I have been asking myself that question often as I have pondered the current economic mess we are in and how it has hurt both dealers and manufacturers. In trying to put myself in a typical dealer’s shoes, my thoughts reflected back to when I became a dealer, buying and operating a new car dealership in the Peoria Illinois market after retiring from OMC. The U.S. experienced a mild recession while I owned the dealership, but nothing like what dealers and manufacturers have to contend with today.
So what would I do if I were a marine dealer today? What would I recommend dealers do in 2010 and beyond? Every dealer’s situation is different and it’s hard to come up with a silver bullet that works for all. However, I did come up with a list of things that I would do if I were a marine dealer heading into 2010. This list is based on my experience as a new car dealer along with my corporate life of knowing and working with marine dealers all over the U.S. … [ READ MORE of this article and comment ]
There is a lot of really good stuff in print on the regularly revived marketing concept of “branding.” For those readers that immediately think of smoke rising off the back end of an indignant cow, we are talking about establishing a unique aura or culture around your place of business that distinguishes it from others – favorably, we hope. Hanging On Harry’s Boat Sales or Nearly Honest John’s Watercraft are not quite the brand images most of us seek. 
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