I just got back from Tampa, Florida as a speaker at the Marine Retailer Association of America Dealer Week. It was fantastic, but let me brag on some folks and tell you why. I have worked in aviation, automotive, powersports, and marine… and if we are honest with each other, there are some stereotypes between the industries. As a testament to the MRAA and the network they developed… that stereotype is debunked. Automotive operates at the higher end of the food chain with vendors and participants thinking they are the cats meow. The Powersports guys say things like “Everyone knows powersport is 10-15 years behind automotive”. Then there are multiple camps saying things like “First is automotive… powersports is a decade or so behind… but marine is way back in development…”. There are reasons for the thinking that are right in our faces.

“Those techs aren’t even working in a building?!?!”“Well what do you expect from a guy working in shorts and flip flops?”“They don’t even have a floor – they work in dirt.”Anybody in Automotive

Others may get closer to see that there is so much diversity in the Marine Industry that having a similar process can be a challenge… and this leads to an external appearance to other industries that looks misshapen. Here’s what I saw first hand:

Interdepartmental co-working

Dialed in Leaders

Open minds

Enthusiasm

Actions that back up words

Interested in Service Concepts?

Take for example the idea of attending sessions at an Expo. Typically, Sales and Finance classes (talks) would fill up, but Service talks would be largely unattended. I can remember working in the Powersports OEM world and zero people coming to a sponsored talk scheduled during a show. Not the case at Dealer Week. I gave my first talk on Tuesday at 3:00 pm. The room was stacked. Not only that but with a little prodding, I had the whole room chattering at the table exercises. In fact, at the end of the thing I hard time getting them to shut up. Success. When the talk was done, the job was not. So many knowledge-thirsted people hung around or caught up to me later on the show floor to extend the ideas discussed in the session. This place was kicking?

Leadership

My next talk was on Leadership and breaking down barriers between departments we work with. It was another smashing session that had folks talking, asking great questions, and pushing forward. The feedback I received after the talk was overwhelmingly positive. For that, I am truly grateful and humbled. So You Want to See Some Stuff? Right off the bat, I thought “Let’s record the moment”, so I ran a video walking into the show. Almost immediately, I was face to face with some of the old team at Suzuki.

I was able to meet and greet with so many quality people. On top of that, I was also able to get face-to-face with people I consult with virtually in the 7-week MRAA Certification Program for which I am a coach.

What About Outside?

But Did it End Well?Dan Thurman hit the stage for the closing ceremony talk and the energy was off the chain. Summersaults, Parler tricks, Juggling and a captivating message on follow through.

Closing ThoughtThis was a premier event. This was one of the best-choreographed events I have ever participated in. I will be back if they’ll have me. (hint, hint… I already know the answer)See you in Orlando for Dealer Week ’24!!

#dealerweek23 #dealerweek24 #manananomas