Tag Archives: Sales & Marketing

By Matt Sellhorst Going to boat shows is something I’ve done since I was a kid back in Nebraska. This year I’ve already attended four and plan to sneak a few more in by the time boating weather arrives. Mystery shopping at the shows, I’ve seen some good, some bad and some ugly in my interactions with salespeople, as well ...

By Matt Sellhorst What is one thing we all need more of in this industry? Time (though I would also take skilled labor and technicians too, but that’s another article). There just isn’t enough time to do all the things that need to get done at the dealership. The staffing is forever tight. Everyone is doing multiple jobs.You know the ...

By Matt Sellhorst With summer winding down, school back in session and so on many of us are getting back to more “normal routines.” Hopefully we are getting back to a more normal life all the way around, because these past 18 months I know I’ve felt out of sorts at times. Maybe you can relate, if you’ve had the ...

By Matt Sellhorst The data is coming out and the 2020 season has been an enormous success so far, especially considering the state of the world, upcoming presidential election and overall uncertainty. It’s great to celebrate, then, ask what’s next? Virtually every dealer has added new clients and generated a ton of new leads. So, in addition to the huge ...

By Matt Sellhorst The other day I was researching some Facebook boating groups to keep up to date with the conversations real consumers are having with each other. One post in particular caught my attention. Here’s the short version of the story. A gentleman was looking for the updated 2020 pricing for some options he wanted on a boat he ...

So much of our time in sales and marketing is focused on the next sale: the next new prospect who doesn’t know us yet, the next new client on the books.   The thrill of the chase or the big sales are fantastic and every new sale adds a nice chunk – maybe $3,000, $7,000, $15,000 or more of gross ...

Ask many small business owners in the marine industry how they study trends in their market and you’ll hear a similar answer. Whether it be dealers, manufacturers, marinas or others that touch the water, all too often the answer is some variation on “We talk to our customers” or “We’re on the lake every weekend.” While certainly important, anecdotal evidence ...

Do you spend money on advertising? Or, do you invest money in advertising? What’s the difference you say? In my book, “Marine Marketing Strategies,” I give the example of “brand building” versus what I call “results marketing.” The goal of traditional, image or brand building ads is to “get your name out there” and be “top of mind.” The idea ...

Wow, that’s a pretty bold headline for a sales and marketing article, don’t you think? Once you get over the shock and outrage of it all, you’ll likely have one of three responses. 1. Denial … “We are getting our share of the sales and well, people are just too price sensitive these days. No one is holding margin like ...

Research says that 66% of small businesses value phone leads above all others, and spend $68 billion in advertising to get people to pick up the phone. When I read that, I thought of my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Whenever I order carryout, it’s the exact same rapid-fire response, “Quang!” The immediacy of the cashier is made clear by their frantic ...