Boating Industry

December 2015

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12 | Boating Industry | December 2015 [ 2015 Top 100 ] www.BoatingIndustry.com THE AVERAGE TOP 100 DEALER LOCATIONS: ........................................................ 2 YEARS IN BUSINESS: .......................................41 SALES EMPLOYEES: .......................................... 5 SERVICE EMPLOYEES: ....................................... 9 TOTAL EMPLOYEES: .........................................30 MEDIAN REVENUE: .................$10.9 MILLION NEW BOATS SOLD: ....................................... 104 USED BOATS SOLD: .........................................61 96.0 Top 100 dealers' average CSI score To further that ideal, WakeSide implemented a new 24-hour emergency service program. WakeSide started the development by working with its techs to make sure the program would be priced properly. The team settled on a $295 charge to send the tech, pricing it as a luxury option. The company contracted with an answering service to handle the calls 24/7. The answer- ing service takes the call, logs the issue and explains the charge, giving the customer the option on how to proceed. If the customer wants to go forward, they are directed to the company's website to make an immediate payment. "We have given the option back to the customer on what they want us to do and that is the critical component of service," Haradine said. "When we have done a service call they are thrilled, and when they choose not to, they tend to be happier on Monday when we work them into the normal rotation because we have provided an immediate option to address their issue rather than allowing them to build on the frustration all weekend." Budgeting beyond basics Irwin Marine, Laconia, N.H., credits its budgeting process with helping it outperform the competition in times both good and bad. The process starts with the budget basics developed by Duane Spader, but then takes it several steps further. Using IDS software and an advanced Excel program, Irwin drills down to each line item for each location. "The process intentionally provides us latitude in making or tweaking adjustments based on management's observations and experiences over the years," said vice president John Irwin. Sales, across all departments, are reviewed from the past year. Local and global trends in the industry are noted and objec- tives applied in forecasting sales for the budget year. New prod- uct introductions, national and local sales trends are accounted for in unit sales projections. Margin trends and objectives are incorporated, as well. "Careful budgeting and expense management have been critical in constantly improving our accuracy and to an end, profi tability," Irwin said. "Once the annual expense numbers are loaded into the Excel program and three-year trends are applied we are able to see P&L line items broken out by location on a monthly basis. We can evaluate expense ratios and identify anything that may be out of line and require further review or adjustment. After this is complete, the results are downloaded into our IDS operating software. From there we can see budget vs. actual amounts on a monthly basis." Those results are monitored constantly throughout the month by management and re- viewed with fi nal month end statements by the 10th of the following month. Variances can be quickly identifi ed and corrective action taken promptly. Embracing Lean In 2014, Clark Marine, Manchester, Maine, implemented Lean principals in its service operations, increasing effi ciency and improving profi tability. The revised system is designed to limit technician movement. Everything from posi- tioning of service boats to how parts are delivered to how a technician accesses the repair orders were addressed by the new system. "The entire layout is designed to limit movement in every way we can," said owner Rob Brown in describing the new process at the Clark Marine Manchester facility. "Every From parts to service to sales, Irwin Marine credits its budgeting for its success.

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