Sales may sell the first boat, but service sells the rest. So how exactly can your shop keep more of your customers coming back to the dealership? 

The answer will arm you to improve revenue, profits, customer experience and employee experience, not just in your department, but in the dealership as a whole. 

That’s why we’ve invited Valerie Ziebron to lead you in an exploration of the Service & Parts Departments’ role in five key components that determine your customers’ overall ownership experience and ultimately lead to their decision to stay in boating (or not). That’s according to a study conducted by Left Brain Marketing, Inc. on behalf of Discover Boating, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas.  

Customers’ life circumstances are different and will change over time – the single life, committed relationships, raising children, empty nesting and getting older. Each change can be a reason for the customer to leave boating,  

However, when we successfully meet our service and parts customers where they are and help them adapt their boating lifestyle, the rewards go beyond an increase in customer retention. Often, we can sell additional products and services, educate customers and build stronger, more confident boaters for life.  

Most customers interact with your service and parts team more than anyone else at the dealership. Your team’s ability to recognize the importance of these five key areas and make small adjustments in how they execute daily tasks in service and parts can make a tremendous impact on your dealership’s performance and your customers’ lives. 

• Discover the five key elements that most impact whether customers buy again 

• Learn easy-to-apply best practices that turn daily service and parts tasks into customer retention tools 

• Uncover vital questions that can lead to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty 

• Determine how to measure how well your service team is performing  

Valerie Ziebron bought her first car at the age of 14. That 1967 Dodge Coronet 440 took her through high school and college shop classes and eventually helped to launch her career. Through studying and comparing hundreds of dealerships across North America, VRZ specializes on what stores can do to maximize their resources, specifically their people, processes, space and location.

She makes it a point to uncover best practice "golden nuggets" that help people flip the switch from reactive to proactive for greater profitability and customer loyalty. She has delivered over 5,000 presentations and has helped more than 1,000 small businesses. Her clients have included: Chrysler, General Motors, Yamaha Motor Company, Boating Industry Magazine, Shelby American Collection, Eastman Kodak, IPIX, and many others.