some type of third-party evaluation of the dealer.”
The program was launched in November 2005, and
the first dealer workshops were held two months
later. Leitz says it takes dealerships 90 days to go
through the program and improve their facilities before they schedule a certification visit. He says about
20 percent fail to earn certification on the first try, but
usually the rejections involve only minor problems.
“Often it is paperwork issues, such as not having all
the job descriptions in place,” says Leitz. “We’ve
done 41 [workshops] and just completed the process
where dealerships go through the workshop via the
Web. It makes it much more convenient and cuts
down on traveling costs.”
The first of the new interactive online workshops
was scheduled to go live Jan. 20-21, and it will break
up the standard eight-hour session into two days.
“The most that ever attended was 27, and the
smallest group we had was eight,” says Leitz. “This
will hopefully bring the certification process to a
wider audience.”
Keeping the edge
The challenge for Green Cove Marina — as with all
dealerships that earn certification — is to maintain a
high level of customer service, because certification
must be renewed each year. Davidson says that
should not be too difficult because Green Cove has
been doing many of the requirements for years, such
as maintaining clean and orderly facilities.
Leitz says being certified gives dealers a competitive
edge and gives consumers more peace of mind regarding the level of professionalism at the dealership. All
involved agree that the economy makes it imperative
for dealers to leverage any extra advantage they can.
“I get the feeling that Green Cove was doing about
80 percent of the things that we require, but they
also did a few more as a result of the certification,”
says Leitz. “Also, there is nothing in this process that
isn’t already well-established good business practice.”
A checklist
Certification requires a dealership to track seven
areas: customer satisfaction, employee performance,
employee training, upkeep of facility, sales, service,
and follow-up process. There must be a CSI program
in place to measure performance in handling customer needs. A customer “bill of rights” must be posted where it is readily visible, and employees must be
educated on what those rights are and charged with
carrying them out.
Each employee must have a clearly stated job description with an annual performance evaluation and
satisfaction survey. Technicians must receive annual
training on all products serviced at the dealership and
maintain factory certification records. The facilities
must have a pleasing appearance and appropriate permanent signage for parking and other facilities. Service
areas have to be uncluttered, and facility check sheets
must be completed quarterly, one by a customer.
Give and take
“We are not the certification police, we are trying
to work with the dealer to get certified,” says Leitz.
For instance, Edwards gave Davidson and Cavaleri
some tips on how to improve customer service. For
one thing, he determined that customers rarely returned the service evaluation forms they were given.
“One of the biggest problems is getting customers
to respond,” says Edwards. “But give them a coupon
or an incentive to come back, and they’re much more
likely to hand the survey back.”
Although the certification process does not guarantee a perfect experience, Leitz says it effectively
moves people to the purchase point. According to a
recent Discover Boating survey, 79 percent of customers say they were more likely to buy from a certified dealer than a non-certified competitor.
“Once dealers are certified, they get a logo they can
put on their Web site, business cards, letterheads,” says
Leitz. “They also receive a banner they can hang up in
the dealership, and for NMMA boat shows, we denote
in our programs which dealers have certification.”
As for the cost and time it takes to become certified, Edwards says every situation is different.
“It really depends on what kind of practices they already have in place,” says Edwards. “I’ve seen places
that didn’t have anything filed, and records weren’t in
place, so obviously it was going to take more time
than the 90 days in the program.”
As far back as 1996 Green Cove was one of 25 marinas nationally recognized for its achievements by
the Environmental Protection Agency.
Sales manager Cavaleri says the changes required at
Green Cove were relatively minor.
“We probably put $500 into this; however, every
dealership is different,” says Cavaleri. “It may cost another larger place significantly more than that. You
can’t generalize.”
Green Cove also earned the title of Clean Marina in
the fall of 2006, and Cavaleri believes that designation, along with certification, will give the customer
even more confidence.
“They know we’re not some fly-by-night company,”
says Cavaleri. “They know where we stand.” n
A Texas dealer’s advice: Hang in there
Rod Malone says you can cut costs and push the boating lifestyle to ride out this rough recession
By Beth Rosenberg / Staff Writer
b.rosenberg@tradeonlytoday.com
Whas turned into a career for
Rod Malone, owner of
hat began as an avocation
Austin, Texas-based Sail & Ski, which
has three locations and a mobile service depot and storage location.
Malone opened his business in 1976
— originally dealing only in sailboats.
He later moved into ski boats before
evolving into a full-line dealership. His
major line is Sea Ray, but he also sells
Boston Whaler, Nautiques by Correct
Craft, Crest, Sea Pro and Kawasaki personal watercraft.
While conceding times are tough,
Malone says he’s taking an aggressive approach to dealing with the
economy, reducing expenses as
much as possible. He’s also putting a
heavy emphasis on marketing boating as a lifestyle.
LIZ ELLIS (TOP)
The economy in the Austin area remains relatively stable, he says, but he’s
concerned that gloomy accounts of
what’s happening elsewhere are scaring people.
The Sail & Ski management team
(from left): Buzz Watkins, vice president and director of marketing and
sales; Rod Malone, president; and
Doug Malone, vice president and
director of fixed operations.
It’s the perception
“We do see that people are becoming
less confident, and they’re beginning to
lose momentum from a purchasing
standpoint, just because of what they
perceive,” Malone says. Sales began to
reflect the economic worry in the middle of August, he says, and since Nov.
1, they have nosedived.
“I found out the world really is flat,”
he jokes.
Inventory levels are higher than normal — in part because of manufacturer commitments made before the decline in sales. Malone is adjusting projections for the coming quarters, but
says he isn’t letting the recession dictate his business.
Sell the timing
“We have become extremely aggressive in some marketing programs in
conjunction with some of our manufacturers,” he says. “We’re marketing the
fact that right now is a great opportunity to buy a boat.
“Economic conditions in other parts
of the country have [reduced] the manufacturer’s ability to sell boats, and so
being in Texas, which is still a strong
economy, creates an opportunity for
us,” Malone says. “You shouldn’t put
your life on hold; you need to move
forward with your life.”
Malone uses an analogy to explain
why it’s important to not put off buying a boat:
Little Johnny, 12, and his father come
into the dealership to look at ski boats.
