SALES & MARKETING
Close More, Lose Less: Sales Moves to Make Right Now
BY DAVID GEE
If your showroom feels quieter than it should this time of year, you’ re not imagining it. The most recent surveys show half of all recreational boat dealers report declines in new boat sales. And the culprits are familiar: rising boat prices, stubborn interest rates, inflation fatigue, and a cautious consumer doing more homework and less buying. Shoppers are taking longer to decide, and they’ re not limiting their search to your market.
That’ s the bad news. Here’ s the good news. Peak selling season still has runway. Here’ s how to close more business before you get to the end.
Lead with used. This isn’ t a consolation strategy – it’ s simply where the mar-
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ket is. Used boats are moving. Buyers who can’ t stomach a new-boat payment at today’ s rates can often be sold a clean pre-owned unit at a number that works. If your used inventory is thin, get aggressive at trade-in. Offer above-book on trades tied to a used unit purchase. A used sale today is better than a new-boat stalemate that drags into September, or later.
Attack the payment conversation, not the price. Affordability is a real objection, and it’ s not going away. Work with your lender partners now to identify every rate buydown, extended term, or promotional financing option available. A buyer who says“ too expensive” at a sticker price often says yes at the right monthly number. Train your team to lead with payment, not price. Know your numbers cold.
Don’ t overlook the follow-up. A Boating Industry piece from earlier this year cites up to 24 touchpoints across the buyer’ s journey – social media, listings, video, reviews, chat, email – before a customer commits. And the research phase might run 4 – 6 months for many buyers. By the time someone contacts you, they’ ve typically already narrowed their options and compared multiple dealerships.
The failure point isn’ t generating interest – it’ s what happens after that first inquiry. General big-ticket retail research( automotive is the closest analog) consistently puts the number of salesperson-initiated follow-up contacts needed at 5 – 8 before a buyer acts, yet many dealers stop at one or two.
Create urgency without discounting. Buyers are slow right now but slow doesn’ t mean stopped. Move them with time-anchored offers: free winterization, a service package, a slip referral through Labor Day, Pro Shop discount, etc. These close deals without eroding margin the way a straight discount does. The goal is to give the fence-sitter a reason to decide now rather than next week – because next week has a way of becoming October.
None of these moves will turn a sluggish market into a record year. But dealers who execute them well, who stock and sell used aggressively, lead with payment, show up sharp online, and actually follow through with prospects, will move units that might otherwise sit. In a season where half the industry is already behind, that’ s not a small thing.
David Gee is a communications consultant and former editor-in-chief of Boating Industry. He can be reached at david @ 3secondselling. com.