Practice makes perfect

Customers aren’t the only ones who reap the benefits of repetition and practice. At Sima Marine Sales, Inc. (Ranked 45 in 2006), under its newly refined boat delivery process, employees who take part in the process practice delivering the boat to the company’s financial manager to ensure they are comfortable with their roles and that the expected level of excellence during the procedure is met. New customers are also taken through the dealership and introduced to the staff. Customers are told what the employees do and how they can help the owner enjoy his or her boat experience.

The company developed, documented and practiced its boat delivery program, training the staff and providing uniforms all in an effort “to ensure we were meeting our own expectations for what we wanted in the delivery process,” according to John Sima, owner.

The end result for Sima is an increase from a CSI score of 93 to 100 — one of only three dealers to record a perfect score in the 2006 Top 100 — for three of its boat brands. Sima used more than just an improvement in a process. Much like an increasing number of our Top 100 Dealers, Sima employed a dedicated person to hold responsibility for CSI numbers to achieve better results.

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