In both sports and business, evidence suggests that the best performers focus on the fundamentals, and the teams that make the fewest mistakes are the ones that win the most games. More marine retailers lose out on deals due to lack of attention to the basic sales process than because of ineffective word tracks or closing lines.

At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., MDCE favorite Sam Dantzler will return for a third year to help dealers unpack the sales process at the heart of a successful dealership.

In his MDCE Pre-Conference Workshop, “Back to Sales Basics,” Dantzler will coach attendees on how to raise their sales game through the exercise missing from most dealerships’ playbooks, develop an improved sales process, create sales staffing guidelines, and much more. The workshop takes place Monday, Nov. 17 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. ET.

“This year is the first time that MDCE attendees will have the opportunity to experience Sam in the hands-on, small group format offered by the Pre-Conference Workshops,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. “Last year, the workshops were the most highly rated of all the MDCE educational offerings. They offer a unique opportunity for dealers to get their hands dirty building new processes, plans and strategies to put in place when they return to their business.”

Dantzler, a noted speaker and sales expert who works with companies like Harley-Davidson and Triumph Motorcycles, has been a retail sales trainer since 2000 and offers dealers in the marine and powersports industries valuable tips and advice through his training website, Sam’s Powersports Garage.

“Sam is one of the highest rated speakers in the history of the conference,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. “We are thrilled to bring him back to MDCE this year to share his breadth of sales knowledge and tips for success with attendees.”

In 2014, workshop topics include leadership, sales, marketing, social media, succession planning, video production and editing, and the service department. Each workshop will feature takeaways to help attendees implement what they learned in the pre-conference sessions without delay upon returning to their respective dealerships.

Pre-Conference Workshop seating is limited and is available on a first come, first serve basis. Attendees must select the workshops they wish to attend during the MDCE registration process and pay an additional fee. Discounts are available for MRAA retail members.

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including the seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded for a total of four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, for a total of 615 marine retail professionals. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational topics, a full-featured expo hall and a series of fixed networking opportunities, all of which are designed to help marine dealers connect with and learn from others who can foster their success. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features pre-conference workshops, opening and closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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