How to casually let people know your boat is for sale?

[MonacoMike]

I know brokers are like realtors...there are good ones and bad ones...but I can't help but cringe a little when I read the non-qualified general statements about how much value a broker can bring to a deal. In shopping for two Sea Rays in my life I've uncovered 8.7 junky brokers for every 1 that actually gave a crap. While shopping I was repeatedly and consistently surprised by the horrible responsiveness I got from multiple listing brokers. And I'm not just an email sender. I emailed, I called, I spoke with receptionists, I sent text messages. All of it.

Not all brokers are created equal. But all CL and boattrader ad's are created equal, horrible listing photos notwithstanding

I get it, there clearly are bad brokers out there.

What no one ever mentions in these threads is the money the brokerage gets and splits with the sales guy, versus the work involved in marketing and managing the sale. The market may just be getting what they are paying for. If you want top level experience, advice, professional level photos and marketing, it will cost. If you know it all, just use CL.

The difficult thing boat brokers experience is for many folks just looking at boats is fun. Heck, they pay to see boats at a show, many ballsy people just enjoy looking at boats. I have s friend that does this often, he uses looking to make up his mind if he even wants to buy a car, boat, RV. He is not looking to decide if he wants to buy your boat, he is looking to decide to even buy a boat. Brokers have to sift through these folks somehow.

I met a broker once, from a resort area, who would not show a boat on Saturday or Sunday morning short notice. He noticed they were never serious buyers. They wanted to look at a boat for fun after breakfast but not let it interfere with their afternoon plans. He would insist on afternoon showings and lookey loos decreased greatly.

Then the issue of brokers not cooperating like Realtors do hurts the industry as does the lack of a single strong professional organization like Realtors to lead them and raise minimum professional standards.

MM

 

[yobub]

I met a broker once, from a resort area, who would not show a boat on Saturday or Sunday morning short notice. He noticed they were never serious buyers.
MM

I have a friend who owns a landscape architecture business, and he wont schedule night or weekend appointments for the same reason. If someone is willing to meet during the day they are likely serious about the project.


On the other hand, a year ago my wife and I were in florida for the weekend to see a concert. I pulled up yacht world to see what boats were in the area that fit what we were looking for, and I called a few of the brokers on short notice. Many didn't call me back. The one who did sold a 400 Sundancer that day.

 

[JVM225]

Brokers/salespeople are like anyone else. There are good ones and bad ones.
Find a hungry one to list your boat with and avoid the lazy ones.
Sales people should probably avoid generalizations. My brother in law has been in car sales for decades and is always hugely successful wherever he has worked because he goes out of his way to accommodate potential customers and gets a lot of repeat customers and referrals as a result of it.
The salesman who found my current boat for me made no bones about how eager he was to find the right boat for me before I found it on my own. I liked how determined he was and how he kept touching base with me.
I walked in to a Chevy showroom once all sweaty in a tee shirt, gym shorts and flip flops on a brutally hot and humid August day to order a new Corvette. I knew exactly what I wanted down to the option codes and how much I was willing to pay for it.
There was no other customers in the showroom.
The salesman who was up made it clear that by the looks of me I was a tire kicker and acted accordingly. I walked out, went to the next dealer and wrote the deal in a matter of minutes.
That’s a high profit vehicle and probably some of the easiest money that guy made in a 15 minute period, not to mention the referrals I sent him after that.