At the Helm: Your year to be recognized

Every year, the Boating Industry Top 100 recognizes the best boat dealers in North America.

And every year hundreds of companies start the application process, only to run out of time as business picks up in the spring with more sales, launches and more.

We have a great group of companies on the Top 100 every year, and we’re proud of those companies, but as with any good endeavor, we want to get better. We know that having more applicants means the best program.

If you’ve thought about applying, or started to apply in the past, we’d like to encourage you to think about it again.

With that in mind, here are five tips for making the most of your application.

1. Start early. Take advantage of the slower winter months (if you’ve made it through your boat show) to get the work done before you get swamped. Applications aren’t due until June 27, but as those of you have applied (or started to apply) in the past know, it’s going to take some time to put together your best application.

2. Keep it simple. One of our favorite pieces of advice is that “bullet points are your friend.” In other words, not every question requires a novel. Give us the key info, but don’t worry about how polished it is. We don’t expect you to wow us with your writing skills.

3. Photos, photos, photos. We try to visit as many dealers as we can every year, but we simply can’t get to see every applicant. Your photos help you tell the story of your dealership. Show off and show us what your place looks like!

4. Don’t be afraid to brag. One of the most important parts of the application is the improvements you made to your business in the last year. No company is ever as good as it can be and the best dealers keep striving to get better every year, and we want to see that. Tell us what makes you stand out from the crowd.

5. Ask for help. Every year, I meet dealers who tell me they had questions about the application but were afraid to ask us about them because they thought it would reflect badly on them. Don’t worry about it – we know it can be quite an endeavor. You can always contact any of us with any questions.

You can find more information and apply for the Top 100 now at BoatingIndustry.com/top-100/application.

Make 2016 the year you get the recognition you deserve.