BY MATT SELLHORST

It all starts when your future buyer has this thought or conversation : “ Hey honey , let ’ s buy a boat ” or “ Hey honey , it ’ s time for a new boat .”

What do they do next ?

That ’ s right , head to their phone , tablet or computer to do some research and begin gathering basic information about the types and brands of boats they may want to buy . Now , let ’ s get inside their heads a little deeper . What specifically are they hoping to find ? This varies based on if they own a boat or not , so I ’ ll break it down in the table below :

Where do you think they look for that additional information that will help them make a smart decision ? They turn to boating friends , social media and industry resources like dealers , boat shows , manufacturer websites and often YouTube .

So , what are they wondering ?

They want to answer the question , “ What specific boat should we buy , and who should we buy it from , if we do buy a boat ?”

What will help answer those questions varies for each buyer , but it comes down to a few simple concepts .

What option will deliver the value that ’ s important to them ? For example , value buyers typically want the most boat for the money , while premium buyers typically want the highest quality or most prestigious boat .

And finally , as they head into the final phase of writing a check for the option that they feel delivers the best qualities that are most important to them , there ’ s one last major question on their mind .

FIRST-TIME BOAT BUYERS

What type of boat is best ?

About how much are those boats ?

Where can I find more detailed information to help make a smart decision ?

MOVE-UP BOAT BUYERS

How much is your current boat worth ?

What style / brand of boat is best for your next boat ?

Where can I find more detailed information to help make a smart decision ?

What are your future buyers thinking as they approach a buying decision ?

You guessed it , “ What is the absolute lowest price I can buy this boat for today ?”

As they get closer and closer to making a buying decision , their minds get highly focused on getting the best price on that boat .

So , with this insight into your buyer ’ s thoughts and questions as they move through what I call the Educational Spectrum of a Boat Buyer , it ’ s all about how can you craft messages via various media that can position your boat business to best help those buyers you are positioned to serve ?

This month ’ s challenge :

Take an hour to dive deeper into the questions and thoughts your buyers are having at each stage of the Educational Spectrum of a Boat Buyer ( Researcher , Evaluator and Now Buyer ). Keep these thoughts top of mind as you create all future sales and marketing messages so you can enter the conversation already going on in your prospects mind .

Matt Sellhorst is the founder of Boat Dealer Profits Marketing Agency and author of the only business-building book for the retail boating industry , “ Boat Dealer Profits ; How the SPLASH System can help you sell more boats , make more money and have more fun .” Claim your free copy at www . BoatDealerProfits . com / freebook .

www . boatingindustry . com March 2023

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