Marine Retailers Association of America and Grow Boating expand education efforts

Marine dealerships could turn more first-time boat shoppers into boat buyers, and to that end, the Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA) and Grow Boating are expanding their education partnership by developing additional training to be offered online and at the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo in December.

Since the two groups partnered in 2017, the focus has been on leveraging Grow Boating’s consumer research data into training and education that helps dealers improve marketing, sales and customer service.

“By partnering with MRAA, we can develop powerful educational resources that will give marine dealers the insight and tools to develop stronger relationships with these prospects and successfully guide them through a rewarding boat buying experience,” said Grow Boating president Carl Blackwell in a statement.

For the 2018 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, Grow Boating is sponsoring the MRAA Special Presentation with Marcus Sheridan, MDCE’s top-rated Pre-Conference Workshops, and the MDCE Show App. In addition to the sponsorships at the conference, the MRAA will produce a three-part e-learning course series: Grow Your Dealership with First-Time Boat Buyers, thanks to a grant from Grow Boating.

“At MRAA, we have a responsibility to help dealers adapt to the changing needs of today’s consumers,” said Liz Walz, vice president and director of education for MRAA. “By partnering with Grow Boating to fulfill this responsibility, we can leverage the industry-specific data they’ve gathered to develop really targeted and actionable training to guide dealers to greater success.”

The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo will be held 9-12 December in Orlando, Florida.