Secrets to service success

For many marine dealerships today, the service department has become the lifeblood of the organization. New unit sales have tapered at best and have fallen off a cliff in most regions, depending on whom you talk to.

What that means, however, is that the current pool of boats in use is aging and will have greater service needs. Those marine dealers who have put the proper processes and systems in place to run profitable service departments are capitalizing on these needs and have been driving cash flow, even during the historically slow off-season, and are rolling into the 2009 boating season with great momentum.

This is not indicative of every dealer, however. For the most part, the marine industry’s dealer body has been slow to find profitability in their service work, and the department has become more of a cash drain. The culprit in this scenario is typically a lack of needed efficiency, an age-old topic that spurs debate among
dealers nationwide.

The truth is, however, there is a link between service department efficiency and a dealership’s profitability. And it is that truth that Boating Industry magazine and 3M’s marine division set out to prove and illustrate with the publishing of a new e-white paper titled: “Driving efficiencies and profitability in your service department.”
This publication features six expert advice articles, two dealer-authored case studies and 10 best practices for dealers to learn from and apply to their business. You can download a free copy of this e-white paper by clicking on the “Efficiency and Profitability” link in the upper right-hand corner of 3M’s Web site: www.3M.com/marine.