Dealer Week Pre-Conference Workshops Deliver Hands-On Sales and Service Training
Purpose-built education sessions offer interactive, department-specific tactics to strengthen sales effectiveness and service profitability
MINNEAPOLIS (August 25, 2026) — Marine dealerships face no shortage of challenges, from evolving customer expectations and changing sales processes to increasing demands on service departments. To help retailers navigate those realities, for the first time in history the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) is hosting two specialized pre-conference workshops focused on strengthening sales and service operations.
Aligned with Dealer Week's educational theme, The New Fundamentals, the workshops will be held Sunday, Dec. 6, prior to the conference's official opening. Led by industry experts Marcus Sheridan and Valerie Ziebron, these overlapping three-hour sessions give dealership teams the modern skills, tools and forward-looking strategies they need to drive performance today and build resilience for the future.
“Last year we got a great response to our pre-conference workshop, since it gave attendees more time to really go deep on a topic,” said Mike Davin, Vice President of Industry Relations at MRAA. “This year we wanted to provide that experience again, but we realized we had left out part of our audience by only focusing on a sales session last time. We have expanded to two separate workshops, so whether attendees focus on sales or service, there will be an in-depth workshop for them.”
Sales Bootcamp Examines the New Fundamentals of Boat Sales
Marcus Sheridan
In Sales Bootcamp: Learn the 7 Habits, Including AI, of the Best at Boat Sales, bestselling author Marcus Sheridan will lead participants through the habits and behaviors that consistently separate top-performing marine sales teams from the rest of the field.
The highly engaging workshop (1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6) is built around seven habits observed among successful sales professionals. These include: asking better questions, navigating pricing conversations, improving follow-up practices and using AI effectively without sacrificing the customer experience. Sales Bootcamp targets dealership owners, sales managers and sales professionals looking to elevate their sales process. Through role-play exercises, guided discussions and practical planning activities, participants will evaluate current performance and develop a roadmap for improvement.
Attendees will learn how to:
Identify the seven habits shared by top-performing marine sales teams
Apply those habits to real customer interactions and common sales challenges
Incorporate AI into the sales process while maintaining trust and transparency
Develop a practical 30-60-90-day implementation plan for their dealership
To reinforce the lessons learned, participants will complete a "7 Habits Sales Culture Scorecard" that helps identify performance gaps and prioritize next steps.
"The sales process continues to evolve as buyer expectations, communication channels and technology changes," said Liz Walz, Director of Learning Vision and Impact at MRAA. "This workshop is designed to help dealerships understand the new fundamentals of successful boat sales, giving teams practical frameworks, better habits and modern tools that can strengthen customer engagement and improve sales performance."
Service Workshop Focuses on Readiness, Efficiency and Long-Term Profitability
The second workshop, From Reactive to Ready: 7 Top Tips for a Proactive, Profitable Shop, will be led by service and parts expert Valerie Ziebron.
Valerie Zeibron
The three-hour session (12:45-3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6) focuses on helping dealerships create more proactive service operations by improving communication, documenting future opportunities, organizing deferred work and creating stronger customer service plans. Participants will explore seven practical approaches that help service departments move beyond responding to immediate concerns and toward anticipating customer needs throughout the ownership lifecycle.
Learning objectives include:
Building proactive service workflows that identify future work opportunities earlier
Improving communication, follow-up consistency and scheduling visibility
Organizing deferred work opportunities to support customer retention and revenue growth
Leveraging AI-enabled tools to support work-order audits, service planning and operational reporting
Service managers, advisors and dealership leaders will learn how to improve operational consistency, enhance the customer experience and drive greater department profitability.
"Service remains one of the most important drivers of dealership profitability and customer retention, but the strongest departments aren't simply reacting to the work that's in front of them," said Bernie DeGraw, Senior Education Developer at MRAA. "They’re preparing for what’s ahead. This workshop is focused on helping service teams build a readiness mindset, create more proactive processes and uncover opportunities that strengthen both customer relationships and business performance."
Included with Dealer Week's All-Access Registration
Both pre-conference workshops are included with Dealer Week's All-Access registration package. As a result, dealerships sending team members from both sales and service departments benefit from complementary learning experiences that support stronger customer acquisition, retention and operational performance across the dealership. Attendees gain actionable ideas and implementation plans on what many industry leaders increasingly recognize as the new fundamentals of dealership success. To learn more about the workshops or register for Dealer Week, visit www.dealerweek.com/pre-conference-workshops.
About Dealer Week
For more than 50 years, the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas has delivered world-class education to marine dealers, retailers and service operations that power the boating industry. Dealer Week exists to engage, energize and empower the dealer community. MRAA envisions a brighter future for marine retail, and Dealer Week is a key part of bringing that vision to life. Learn more at dealerweek.com.
About MRAA
The Marine Retailers Association of the Americas is the trusted catalyst for success in the marine retail industry. Dedicated to fueling dealer growth and strengthening the boating experience, MRAA delivers industry-leading insights, expert guidance and proven solutions that assist marine retailers in navigating challenges and seizing opportunities. Through education, advocacy and innovative resources, MRAA empowers dealers to thrive, and help drive a stronger, more sustainable marine industry. Learn more at MRAA.com.
