52 ideas from some of the best boat dealers in the North America for sales, marketing, customer satisfaction and dealer service
The 2015 “Best Ideas” white paper, published by Boating Industry magazine and sponsored by Dominion Marine Media, offers a showcase of some of the best ideas gathered from dealers at the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo (MDCE).
The free white paper contains 52 industry-leading ideas from boat dealers in the U.S. and Canada that have proven successful for them over the last year. These ideas cover a range of topics, including business management, customer satisfaction, sales, marketing, events and service departments.
The ideas included serve as a resource for dealers, allowing them to learn from their peers’ successes on a variety of initiatives. Each featured idea also outlines the implementation process and discusses the ultimate results of the project.
The winner of the Best Idea of 2014, as selected by MDCE attendess, is also announced as “Using Google reviews to build a dealer brand”, contributed by Matt Sellhorst. A detailed 2-page description of how this idea was implemented to encourage customers to post positive online reviews is included in the white paper.
Best Marketing Ideas for Boat Dealers
There are 11 other ideas listed in the marketing category by boat dealers sharing successful initiatives that impact marketing efforts.
- Boatpooling with Uber (finalist for top idea)
- Increased presence in non-traditional settings
- Ride and drive show
- Lease boats to youth programs
- Branding through Instagram
- Showcasing the lake lifestyle
- Riverfront “wakebattle”
- WWF Shredfest
- Spin the Wheel promotion
- Relationship management centre
- YouTube inventory
- Touch screen TV for used boats
Many of the ideas listed in the other categories, like sales or customer satisfaction, also highlight initiatives that could have significant impact on a boat dealer’s marketing and branding efforts.
Download the free white paper, 2015 Best Ideas (PDF opens in new window)
Dominion Marine Media, the division of Dominion Enterprises that operates Boat Trader, YachtWorld, boats.com and Cosas De Barcos, has sponsored the Boat Industry Best Ideas program for four years in a row.