MADE IN USA
Summer is finally here! We have survived another long winter and now we are enjoying the ultimate reward, summer.
By now, as a dealer, you have launched most of the boats you have stored, and the offseason maintenance is in the past. The focus is staying on top of incoming repairs and trying to sell off the remaining inventory on your lot.
With summer so new, it hurts to think about what is coming this winter. But to maximize revenue, you need to be thinking ahead and be prepared to offer your customers a plan to make needed upgrades and improvements on their boats this fall.
Most dealers provide standard motor winterization along with a variety of other preventative services, but now is the time to start putting together packages for upgrading the flooring and seating on your customers pontoon boats. Nothing makes a pontoon look better than a fresh new floor, especially if their boat still has carpet. New polyvinyl flooring provides a classy look, easy maintenance, and a snag free surface. Customers don’t want to give up their boat for any period of time during the summer; however, this is the time they notice the shortcomings of their existing floor.
Start preparing your marketing materials that show before and after images of how drastic the improvement will be with a new floor. Have samples and pricing ready now, so when the customer finishes the season, you are ready to put down the new floor. By sending the message out early, you can keep your shop busy all winter and have a happy customer by this time next year.
A wise old boat dealer once told me that you make your winters by marketing in the summer. It is easy to want to catch your breath between the launching and the pulling of the boats, but good planning will help keep you busy all winter!