By David Gee “Words, he decided, were inadequate at best, impossible at worst. They meant too many things. Or they meant nothing at all.” ― Patricia A. McKillip, In the Forests of Serre. To say the world has changed since the printed edition of Boating Industry went to press a couple of weeks ago is an understatement to the point of ridiculousness. ...

By Myril Shaw Are you offering all of your customers all of the optional protective products you can? If the answer is yes, congratulations…you are part of a pretty small club.  If the answer is no, you are probably leaving money on the table. Going back to the “yes” answer, are you making sure your customers know they have been ...

By Jonathan Sweet The most important question on the Top 100 application is what dealers have done to get better over the previous years. It’s a recognition that no matter how good a dealership is, it can get better. We’re looking for that constant effort that shows a dedication to continual improvement. At the same time, it’s important that we ...

By David Gee Take a look at that photo. It’s me standing underneath the SE 17th Street Causeway Bridge in Fort Lauderdale, just across the street from Pier 66. As this particular image was taken, the spot where I was standing also served as the entrance to the Superyacht Village at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Behind me at ...

By Jonathan Sweet When people talk about diversity, the first thing that usually comes to mind is ethnic and racial diversity. But the truth is most of us are now facing a workforce that is also diverse when it comes to generational differences. Consider that for some businesses, there are five generations in the workforce: the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, ...

By Matt Sellhorst The past several years have been what I call “boom” years for most dealers. Sales volume is up, units are up in most segments and times are pretty good. But, could they be better? What happens if there’s a slowdown? Or what if the election cycle triggers the typical uncertainty that could impact sales? If your dealership ...

By David Gee “What the new year brings to you depends a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” I don’t know who said that, but I like it. I like lots of quotes. Especially at this time of year. If you could see my office as I am writing this, you would notice all kinds of ...

So, last time we talked about quality lead generation and I gave you a simple challenge.  Did you accept it? I hope so.  And, congratulations if you did take action. Now that you’ve taken action on the lead generation opportunity, let’s turn our attention to converting the leads we do have to face-to-face sales opportunities. Once you have a quality ...

By David Gee I love this time of year; for its festiveness, for the chance to gather with friends and family, for ancient stories and meaningful traditions. However, as a boater and watersports enthusiast living where there is winter, I am less of a fan of this time of year. More accurately though, I am fine with December, it’s just ...

By David Gee In 1929, an enterprising, entrepreneurial boating enthusiast by the name of James W. Peaslee decided what the world needed was a publication “devoted exclusively to the interests of the boat and motor dealer, and builder.” With that, BOATING BUSINESS was launched, just as the stock market crashed. Fortunately, the recreational boating business in this country survived, as ...