Selecting the Best Boat Dealer

Building an excellent relationship with your marine dealer is key

- Stuart Reichardt

TALK TO EXISTING CLIENTS

An excellent way to get good, honest information about a marine dealer is to talk to some of their existing clients. Existing clients will usually be brutally honest when it comes to good and bad service. But how do you get the names of their existing clients? Ask the dealer!

RED SAYS NO: A dealer might be reluctant to give you customer names for fear of violating their right to privacy, but if the dealer flatly refuses, he might have something to hide. It might allude to the fact that the dealer is fearful of what the customers might say.

GREEN FOR GO: If the dealer is happy to give you the names and contact numbers of his customers (once the dealer has confirmed with these customers he can give out their details) and then furnishes you with their details, it means the dealer is confident that he will get a glowing report from them. Apart from the service aspects, enquire with the customers about the salespeople at the marine dealer as they too, like the workshop, backup and parts departments are an integral part of the business and the better they are, the better your dealer experience.

WHY ARE WE WAITING?

If you’ve made a specific appointment with a marine dealer, you should not be kept waiting. By keeping you waiting, the marine dealer is indicating that you are not that important as a client.