dealer best practices guide - Bayliner

2017 DEALER BEST PRACTICES GUIDE

h e y d ay d e m o d ay z SECTION: 1

as a heyday dealer

PAG E 1

yo u h av e c h o s e n to r e p r e s e n t o n e o f t h e m o s t i n n o v at i v e w a k e b o at b r a n d s e v e r c r e at e d .

As with any innovative product, educating and acquainting prospects on the key features, benefits, and points of difference can be very fun and satisfying. Our initial consumer insights have indicated that prospects like what they see and the story we have to tell, but actually running and riding behind a Heyday will be the key determinant in the final decision for many of them. To get there, we’ve created Heyday Demo Dayz. With the help of this guide and marketing materials provided at marketing.bayliner.com, attendees will quickly realize why Heyday is so unique, and that they don’t have to shred their bank accounts to start shredding wakes.

S TEP ONE: Know i n g o ur

STEP T WO: G e t t i n g t he wor d ou t to b r i n g t he m i n

ta rget cu stom er

Planting the promotional seed in your local market is the first step. Strategies including a mix of digital, social, and traditional media works best in most markets. Personal experience in your home market and what produces results should obviously be factored in.

Primary: Gen. X: • 35-55 years old • Have a high disposable income • Are physically active Secondary: Millennials: • 18-34 years old • Building their careers • Always exploring ‘what’s next’ • Can be major influencers if their parents are the buyer

Here are some general areas to consider having covered: • Schedule live radio remotes • Purchase local TV and radio time • Post on local community event calendars • Promote to visitors of your website • Promote using social media • Promote using signage in your dealership • Promote on dealership/LED sign if applicable • Purchase outdoor media if affordable


S TEP T HREE: En ti c i n g leads, h ot pr o s p ec t s , a n d fol low e r s

Social media:

Phone calls:

Your customers are already on Facebook, Instagram, etc., so keep them informed about your event. For tips on social media marketing, see the Social Media section on the following page.

Follow up with your hottest leads about two weeks prior to the event. The Heyday Demo Dayz event could be the final step in getting them to make a purchase.

Email invitations:

Boating venues:

Send these to your customer database. Take advantage of the e-blast samples provided by Heyday and supplement them with personal emails to add a more personalized touch. Keep them short and to-the-point, letting customers know key points: time, date, location, and any incentives your dealership might want to include.

Reach out to boaters where they meet in your area – like a popular on-water restaurant or marina. Ask to put fliers or other promo materials out where boaters will see them.

S TEP FOU R: F in e-tun e yo ur p lan to ma x i m i z e i m pac t

From scheduling demo appointments to making sure your event works with—but isn’t competing against—other major happenings in your community, these are all part of doing it right. Plan around other local events

Schedule demo appointments

If possible, hold your Heyday Demo Dayz in conjunction with another relevant event—such as a wakeboarding competition, a Coast Guard Auxiliary event, or something similar. Visitors benefit from enjoying multiple events in one trip, and you benefit from larger crowds. By the same token, do NOT schedule your event so that it competes with a major unrelated event that will cost you attendance.

Particularly with your captured prospects and leads, it’s a good idea to schedule a specific time for their ride. This makes it a real commitment for both of you. Also, make sure to send a follow-up email the day before the event, along with a coupon or another incentive you might want to fold into the deal. This will help get your customers even more excited about the demo.

Make this event stand out If your dealership already holds frequent demo events, make sure your customers and prospects understand the unique benefits that a Heyday Demo Dayz provides—that it’s not just having them IN the boat, but BEHIND it as well.

PAG E 2

Your best attendees are likely your current hot leads. Beyond that, making your event known using social media posts, e-blasts to prospects, and reminding showroom visitors in person will all keep top-of-mind awareness high.


G e ne ra l Ev e n t T ip s

Activity attracts activity Never underestimate this. Passersby who didn’t know about your event will wonder what they’re missing when they see the activity, or smell food, etc. Making your location look festive can bring in more attendees. Include music Depending on the scale of your event, hiring a popular local band or having a radio station or DJ set up to play music adds that much more ‘gravity’ to your event. Partner with other local groups and non-profits Have a local wakeboard club? Invite them to do demos at your event. Also, groups like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts can set up a stand offering snow cones, lemonade, or a water misting station can be a nice touch—especially on hot summer days. Also, partnering with these kinds of non-profits can increase media, vendor, and volunteer support if you are contributing to good cause. For example, holding a canned food drive or pledging to donate a percentage of sales promotes great community goodwill. Add your own giveaways and prizes This is a good way to reward customers for returning after the event. If possible, provide incentives like special discounts, or entering to win giveaways. That way, customers have a reason to return to your dealership after your event, giving you an opportunity to close a sale. Some families might have young children Some prospects looking at buying a Heyday could have younger children—in addition to teens or young adults. Use your best judgement and the types of families you’ve seen at shows, etc. but having something to distract/occupy the younger kids could mean the difference between a successful demo and one compromised by a fussy child.

S oc i a l M e d i a T i p s

Considering the millions of active users on Facebook, Instagram and others, it makes perfect sense to make these channels a central part of your event promotion. Here are a few tips and tricks to get the most mileage out of your social media marketing. Posts: A good rule of thumb is 3 promotional posts per week—this helps avoid overloading. Make sure you keep your message consistent, interesting and informative to keep viewers engaged. Details are enticing: Don’t simply say there will be “fun things to do.” Give people specifics—that there will be food, live music, or prizes, for example. These paint a more attractive picture.

W e at he r Ha p p e n s

You can plan for everything—even weather. So plan in advance by preparing for lessthan-perfect conditions. Cover yourself: Have at least one tent for cover from the hot sun or sudden downpours. Hot days: Equip your tent with water misters to keep visitors cool, and be sure to keep plenty of water available to keep them hydrated. Alternate/Weather days: Plan a “rain date” if bad weather makes your event impossible.

PAG E 3

Don’t think of this event as a way to simply draw crowds, but rather to have them associate your dealership with Heyday and family fun—this will keep them coming back. Here are a few suggestions to make this event one they remember:


eve nt ch eckl ist One easy way to stay organized and on-task is to use this helpful checklist. It helps keep the planning process running smoothly, and keeps planning details handy as you go: Consumer Outreach

Review and visit potential event locations

Coordinate all marketing/PR opportunities

btain written contract for event site O (if not at dealership)

Create and place newspaper ads (if applicable)

btain any special permits, licenses, O insurance, etc. Event details Establish an event budget et bids for food and beverage items. Estimate G number of guests expected. onsider additional prize giveaways. Get bids C and/or prize donations.

Purchase radio/TV spots (if applicable) Confirm TV/radio remotes (if applicable) urchase and produce outdoor ads P (if applicable) roduce signs for use at registration, P directionals, etc. If needed, design and print signage to supplement materials provided by Heyday

Get bids for entertainment/music

istribute promo posters locally. Make sure D to get permission.

reate a list of responsibilities sorted by staff C member

onfirm setup and tear-down times C with event site

Draft a tentative event schedule

Confirm number of customers attending

etermine uniform for event staff, create and D order shirts, etc. if necessary.

Confirm that all permits/insurance are in place

rrange for someone to take photos and A videos of the event ecide which Heyday models you will have in D the water and time your boat order accordingly Identify local groups to partner with Plan event activities Obtain/reserve any rental items chedule deliveries for any special S equipment/rentals ake sure you have adequate tow ropes and M life vests on hand for various size riders

ouble-check arrival and delivery times D with vendors

PAG E 4

Location details


driving the demo

PAG E 5

t h e k e y t o a s u c c e s s f u l D e m o D ay z e x p e r i e n c e i s m a k i n g s u r e y o u d e m o t h e b o at p r o p e r ly.

Above all, always follow all boating safety and operational guidelines. For our purposes we will separate the guide into sections for a Wakeboard Demo and Wakesurf Demo, as they require different setups. We've also included a guide list for a Performance Demo, to show the boat's overall cruising ride. We encourage you to refer to our Wake Series videos along with these lists. They will help you better understand what to do before getting started. Click any title below to watch the video. Wa k e b oa r d Wa k e

W a k e s u r f W av e

H o w to Wa k e b oa r d

h o w to wa k e s u r f

G e ne ra l T ips Understand your customer before the demo. • • • • •

What watersports are they interested in? What body of water do they usually boat? How do they spend their day on the water? How many passengers do they typically take? What features are most important to them?

Identify the location on the lake that you will demo on. Lake MUST be 15ft. in depth for the best wake surf and wakeboard wake. Wind, chop, and rollers also play a factor. Find a calm area on the lake.

Please wake responsibly and follow these WSIA tips for being a courteous boater. •S tay at least 150 feet away from the shoreline, docks or other structures. • Kepp music at reasonable levels. Sound travels well over water. If it's loud enough to hear at 80 feet back, it is likely loud enough for homerowners to hear, too. • Minimize repetitive passes on any one portion of shoreline. Once you've run the same line for a while, move on to another area.


•E ncourage the customer to bring their own equipment. Using their own equipment helps reduce the learning curve and makes the customer more comfortable.

•A s you can't depend on a customer having their own equipment, always keep extra ropes, vests, and boards available for all sizes. • Refreshments are always nice. Make sure everyone stays hydrated. • Make sure you have a safety kit.

wa k es u r f d e m o •D etermine whether your rider surfs regular or goofy foot. (See How To Wakesurf video) • Fill your ballast tank to 100% on the side the surfer want to surf. Leave the other side empty. • Have roughly 75% of the crew sit on the surfer's side. • Set your cruise control between 10.6-11.6 mph. • Make sure elevator plate is all the way up. • Examine wave with rider (from aboard boat) before you pull them to ensure they are comfortable with it.

•S et rope length by dragging handle from surf rope so it is directly behind the surf pocket. (See Our Surf Wave video) • Now have rider jump in water to get started. Gently accelerate until speed control engages. Maintain a straight course. • When rider is done, empty whichever tank was full and fill other side to show boat's surf versatility. • Finally, fill both ballast tanks after both surf waves are displayed to demo wakeboard wake.

wa k es u r f d e m o • Set Speed Control between 18 mph to 23 mph (rider's requested speed). Show that even at 18 mph the wakeboard wake is clean. This is important as most wakeboard boats' wakes wash out at this speed making it hard for beginners. • Evenly weight the boat to create a symmetrical wake. Show customer our hull is not very weight sensitive thanks to its wide transom. • Fill both ballast tanks to 100%.

•M ake sure elevator plate is all the way up. • Establish a good rope length...60-80 feet typical. The slower your boarding speed, the shorter the rope. • Maintain a straight course • When rider falls, throttle down slowly so you do not jar passengers. Idle back to the rider. DO NOT DRIVE BACK TO RIDER AT FULL SPEED.

P er for m a n ce d e mo •M ake sure speed control is OFF. • Set elevator tab all the way down (hold the switch doe for 3 seconds). • Accelerate the boat at a comfortable rate to around 30 mph. • Display how well the three tracking fins track by making smooth S turns. The industry standard for tracking fins is one. The Heyday has three.

• Do a 180-degree turn so that you are running at a 90-degree angle into your own wake. Show how well the boat crosses its own wake. It should be quiet, smooth, and produce no vibration. • In rough water, take speeds down to 25 mph for a more comfortable ride. • Keep passengers evenly distributed for weight, though it is best to have slightly more passengers in the bow area.

PAG E 6

Have the necessary gear on board.