2012 Best in Class: Most innovative

Wakeside Marine
Elkhart, Ind.

Defining what makes a business innovative can be difficult, but luckily, by demonstrating the necessary cutting-edge approach, companies often define it themselves.

In 2012, Elkhart, Ind.-based WakeSide Marine employed processes, used new technologies and launched marketing campaigns that did just that and truly advanced the dealership in ways new to the Top 100 Program.

To begin, WakeSide Marine boosted its sales floor by going wireless. With its Wi-Fi network in place, it began using iPads stocked with pictures, testimonials, brochures, etc., as selling tools. Furthermore, it installed Apple TV, which allowed a salesperson to flick any video or picture to a nearby flat-screen television.

“This is awesome, for example, when we are explaining wake surfing to someone that hasn’t experienced it. We can have a YouTube video on a flat screen in the showroom in seconds,” says Jeff Haradine, president of WakeSide Marine.

Haradine also employed technology to fix a recurring problem where staff would, at times, not complete a job on his or her task list. So, Haradine used an online task manager where customizable lists can be viewed by management to monitor progress or even edit by adding a task.

WakeSide addresses both vital info about the health of the dealership and any current shortcomings by creating the Dashboard Report, a large television in its meeting room that displays open warranty claims, open work orders, tech efficiencies, etc.

Haradine says he displays the report at weekly meetings to make visible what the dealership needs to address.

Innovative tactics extend to WakeSide’s events, one of which was a Top 100 Open House. The idea of an open house around the award may not be novel, but the event itself was.

WakeSide sent out 5,500 invitations to waterfront property owners in the area. Those who showed were greeted with a red carpet entrance, food and drink, a reggae band and a kids’ station to keep children occupied. The dealership also included an in-water demo, as well as a small wooden boat show in its service area – the location of which was chosen to introduce customers to its technicians.

WakeSide sold 11 boats during the event and also had strong accessory sales.

“We were thrilled at how easily we were able to connect with and engage our customers in our business,” Haradine says.

The dealership’s staff would also bring its Top 100 Award on personal vacations, followed by a contest where customers could guess the location of the picture for a prize.

Events like its open house represent the bulk of WakeSide’s marketing campaign, and each one exemplefies the dealership’s pioneering personality, from its grassroots wakeboard contest to cardboard races to a competition with a nearby dealer on who can pull the most skiers (WakeSide won with 16).

Specifically, WakeSide used to close early on Friday evenings until Haradine realized it was missing an opportunity to sell to Chicago families heading to its area lakes for the weekend.

It now holds First Stop Friday Night, where employees fire up the grill and serve refreshments. The company hires hostesses and plays music, creating a party-like atmosphere. WakeSide also has a plan in the works to begin buying groceries for visiting families who provide their weekend shopping list prior to their arrival.

“We knew if we were going to stay late and staff the extra hours, we wanted to give people a reason to stop through whether they needed to or not,” Haradine says.

In order to introduce itself and its events to those new in the area, Haradine worked with a real estate agent/customer who informed WakeSide whenever a waterfront property was listed or sold. WakeSide then reached out to that customer with a $50 gift card and an invitation to visit.

And finally, training. WakeSide allows its technicians to stay on the clock through their lunch hour if they agree to complete online training while they eat.

Furthermore, Wakeside leveraged the knowledge of one of its most-tenured technicians by having him teach younger techs in a structured “Tech School.” Haradine says two weeks are reserved during the winter months to attend the school, for which a syllabus is crafted and problems are simulated for the technicians to work through. And as year-round refreshers, the same veteran technician spends a couple hours each week working side by side with technicians – a $100-per-week investment for the dealership.

In 2011, WakeSide’s goals may not have changed, but it chose to accomplish those objectives in ways new to the company – an undertaking rewarded in sales, as well as this year’s Most Innovative Best in Class award.