SALES & MARKETING
Winning What’ s Left of Summer
BY DAVID GEE
The boating customer walking into your dealership today may look familiar. But the reasons they buy – or don’ t – are changing. Price still matters, of course. But so do time, convenience, confidence and the growing question of whether boat ownership really fits into an already crowded life.
That means dealers have a different job than they used to. Now you must make the case for boat ownership itself: why boating is worth the investment, how it can fit into family life and how your dealership can make the entire experience easier.
NMMA’ s recent comprehensive consumer study found prospective buyers frequently view boating as overly complex, intimidating or logistically challenging. So you need to speak directly to that.
They are buying access before ownership. The traditional path was often exposure > family boating > ownership. Today, many customers arrive through rentals, boat clubs, charters, watersports or other outdoor activities. That means you may be meeting someone who likes boating but hasn’ t yet decided that ownership is the best way to enjoy it.
They are concerned about the burden of boating. The obstacle isn’ t only“ Can I afford this?” It can be“ Do I want another complicated thing in my life?” Time, operating responsibility, maintenance, storage, and logistics can make ownership feel intimidating. That creates a completely different sales opportunity: sell simplicity. Show prospects how your dealership makes boating easier after the sale.
PHOTO CREDIT © Adobe Stock- Jacob Lund
They may need permission to believe boating fits their life. Dealers often market a boat through an on-water demo. But the objection may be occurring earlier: When would we ever have time to do this? The message therefore becomes less“ Look how much fun boating is” and more“ This is where your family gets its time back.”
They want experiences before commitments. NMMA specifically suggests moving boat shows from primarily a transaction environment toward experiential learning and enthusiasm-building. Dealers could apply that philosophy locally: demo evenings,“ learn to boat” Saturdays, family boating days, docking clinics or owner-for-a-day events.
They are looking for confidence as much as a boat. For an experienced boater, the sales conversation might revolve around horsepower, electronics and specific features. For a newer prospect, the underlying questions may be: Can I operate this? Where do I go? What if something breaks? Will my family enjoy it? Am I going to look foolish at the launch ramp? Education, onboarding and ongoing support therefore become part of the product.
The definition of value is getting broader. Price still matters enormously, but value isn’ t simply MSRP versus features. It includes how often will we actually use this? How hard will ownership be? What will it cost me all-in? Will this improve our life enough to justify the money? That favors used boats, smaller boats, flexible financing and other lower-risk entry points. So today’ s message might not be“ Buy a boat.” Maybe it’ s,“ Buy back some family time.” You’ ve spent years working on how to sell boats better. The more important sales message today may be how to make boating easier to say yes to.
David Gee is a sales and marketing consultant and speaker, and the former editor-in-chief of Boating Industry.