120 Marine Dealerships Completed MRAA Continuous Certification Program in Inaugural Year
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas says more than 120 marine dealerships completed the inaugural year of the association’s Continuous Certification program.
The all-new Continuous Certification program was launched in January 2018 as a powerful revamp to the previous “Re-Certification” process. The new program was built specifically for Certified Dealers and not only qualified dealers to maintain their Dealership Certification status, but also to strengthen the dealership operations that were addressed in the initial Certification Program.
The 2018 educational curriculum focused on how dealerships could improve their customer relationship management processes, how to create a stronger customer experience, how to develop an accountable workforce and how to decide which growth or stability strategy marine retailers should focus. The courses included:
• Take Your Dealership from Good to Great with CRM, by Sam Dantzler
• Improve Loyalty with a Customer Experience Mindset, by Theresa Syer
• How to Create a High Accountability Dealership, by John Spence
• Strategy: A Path to Improved Performance, by David Spader
“Each educational course introduced new and challenging lessons and best practices that marine retailers should be integrating into their dealerships, in order to reach their greatest potential,” says Liz Keener, MRAA certification manager. “The participating dealerships were truly focused on improving their relationships with their customers, bettering their workplace culture and securing the success of their day-to-day dealership operations.”
In addition to the educational curriculum, dealerships participated in the Employee Satisfaction Survey process, which addressed the current culture of their company and encouraged retailers to look into ways on how they could improve the overall satisfaction of their employees. They also assessed compliance with Certification standards, evaluated their facilities and completed a performance planning process.
“We were thrilled with the level of engagement that was demonstrated by the first year Continuous Certification participants,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “Committing to continuing your education year after year is the best way that marine retailers can ensure continued growth and success as a Marine Industry Certified Dealership.”
