GETTING CERTIFIED
For one New Jersey dealership, the process was relatively easy, and the rewards are great
By Elizabeth Ellis / Staff Writer
MGreen Cove Marina in Brick, N.J., leans
against the service counter facing Jim Ed-ichael Davidson, chief operating officer of
wards of Five Star Solutions, the company contracted to conduct workshops and on-site visitations for the NMMA’s Marine Industry Certified
Dealership program.
“This area used to look like a doctor’s waiting
room, with walls and one sliding window,” says
Davidson, 52, pointing to the now-open space. “We
had this former employee who … would open up the
window a crack when the customers came in. After
he [retired], we tore down that whole wall to make
us more approachable.”
Edwards, 62, a training and certification consultant with Five Star, nods his approval, and the two
men continue with the evaluation of Green Cove
for certification.
In a sense, tearing down walls is what the certification program is all about. Through a series of workshops, dealers learn what best practices they can put
into effect, such as friendly, well-informed employees; quality products; and dependable service. These
should translate to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty and,
ultimately, increased sales and profits, say certification advocates.
Certified dealers also have direct
access to leads or prospects on the
National Marine Manufacturers Association’s Discover Boating site. In
many cases, certified dealers are eligible for financial incentives offered by
manufacturers, including partial reimbursement for certification costs.
Green Cove Marina is one of 604
dealerships to have participated in
the NMMA’s three-year-old Dealership Certification program, which
was created to help dealers improve
the experience for customers. The
program focuses on everything from
employee performance and training
to quality of sales and service to the
upkeep of facilities and overall customer experience. As of November, 437 dealerships
had been certified nationwide.
Green Cove Marina is a full-service dealer in Brick,
N.J., that sells the Maxum and Jupiter lines, along
with a variety of used boats. Sales manager Jason
Cavaleri and CEO Michael Davidson (from left) greet
Jim Edwards, a training and certification consultant
with Five Star Solutions.
A shot in the arm
For Davidson, joining the Dealer Certification program, a key component of the Grow Boating Initiative, was an opportunity to reorganize his 35-year-old
family business.
“It was the question of why do we seem to work harder and make less money?” says Davidson. “We needed to
get rejuvenated. I knew we had to make some important changes, but I didn’t know what to do.”
Davidson’s full-service marina has 275 slips and 14
employees, with roughly 140 boats stored in the winter. Services range from pumpouts to fuel to boat repair and winterization. As for sales, Green Cove carries the Jupiter and Maxum lines and also sells used
boats. Sales manager Jason Cavaleri, 25, says 40 to 45
boats are sold in a typical year.
Among the amenities at the marina are a swimming
pool, a fuel dock, pumpout facilities, a landscaped
picnic area, air-conditioned bathrooms and a locking
security gate that surrounds the property.
The service department is certified in MerCruiser,
Yamaha and Honda engines, has an extensive inventory of parts, and even does electronics installations.
Davidson says the certification process helped him
identify improvements that would make the main office more welcoming — many of them relatively simple steps. For example, office and service hours now
are clearly posted on the front door. A list of sales and
service rates also has been posted.
“I never thought of that before,” says Davidson.
“But I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about [it].”
A more open and welcoming reception area was
created in the main office, parking and direction signs
have been installed, landscaping improved, and tables
and chairs placed outside near the water for the use
of customers and employees.
The efforts have paid off. Green Cove passed the
test Oct. 30 and earned certification.
Word of mouth
Davidson says he heard good things from other
dealers about the certification program and decided
to find out more about it. He says the tools provided
through the program already have proven valuable.
He singles out the survey and evaluation procedures
for employees and customers, which he says foster a
spirit of teamwork.
“Everyone feels like a part of what we are doing,”
Davidson says. “People want to believe that their
input is important.”
Good business
Terry Leitz, director of Customer Satisfaction Index
programs for the NMMA, says the idea for the program began in 2004 at a Grow Boating meeting. The
goal was to create something that would be flexible
enough for any type of marine dealership.
Surveys indicated that customers who were new to
the process of buying a boat wanted a set of standards that would be adhered to by dealerships. (The
NMMA also has certification programs for boatbuilders and trailer manufacturers.)
“We realized we needed to give dealerships a tool to
make themselves better and create a repeatable positive experience,” says Leitz, 54. “Customers wanted
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