Boating Industry

March 2017

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MARKET FOCUS SECTION { SPR ING L AUNCH } March 2017 | Boating Industry | 37 www.BoatingIndustry.com DO-IT-YOURSELF Some of your customers may be the do-it- yourself type, so having items like oil fi lters, fuel fi lters, antifreeze, fuel stabilizers and gear oil well stocked in your accessories depart- ment will show those customers you are a go-to resource for their needs when winter- izing and de-winterizing their boat. Hosting a free winterization course in the fall further identifi es your dealership as an information hub for DIY customers. Blue Springs Marine has all techs on hand for its fall winterization courses to answer questions and suggest products. "We do that class knowing that, of all the people that attend, about half of them end up bringing their boats back to us for us to do the winterization, because they've watched it and realized it's more than what they're willing to tackle," said Mary Jo Goettling, sales manager at Blue Springs Marine. The dealership also provides custom- ers with a checklist of all the items they will need to do the work themselves, keep- ing those supplies well stocked in the parts and accessories department. "Little checklists help the customer because obviously if it's on your grocery list, you're going to buy it. So if you pre-do their grocery list for them, then they know what they need to buy," said Goettling. "We try to personal shop with every single person who comes through the door. That's something we're really big on and everyone is cross-rained in our dealership. Everybody can personal shop with every [customer] based on what they're wanting." SHINY AND NEW Be sure to have mold and mildew in- hibitors and removers handy come spring. The inside of boat covers can often be moldy and dirty, which will undo any of the cleaning done on the boat once the cover is placed on again. "You can clean the interior of the boat, you can clean the carpet, all of that type of stuff, but if you don't clean the inside of the cover, that mold will reappear back in the guy's vinyl two to seven days later," said Chesky. "The protectants that we put on the vinyl will help it from grow- ing or attacking into the vinyl, but the biggest thing is you've got to make sure when you're cleaning or detailing a boat, you've got to do the inside of the cover as well because the in- side of the cover is just as bad as the boat." In addition to putting protectants on the boat to maintain the boat's integrity, buffi ng and shining the boat adds excitement for the customer when they are dreaming about tak- ing their vessel out on the water for the fi rst time of the season. And ultimately, it also rep- resents the integrity of your own business. "It refl ects back on the dealer how we want to have our future customers also look- ing at what kind of product we put out there, that we're not just throwing a hunk of junk out in the water for everyone to see," said Walters. "We want to have our product looking the best." Stock up on seat cleaners, waxes, polishes, stain removers and after wash to be sure you have everything you need to present the boat to your customers and get them excited to show it off you their friends. "[We] make it look nice so the customer doesn't have to do any work to it when we get the boat to him," said Chesky. Once the boat is looking pristine, Dan's Southside Marine will take a photo of the boat, whether it's on a trailer or at a slip, and email to the customer to alert them it is ready for use. This gets the customer excited and proves the work has been done that the customer wanted. "It's a good for the customer to open up an email and you have a picture of your third or fourth child sitting in the water," said Chesky. "If the guy's out of town or he's not going to be using the boat for maybe a week [or] a month, it's proof that you've cleaned it. If the boat sits out on the water for a month under a cover on the dock … then the boat gets dusty and dirty again in the meantime." While the melting snow and rising tem- peratures are usually enough to get boaters excited to get on the water, this level of service during the spring launch fuels that excitement, and encourages the customer to share their ex- citement over their boat on social media. That "boat envy" gets other people anxious for the boating season, and future customers will ask their friend where they got their shiny, ready- for-the-water boat. BE SURE YOUR SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAS STOCKED UP ON ALL THE TOOLS AND PRODUCTS IT NEEDS TO LAUNCH BOATS THIS SPRING. CHECKLISTS HELP DO-IT-YOURSELF CUSTOMERS STOCK UP ON ALL THE ITEMS THEY WILL NEED TO LAUNCH THIS SPRING. with every [customer] based on what they're wanting." SHINY AND NEW Be sure to have mold and mildew in- clean the inside of the cover, that mold will

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