Dealer Outlook

With the autumnal equinox ushering in a new season today, the fall boat-show circuit is in high gear. Here are some recent reports and a look at what’s to come.

The Northwest Marine Trade Association is awarding $1,000 Discover Boating grants to entities that promote boating in the region.

Using coupons to offer customers special deals is a proven way to increase business.

The Progressive Metro Boat Show opens Thursday for four days at Lake St. Clair Metropark in Harrison Charter Township, Mich. Meanwhile, early-registration discounts for MRAA’s Dealer Week end soon.

With the Covid bubble in the rearview mirror, building trust with existing and prospective customers is more important than ever.

The proposed rules would define boats as vehicles and subject their sales to the same laws.

Toxic algae blooms, the result of outdated wastewater treatment facilities, are causing widespread fish kills in San Francisco Bay.

It’s a tale about sales success and a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Summer algae blooms have returned to Lake Erie, and it’s a pointed reminder that we need federal and state agencies to step up and initiate enforceable programs.

Keeping customers happy is a necessary part of relationship-building, but there are situations when the prudent business decision is to cut ties and walk away.

The recent Orlando, Fla., show, with a 27.4 percent increase in attendance, confirms that these events remain one of the best ways to reach the buying public face-to-face.

As boat sales normalize, it’s essential to keep the customers you have. Here’s what not to do.

Shuttered because of the pandemic, the boat show’s I-X Center venue was acquired and will stage the event in a newly reconfigured space.

The Northwest Marine Trade Association has compiled sales and registration data that suggest a need to “return to a more traditional sales process.”

Giving away items, either for promotion or as a token of thanks, goes a long way to building customer loyalty.

The newly formed Aquatic Invasive Species Commission will take aim at Asian carp and other invasives at the federal level.

The new law lays out specific safety requirements for wakesurfing and wakeboarding activities. Meanwhile, the Orlando Boat Show will kick off the fall schedule.

With rough economic seas on the horizon, visiting the retail front lines can cement relationships and ensure repeat business. Also, the Fort Myers show turns 50 this year.

Boaters are ponying up at the pump, but will they forego in-store gear purchases to keep their budgets intact? Also, the Seattle Boat Show will shorten its weekday hours for 2023.

Anglers hooked up with 100 fish during the recent Ladies Let's Go Fishing event. Meanwhile, the funeral vessel that carried Winston Churchill needs a benefactor.

The devices, deployed as part of a pilot program, skim and collect debris from the water, including microplastics. Meanwhile, MBIA announces scholarship funds.

These keys to successful selling can help you create customers who keep coming back, even when sales dip

The Massachusetts Marine Trades Association partnered with “A Bed for Every Child” to build beds for families in need.

The great strides in water quality that the CWA has created have been a huge benefit to boating, but there’s a lot more that remains to be done.