// INDUSTRY NEWS the vision and dedication of our team , the passion of our members , and the strength of the boating community we ’ ve built ,” said Cecil Cohn , President of Freedom Boat Club . “ We are incredibly proud to be the largest and most trusted boat club operator in the world . Our growth reflects the growing demand for accessible boating , and we look forward to providing future boaters with the opportunity to experience the joy of boating with the Freedom Boat Club family .”
MRAA introduces Dealer- Manufacturer Scorecard program
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas ( MRAA ) announced the introduction of the marine industry ’ s first-ever Dealer-Manufacturer Scorecard Program .
Designed to improve the customer experience by fostering meaningful conversations between dealers and manufacturers related to their respective performance in the relationship , the Scorecard Program brings together two years ’ worth of insights and wisdom from all corners of the marine industry , in addition to in-depth research both within and outside the marine industry . MRAA used dozens of one-on-one conversations with both dealers and manufacturers and several collaborative strategy meetings with MRAA ’ s board of directors ( all dealers ) and Strategic Partners ( all manufacturers and service providers ) to craft the scorecards , performance categories and several supporting resources .
“ The introduction of MRAA ’ s Dealer-Manufacturer Scorecard Program marks a significant moment for the marine industry ,” explains MRAA President Matt Gruhn . “ For decades , the boating industry has operated with a unique approach to dealer-manufacturer partnerships and has done so with very few examples of the parties standardizing communication and feedback on the partnership ’ s performance . This scorecard initiative seeks to not only provide a platform for quality feedback to be delivered to dealers and manufacturers , but through the conversations it will create and the performance improvement opportunities it will identify , we expect that these Scorecards will ultimately lead to a better boat buying and ownership experience .”
Through its extensive research , MRAA identified six key areas in the dealer-manufacturer relationship that impact the customer experience . Through deep analysis of those six key areas , MRAA ’ s Board and Strategic Partners identified 10 key performance categories for dealers and 10 key performance categories for manufacturers and used them to build out the Scorecards . Once established , MRAA vetted the Scorecards and the performance categories through both its board and several boat manufacturers for further feedback . The Scorecards were finalized in October 2024 .
With the launch and announcement of the program , MRAA also noted that two multi-brand boat manufacturers ― Correct Craft , Inc . and Malibu , Inc . ― are participating in a pilot program to not only collect feedback from their dealers but also provide MRAA feedback on how to continue to fine-tune the Scorecard Program . MRAA has chosen Customer Service Intelligence , Inc . ( CSI ), a long-time MRAA partner and 30-year leader in customer satisfaction and voice of the customer surveying , to help execute the Scorecard Program . CSI provides a platform and technology to survey dealers and manufacturers and provides comprehensive reports and a dashboard for manufacturers to collect insights for business improvement .
After the pilot program is complete and following any necessary updates , MRAA will roll out an industrywide version of the Dealer-Manufacturer Scorecard Program in 2025 . Manufacturers will be invited to participate and MRAA will provide manufacturers with in-depth reporting , to include dealer scores and feedback , action plans , urgent action items , and comparisons against industry averages and segment averages in all categories . Each individual manufacturer ’ s scores and reporting will be kept confidential . Manufacturers will then work to score each of their dealers and establish two-way communication around the feedback the partners provide each other .
For more information , please visit www . mraa . com / scorecards where you can find sample scorecards , answers to frequently asked questions , and resources to maximize the potential of MRAA ’ s Dealer-Manufacturer Scorecard Program .
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www . boatingindustry . com december 2024 / january 2025
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