By Edward MacFawn, President of BiT DMS, an MRAA Platinum Partner

When planning new-model inventory, it is natural to begin with what sold. Last year’s sales show which boats customers purchased, which models generated revenue and where the dealership found success. But sales history tells only half the story.

The dealership’s unsold quotes can reveal which boats customers considered, which configurations repeatedly entered the conversation and where otherwise promising deals began to break down. A boat that did not sell is not automatically evidence of weak demand. The customer may have wanted a different engine, a lower price point, another feature package or just more for their trade. Understanding those distinctions can help dealers make better model-year commitments.

Look Beyond the Final Count

Suppose a particular pontoon model generated 20 quotes but only five sales. Looking solely at completed deals might suggest limited demand. The quote history, however, shows that customers repeatedly considered that type of boat.

Before deciding whether to reduce or increase orders for next year, look at what appeared in those proposals:

• Boat size and model
• Engine and horsepower
• Included accessories
• Quoted selling price
• Trade-in involvement
• Final outcome
• Reason the opportunity was lost

The pattern might show demand for the boat but resistance to its typical configuration. Customers may have consistently requested a smaller engine, fewer premium options or a price point your available inventory could not accommodate. Knowing that information could be powerful as you prepare for next year.

Separate Product Problems from Deal Problems

Not every lost quote should influence what you order. Some opportunities fall through because the customer is not ready, stops responding or purchases outside the market. Others provide useful inventory intelligence.

A consistent lost-sale process helps dealers distinguish among several possible explanations:

• The dealership did not have the right model
• The available configuration was too expensive
• A desired feature or option was unavailable
• The trade-in difference was too large
• Financing changed the customer’s budget
• The customer preferred a competing product
• Timing, rather than inventory, stopped the purchase process

Without that context, dealerships may draw the wrong conclusion. They might order fewer units in a category that attracted genuine interest or order more of a model that produced activity but rarely matched customers’ needs.

Standardize What Your Team Records

Quote history becomes more useful when salespeople record information consistently. Agree on a manageable set of outcomes and lost-sale reasons. Avoid vague entries such as “not interested” when the customer was, in fact, interested but could not find the right configuration. Encourage salespeople to record the model discussed, important options, trade-in details and the customer’s stated objection.

Calls, emails and text messages can add context, but the dealership should not have to reconstruct every opportunity from scattered conversations. Keeping the quote, customer information and communications connected makes the history easier to review.

Compare Interest with Profitability

High quote volume does not automatically mean a model deserves more space in next year’s inventory. Dealers should compare customer interest with completed sales, gross profit and the concessions needed to close those deals.

A popular model that requires frequent discounting may be less valuable than a lower-volume configuration that closes more consistently and protects margin. Likewise, repeated requests for a moderately priced package could reveal an opportunity between the dealership’s entry-level and premium inventory.

The objective is not simply to order what receives the most attention. It is to identify where customer demand and dealership profitability meet.

Turn Quote History into an Ordering Conversation

Before submitting model-year commitments, bring sales and management together to review:

• What sold
• What was quoted most often
• Which configurations converted
• Where customers repeatedly hesitated
• Which customer requests the dealership could not fulfill
• Which deals protected acceptable gross profit

A DMS can help preserve the information needed for that discussion instead of leaving it in individual notebooks, inboxes or memory. Completed sales show where your dealership has been. Unsold quotes can help show where the market wanted to go. Using both gives dealers a clearer foundation for ordering the next model year.

About the Author

For more than 21 years, Edward MacFawn, President of BiT DMS, has helped boat dealers and marine service centers increase profitability by bringing greater efficiency, visibility and control to their operations. Drawing on his background in finance and operations, including experience with KPMG and Honeywell, Edward has focused BiT on solving the real-world challenges that affect marine businesses every day.

Under Edward’s leadership, BiT has helped dealers connect sales, service, parts, inventory, slips/storage and customer communication through one integrated system. He spearheaded what industry reporting identified as the first web-based marine dealer management system in 2013 and later championed embedded two-way text messaging within the DMS. These innovations have helped marine businesses reduce administrative friction, improve customer responsiveness and make better decisions using more accurate, accessible information.

Today, Edward continues to guide BiT in developing practical technology around the way boat dealers and service centers actually work. His mission remains clear: Give independent marine businesses the tools to operate more efficiently, serve customers more effectively and build stronger, more profitable companies without sacrificing flexibility or personal service.

Editor’s note: MRAA publishes partner-contributed articles to provide marine retailers with practical education, subject-matter expertise and industry perspective. MRAA maintains editorial oversight of partner-contributed content and may edit submissions for clarity, relevance, AP style, search visibility and alignment with MRAA’s dealer-first educational standards. Recommendations should be considered alongside each dealership’s goals, processes, team capacity and business needs.