Cream of the Crop

Many people have asked me why we’ve launched the Boating Industry Top 100. The answer is simple: to celebrate and recognize those dealers who are conducting business the right way. It’s our mission here at Boating Industry magazine to help increase professionalism throughout the industry. And what better way to do that than to reward the dealers who are leading the way?
For those who have yet to hear about it, the Top 100 is an editorial-based awards program that will recognize the Top 100 dealers in North America. Unlike the traditional dealer awards that base their criteria solely on volume or dollar sales, our Top 100 will look much deeper into overall business operations. Of all the criteria we will examine, a tiny percentage is devoted to sales and profitability, which allows us to evaluate the smallest of dealers alongside the largest, and heretofore, most recognizable.
The program itself is our way of helping raise that proverbial bar of professionalism. And in our opinion, it complements the Grow Boating Initiative perfectly, particularly the dealer certification portion. The criteria that the Five Star group introduced in Miami last spring mirrors that found on the application for the Top 100. If you’d like more details or an application, check out the Top 100 section of Boating-Industry.com.
But we also know that the criteria and application mean nothing without giving something back to the dealers. So, we’ve set the table for what will surely be the most anticipated awards program this industry has ever seen. At this invitation-only, black-tie gala celebration these elite dealers will be recognized in front of the top suppliers in the industry, the Leadership Alliance. These are the companies that, like us, want to help this industry improve, and they gave Boating Industry the opportunity to bring the Top 100 to life.
Boating Industry will hold these Top 100 dealers up in front of the industry and, perhaps more importantly, in front of consumers. By way of a special edition of Boating Industry, and the full report in our January issue, the industry will quickly learn which dealers have set themselves apart from the rest.
Then, through our sister publications — Trailer Boats, Bass & Walleye Boats, Powerboat and Watercraft World — we will promote these dealers to more than 500,000 consumers through an advertising campaign with a message that boldly says, “When only the best will do,” and a listing of the Top 100 dealers by city and state. Consumers flocking to their nearest Top 100 dealer will recognize the in-store signage and window decals depicting the Top 100 status. This will all be backed with a targeted PR campaign that will highlight the Top 100 dealers, the program and the sponsors.
Recognizing the dealer body’s cream of the crop is a responsibility we all have. Celebrating them will be an honor.