Guest Blog

By Bill Yeargin Despite many of us having an inclination toward hindsight bias, which is believing we saw things coming when we actually didn’t, I haven’t spoken to one person who claims to have predicted the events of 2020. We have lived through a pandemic, social unrest, an economy that is struggling and a crazy election; as I have often ...

Dr. Elliot Eisenberg is an internationally acclaimed economist who was the keynote speaker at the first ELEVATE SUMMIT conference last year in Orlando, and will again reprise that role at ELEVATE SUMMIT 2020 happening online Tuesday, November 17. He will address key economic issues, including the 2020 presidential election, boating demographics and buying behaviors, GDP growth, interest rates, unemployment, inflation, ...

By Ezequiel Arredondo It may seem practical and cost-effective to reduce your digital marketing spend during the slow months when you don’t have inventory on your lot. However, Dealer Spike has seen this practice weaken sales leads for dealerships in the long run. Digital marketing yields the best results for your business when efforts are constant, rather than stop-and-go. By ...

By Mark Overbye Try this right now. Whether on your computer keyboard or an imaginary one, type the word, “typewriter.” Notice the letters are all on the top line? This isn’t a coincidence, it’s intentional. In 1873 E. Remington and Sons acquired the manufacturing rights to a new invention called the typewriter.  As the story goes, Remington’s engineers altered the final keyboard to ...

By Myril Shaw F&I has earned a bad reputation, thanks, largely, to the way it was handled for far too long in the automotive industry.  The recreational industry can and should refresh the way people think about F&I. For purchasers of recreational vehicles – boats, RVs, ATVs, off-road, Powersports – F&I should not, cannot, be a pressure-filled, must do, frankly, ...

By Pete Batten Summer sales are wrapping up and the hype of buying a new boat may be dying down, but that doesn’t mean now is the time to be idle. Consumers will be turning their attention to units and parts for the fall season, and while you may not have this inventory on the lot, you can begin investing ...

By Joe Iribarren The lyrics "I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation" sounded fun and rebellious when Joan Jett sang them. But adopting that attitude when it comes to your dealer's online reputation will prove to be disastrous. Your online reputation consists of more than a carefully-thought-out website and social media posts. For the most part, your online ...

By Pete Batten Imagine a customer walks into your dealership showroom and there are no units on display. Do you think that customer will still make a purchase? Probably not. So, what about your online showroom? Today most consumers begin the shopping process on the internet, browsing images of units before they ever visit the dealership, which is why it’s ...

By Myril Shaw While the times and circumstances require social distancing and limited direct, face-to-face interactions, and while dealers have clearly developed great virtual/no-touch showrooms and selling techniques, one aspect of consummating the sale has not changed for boat dealers. When a customer wants to finance, the compliance requirements (Red Flag and Patriot Act laws) have not been reduced in ...

By Mark Overbye We need a table, but not just any table, for our new boat brand soon to be in production. My wife’s an awesome cook and the prospect of her preparing food on the seat or the gunnel when boating with friends and family isn’t right. You’ve seen it too. Holding a drink between your legs while juggling ...