State of the boat business and free advice

Things are changing in the boat business . As in real estate and the economy in general there are companies that will survive and those that wont . I think that knowing that things are slow is the first step to staying alive and being ready for the inevitable improvement in the business climate. One of the things I think is important is maintaining a level of quality and customer service . That is a particular challenge to both boat manufacturers as well as retailers as staff is cut and expenses are trimmed . We are committed to selling quality products and providing quality services . There is no substitution for professionalism and customer service . Providing value is another key in the process, with part of the value being the price of the product and part being the follow up . It is proven time and time again that the cheapest price inevitably gets the lowest level of service . Shopping the internet in order to hammer a dealer on price my seem like a good idea, but the business model of the “superstores ” is to make a sale once , not to make a customer and start a relationship. They truly lower the value of anything they sell .

The moral of the story is if you buy from a trained full service dealer , one that treats his or her business as something more than a hobby [ maybe Ill answer the phone this week, if I'm not traveling], you will have a better buying experience in the long run .  Boat manufacturers will sell boats to anyone with a pulse and a checkbook at this point . Its up to the buyer to choose whom they do business with carefully .