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Rob

Today was a banner day at Clark Marine as we were officially recognized as both a Mercury Outboard and Mercruiser Stern Drive Premier Service Level Dealer.  This is a standard we have worked 5 years + to achieve.

1/25/11 we had a visit from our Territory Area Technical Manager. At the conclusion of his inspection our service department ranking was increased from a level 2 Service standing to a level 4 Premier Status.

“Premier” is the term Brunswick (Mercury/Mercruiser parent company) uses to designate its top level servicing dealerships.

The most time consuming hurdle to overcome was to complete the extensive amount of technical training that is involved in reaching this rank.  Continuing education is a given here. If you are going to work here, you are going to attend schooling.

I have never been one to educate just a single technician at a time like so many companies do.  For example, we have 3 technicians at the Mercury Training Center in Laconia NH. They are taking an Outboard Systems week long class right now. It’s just how I do it.

A second and likewise difficult task was in actually passing the Certified Tests at the end of the formal training sequence.  Today we have 3 certified Mercury Outboard technicians on staff along with 2 Mercruiser Certified Tech’s. Because of our training methods we currently have a dozen technicians on staff at varying levels of formal education.      

There a number of facility requirements that needed to be met and will need to be maintained. We have been strong in this area for quite a while now.

Today’s inspection along with a light special tool purchase capped the goal.

It’s been a good day.

Real change is uncomfortable. If it’s not feeling that way, you’ve probably just adopted new words. – Seth Godin 1/23/11

I subscribe to a Blog written by a down town NYC Marketer, Seth Godin. Some of the stuff he posts is gibberish (if you blog you’ve posted some too, I know I have) this previous caption is not however, it had me nodding my head in agreement as I re-read it.  

The statement showed up in my mail box Sunday morning and with all the transformation the company has been going through this winter it really hit home.

Working our way through the certification processes has made us acknowledge more than one or two shortcomings. No one likes to admit their faults, it’s uncomfortable. Although, it is when we do face up, its then that we can adjust and adopt.

Unsettling as it is we are in that adjust and adopt mode right now.

Management styles can be very different. By corporate standards my way of steering Clark Marine is very relaxed. I like to let people be people. I feel strongly that it’s the multi-personalities we are that has furthered our appeal and has added in part to our success.  

Without going into too many details, where I still do not completely agree with all of the standards necessary to qualify as a Brunswick 5 Star Certified Marine Dealer I understand the reasoning behind them.

We will adopt each practice in a way that does not alter our friendly manner though in a way that is still an approved practice of the qualification.

I’m not one who’s ever been interested in just adopting a new set of words.

December has been a reasonably productive month. We have spent most of it by working well into our goals that were mentioned in my previous post. 

Last spring Nelson, Derrick, and I passed the Mercury Outboard Certified test. On December 10^th, Keith Williams, our lead Stern Drive technician and I passed the Mercruiser Certified test. This is one of the largest hurdles we had remaining for qualifying as a Brunswick Premier Level Dealer on both Outboard and Stern Drive products.

Earning a Mercury & Mercruiser Premier Service Rating means a dealer;

• Achieves a 12 – month service CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) score above the national average.
• Possesses all necessary service tools, test equipment, manuals and parts books.
• Employs at least one Certified or Master technician. (we currently have 4)
• Provides timely service for all Mercury/Mercruiser Marine customers.
• Offers extended service hours and mobile service, when appropriate.
• Uses, displays and stocks adequate inventory of genuine Mercury Precision Parts.
• Offers a clean, neat shop with well-organized tools and service literature.

Clark Marine meets all of these standards today. This has taken years to get to this level.

My call for a preliminary inspection is in. With a little luck we could see our District Service Rep, “Mike G” very soon and see what more we will have to do to pass muster.

I like our chances.

We closed our business season about a month ago. The boats are covered and put away. The facilities are in repair and we are setting our sights ever so slowly on our list of winter work. The period between Thanksgiving and the first of the year has always been a bit of a winters nap. Ahhhhgain,…not this year.

The day before Thanksgiving we had a full staff sit down and I lined out a list of off-season goals. As a team, I am confident that we will reach each one of them in due time.

This model year we will meet three goals;

1. We will be qualified as a Brunswick Premier Servicing Dealer for both Mercury Outboards and Mercruiser Stern Drive engines.
2. We will be qualified as a Brunswick 5-Star Industry Certified Dealer.
3. After taking a couple years off from applying, we will again assemble an application and qualify as a Boating Industry Top 100 Dealer.

These professional goals will make us an even stronger servicing dealer for our customers.  In future posts I will write about these goals individually and reference the criteria we will meet to achieve each respectively.

Where a short slowdown for the crew is in line they have earned it. A long winters layoff is not in the cards.

We’re Working! 2011 is going to be a very positive year.

Be Sure To Visit Our Web Site at;    www.clarkmarine.biz

This fall season we will shrink wrap between 650 to 700 boats.

Repeat customers own most of these boats.

When applied properly it is a more effective way to store your prized possession then parking it in an unheated building, or an old chicken barn.   

Over the past decades we have used everyone of the facilities I just mentioned. experience has lead us to where we are today.  

Buildings and dry stacking/racking can pose many problems.
First, upper boats leak oil, gas and who knows what onto the boats below.
Second, you can experience terrible mildew issues with the stitches rotting out in the seats
because of poor or no ventilation. 
Third and probably worst of all, rodents love buildings during the winter!  

Metal buildings condensate compounding moisture problems. Older abandoned chicken barns can leave a stench that you just can’t seem to rid your boat of.

The most adverse is, during heavy snow winters, buildings collapse.
How’s your insurance? how about your 10 year old boat that you can no longer get a replacement windshield for? Even if you boat is cosmetically repairable, how’s the integrity of your hull after a roof falls on it?

We don’t have any of these derogatory issues with shrink wrap.
Shrink wrap is the best method of storage that can be offered shy of a heated bay. 
We have our own methods of framing, moisture control, ventilation, and maintenance.
It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s cost effective.

There are some that would like to lead you to believe that this method of winter storage is not acceptable. Those same individuals offer shrink wrap as a service and also show up with wrapped boats at all the trade shows. Go Figure??

If there is more need for convincing, take a ride up and down our coastline. How many big dollar ocean boats can you count that are shrink wrapped. 

Shrink wrapping is the right way to store your boat for the winter months.

Time For Non-Toxic Antifreeze

It’s getting to be that time in the year where it can be in the 50’s, heck, the 60’s during the day and then dip into the 20’s at night. Time to keep yourself aware of the overnight temperatures if you own a Stern Drive powered boat that has not yet been winterized.

The great summer weather we have had this year appears to be running right into the fall. Though, anyone who has lived in Maine long knows that temps can change around here in rapid form.

82+ on Saturday, barely pulling 60 on Sunday, Monday morning could be 40! Any given night from here through next May could see our temperatures drop below freezing for a spell. Certainly long enough to damage a stern drive engine block.

We can take any worry away. We “Pre-Pickle”

Bring your boat by and for $20.00 we will drain your engine and pour a gallon of non-toxic antifreeze through the block and manifold(s). This will hold you safely until you are able to schedule your full winterization. 

Call ahead or just stop by. 

As a Note; any boat that is dropped by for service that is not scheduled for winterization that day will automatically have this service provided.

Always better to be safe then sorry.

Daniel Kubera
Director – Media Relations and Corporate Communications

Peter & Gary, Monmouth Detail Crew

These are the guys who are getting it done for you.

Jake, Andrew, & Pat, Manchester Detail Crew

We pride ourselves in our mechanical abilities.  Nothing comes before our dedication to the repair and maintenance of your boat.

The cleaning and detail services have always been viewed somewhat as speculative. Until now we had not applied ourselves to the same degree.

That mindset changed this spring.

The definition we give in our Preferred Customer Service Packages is; “First Layer-Detail Services Included. More intense cleanings are available upon request.” (for a fee)

This past spring it was brought to our attention that our idea of  “first layer services” did not exactly correspond with our storage folk’s idea of a rightful cleaning and paying extra in these tight times was not the most desirable option!

Sooooooo….we made a change!

I know that many of my competitors had given up cleaning as part of their storage offerings. I could have chose at this point to follow suit, but that’s just not us!  Instead of giving it up we chose to double our efforts.

Since the change I have received numerous positive calls. The added labors have been well worth the while.

The gentlemen pictured are the reason for the many compliments.

This is not the first one we have opened that looked like this either.

Now if you are figuring you’re about to read another segment on the evils of ethanol in our gasoline, you are not.  I’m not going to get into a long presentation on chemical separations that can happen with ethanol fuels, that horse has been beaten more times….

Instead, here are several useful suggestions

1 – If you are purchasing fuel for your boat, only purchase what you feel you are going to use for the day, weekend, or week. Try not to store fuel, even treated for more then 30 days or so.

2- Fuel up on the way out, add an E-phase type product in proportion to the fuel added. Always burn fresh fuels, ideally, park your boat with ¼ of a tank of treated fuel or less.

3 – Long term storage of carbureted engines; we are going to be running the systems dry so as to not be dealing with issues like the one presented in the picture above.

4- Use your boat more often! The more you enjoy your boat the more fuel you are using, less likely you are to have fuel stagnation related problems! Go have fun! 

Ethanol laced fuels require a different way of handling then we are accustomed to. We just need to change our thinking and doing slightly.