Time for Dealers to get Certified

The National Grow Boating initiative is getting traction and I think this is good news for everyone in the recreational boating industry.

In the beginning, the focal point was the advertising and marketing campaign. It was easy to visualize a national advertising campaign for boating just like the “Go RVing campaign.” We all could close our eyes and see a magazine ad, a TV spot or a radio commercial touting the benefits of boating.

It also was easy to get our arms around the idea of a “certified boat.” We could imagine a check list of measurable standards that a manufacturer would have to achieve in order to get a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.”

I think it was harder to visualize a “certified dealer.” Who was going to certify whom and who would set the standards? How could anyone come in from the outside and tell dealers what to do?

But isn’t it obvious that in order for the industry to grow, dealers have to be running professional operations that meet the expectations of today’s consumers. The rubber hits the road when a potential boat buyer gets the urge and heads off to a dealership. That’s when the customer comes face-to-face with our industry and where everyone agrees that we need to do better if we want to grow boating.

Earlier in the year, I saw a presentation by Harley Davidson’s ad agency . They showed pictures of a Harley dealership 40 years ago and contrasted that with one of the new freeway stores that have popped up across the country. They also showed pictures of a Harley customer today compared to Dennis Hopper’s movie character in “The Big Easy.” Big differences!

For me, growing boating is about the whole industry. It is not just one slice of the pie. Just like a V-8 engine, the boating industry needs to be firing on all 8 cylinders. Of course the product has to be right, of course we need to market the industry, of course we need a fair dealer-manufacturer agreement, of course we need trained sales professional, of course we need trained marine technicians, of course we need a solid CSI program to track customer satisfaction and we need to raise the game of boat dealers across the country.

The Dealer Certification program has been designed to help dealers improve sales, raise the bar on after-delivery support and increase profitability. This program will provide the tools to allow participants to enhance the retail experience for consumers, providing the kind of positive experiences that create long-term customer loyalty. Dealer Certification elements will include a Customer Bill of Rights, a Matrix of Best Practices, and an independent audit of dealer practices and facilities.

I decided to write about certifying dealers today because of the hard work done by both the National Marine Manufacturers Association and the Marine Retailers Association of America. I would like to salute the leadership of both organizations, Thom Dammrich (NMMA) and Phil Keeter (MRAA) for the work they have done developing the Grow Boating Initiative. Over the last year, the two of them, their staffs and volunteer leadership teams have put together a truly meaningful dealer certification program and now it is ready for implementation. In my opinion, dealer certification is important to everyone in the industry, not just dealers.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Dealer Certification is invited to attend a meeting with Phil Keeter, president of the MRAA on Wednesday, January 11 at 9 a.m. that we are organizing during the Seattle Boat Show at Qwest Field Event Center. The meeting is free and open to any of our members. I especially encourage all of our boat dealers to send at least one person to the presentation.

I am proud to say that last month, the NMTA Board of Trustees agreed to underwrite 10 percent of the cost of certification for the first 20 members who sign up during the early certification process. I hope this sends a clear signal to our members that the Board fully supports Dealer Certification. I believe we are the first regional marine trade association in the country to financially support this new program.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Seattle Boat Show. Come say “hello” and I hope to see every one of our dealer members at the presentation on January 11.

I have had the pleasure of working for all of you for the past six years. I love this job and in 2006 it is my personal goal to make sure we remain the best regional marine trade association in the country.

With warm regards,

Michael Campbell
President
michael@nmta.net