Boat shop

[Noelm]

I was just mulling over some "stuff" last night, and with all the talk lately about buying stuff OS and how bad Aus dealers are going these days (shops closing all over the place) what would it take to get YOU in as customer to a boat shop? is it service, price, product knowledge, stock on hand, location, the trust you have in the mechanics employed? Or is there something else you would desire to get you, and, keep you, as a customer? There is a couple of dealers near me, selling a good range of motors and boats, but I always go to the same one, even though they are further away from me, why? for me I guess is the fact the guy knows me by name, has almost anything I need in stock, and the price is about as good as anywhere else, what do you all think? if I (or you) were going to open a boat shop, what would be your top goals/priorities?

[choppa]

One would definitely need to stock a handful of fuel tank fittings,,,

Pink Drinks???,,, Selection of "Lister Motors"???,,, Occasional visit from the "Breaka Girls",,,

list goes on,,, and on,,,

which reminds me,,, I have an errand to run

[Tracker]

[QUOTE=choppa; Occasional visit from the "Breaka Girls",,,

[/QUOTE]

I don,t need no BREAKA girls.
I do enough damage myself.

[fishing111]

Think you hit the nail on the head with the "trust" bit.

[terryc]

I reckon price will always be high on anyones list, but equally important is having employees who are happy to serve the public and possess the necessary product knowledge. They need to be honest, if they are not sure about something admit it, rather than trying to bluff their way thru with a customer, often we as the customer will have researched our desired product, and when confronted with inaccurate information we may say nothing, but simply leave the shop thinking never to return there unless we have no choice. I have found in recent times that getting good service is rare in retail, and when I find it i definitely earmark that shop as a priority for the future. Getting good staff would have to be the hardest part of setting up a new shop. Just my thoughts,

[Noelm]

so then, so far we have trust (in the mechanic?) and good staff that will help, surely that wouldn't be too hard to supply, or would it? kind of think there MUST be a lot more to it, the entire industry is bleeding right now, shops closing doors, builders going belly up, people shopping off shore, remember it is not the retailer who is responsible for the prices we pay., is there a way to if not stop, then at least slow down the blood loss?

[nigelr]

Spot on paul251, trust in the mechanic/supervisor/manager/employees.
Truly it ain't rocket science, complete honesty and a desire to provide the best experience possible for the customer; recognise and appreciate the hand that feeds you!
Word of mouth is a great form of advertisement IMHO....I don't think too many of us would mind paying a (little) bit extra for peace of mind and the feeling that our custom is appreciated.

[Goldfinch]

I've been in business myself now for 15 years and I have quite a few colleagues who also own businesses in varied industries from boat building to house building to pro audio, entertainment and art. We all have the same philosophy when it comes to success in business. Great service, people skills, honesty, reliability, great product knowledge and competitive pricing. My colleagues and I have never been short of business, in fact we knock it back because we don't want to work to much anymore. I walk into a business these days and within a few minutes can tell if it is a "good" business or a "bad" business. There are plenty of telltale signs to look for. It all starts with the first greeting and goes from there. Anyway...not going to write a novel here but you get the drift. Cheers, Dave

[Noelm]

hhmm, I find it strange that service is the highest priority to us, yet we still buy from over seas via a computer where there is no service involved at all, or am I barking up the wrong tree? I guess to a point, technology has had an effect (good or bad) on the way we shop these days, most have some sort of device (or several) that will allow us to "shop" anywhere in the world and expect a reply in an instant, we can "tweet, facebook, myspace, email, text, MSN.. . . . maybe that is the downfall of the Australian home/small business?

[juggernaut]

In relation to parts, electronics, etc .....not having stock or only trying to sell what they have in stock is my issue. I want the right product for my needs. I went to a dealer recently to buy water intake screen for my old Johnson. A month later they arrived but were the wrong ones. I just got on the net and ordered the right ones from the US.

I do my research on the various forums and try to source on-line in Aus if possible or buy from the US usually if the item is cheap enough to warrant the postal charge. Case in point, I recently ordered a Wema fuel guage and sender direct from Wema in the US for circa $100 delivered to my door - arrived in 10 days. Whitworths was circa $160 to collect plus they only stocked certain sender lengths which were too short or too long. If they had the right sender length I would have been prepared to pay the extra to support Aus businesses.

I also prefer on-line shopping due to not to have the hassle of running around in traffic sourcing 10 different parts from 10 different shops.

[Noelm]

OK then, lets say you local (or somewhere in Aus) offered a good on line store, would it get patronised much? of course, buying a boat and so on would need a visit maybe.

[nigelr]

Generally I shop online for price and availability; if these requirements are met within Aus all the better I reckon.

[Justin Rossiter]

I find product range pretty important, I want a big range of products to choose from. That's where the internet wins. You have everything right there on various sites, either here or overseas.
I mostly shop locally at marine dealership, I go because the blokes are a pleasure to deal with, know their stuff and will always knock a few $ off at the register, that last one is important, we all like to think we got a good deal.

Justin

[johncar]

There are some good shops around and they seem to do reasonably well in a declining market. I think it is because of good product knowlege and advice, fair prices, and available stock. On shop that comes to mind is Probar Caboolture for trailer and misc parts, small operation that always seems busy but helpful service and most times seem to have what I need. For Boat bits and pieces I havent found any store I am totally happy with and tend to just shop around depending on the product I am chasing.

[Si]

i want closeness to location, honest business dealings, competitive pricing and range of goods in that order.