia Marine Resource Commission, like all other fisheries in the state, will make significant steps towards creating a healthier Chesapeake Bay. We thank the assembly, and Governor Northam for their leadership on this legislation, which will be felt by boaters and anglers all along the Atlantic coast for years to come.”

“On behalf of the Virginia Saltwater Sportsman’s Association and striped bass fishermen everywhere, I would like to thank Governor Northam and his administration, especially Natural Resources Secretary Matt Strickler, for leading the fight to conserve menhaden,” said John Bello, chairman of the Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association Government Relations Committee.  “Menhaden are far too valuable to the ecosystem and to the recreational fishing economy to allow one foreign company to continue sucking up hundreds of millions of forage fish per year. Thank you, Governor.”