Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/416199
December 2014 | Boating Industry | 9 [ 2014 Top 100 ] www.BoatingIndustry.com Success secrets of the Top 100 The Boating Industry Top 100 is not just about recognizing the best dealers in North America. It's also about sharing their best practices with other dealers to improve the entire industry. These are just a handful of the strategies the Top 100 has used to reach more than $2.1 billion in revenue in 2013. (For more best practices, be sure to read the Best in Class profi les starting on p. 28) Delivery process At Bosun's Marine, Mashpee, Mass., the delivery process starts during the sales process, when potential buyers meet the delivery captains at boat shows or during sea trials. Once the boat is sold, the orientation begins in earnest. "Every boat sold by Bosun's Marine comes with an on-the-water orien- tation, and the process lasts as long as the customer requires," said company president Tim Leedham. "For smaller boats, orientations can be completed in less than two hours, but larger vessels may require two or three days. Our staff spends as much time as necessary to help customers practice docking and learn how to operate their new boats. If our own staff is too booked to continue this instruction, and the new buyer or Bosun's personnel still feel uneasy, we will provide an outside captain, at the company's expense, for a day of extra training." Budgeting Planning and tracking the budget is a total team effort at Maine's Port Har- bor Marine, involving input from directors, managers, salespeople and tech- nicians from its fi ve locations. "During our strategic planning sessions we as a team agree on a percent- age of growth and begin working on a growth plan for each profi t center," said president Rob Soucy. Port Harbor uses a budgeting program called Budget Maestro, which allows the company to budget, compare with prior year's performance and also make hypothetical assumptions and what affect it would have on the bottom line. The reports are then accessible by all of the managers. "You will not fi nd a dealer more focused or in tune to informing their team as to what the score is," Soucy said. "Each location manager and direc- tor is sent a report four times per month to let them know 'Where are we?' This report is sent half way through the month, with one week to go, with three days to go and then where we ended." The directors and managers use this to help drive their decisions and manage their areas of responsibility. "This whole process has helped with accountability and is one of the reasons I believe in our continued success in a challenging environment." Soucy said. "Knowing what the goal is and then knowing where you stand Bosun's Marine has a detailed delivery and orientation process for new buyers. At Port Harbor, overseeing the budget is a team effort. Strong's Marine emphasized CSI score improvement in 2013.