So how busy can a boat broker really be?

First Born said:
Everyone :huh:
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Never worked with a broker. Bought my boats new and traded the old ones as part of the deal. So... no thanks! Leave me out.

Four Suns said:
Someone needs to stick a fork in this... it's done...

Why not one of you photoshop guys take this picture:

341015423_a2868c2ec4.jpg


and put it on the bunny head.
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I don't photoshop anymore, but how about this for sticking a fork in? That had to hurt!

Can't say which is more painful. This thread or a fork up the nose. Gotta go find a quarter and toss it.

Best regards,
Frank
 
You know, I wish you well in your search, honestly.

Truth be told, I need to sell because I am addicted to Guitar Hero, Aerosmith edition. Now you know. I hope that somehow factors into your buying decision.

I do have a broker on my boat, but that doesn't mean it's painless for me all the time. In my examples before, some of those were me, some were the broker. If he blew off leads, as a seller, I would find another broker. He keeps me informed, and I'm aware of every inquiry, no matter how ridiculous. And some of them are.

As for the rule of 21's - there is a big difference. As a SALESMAN, you are calling on people, trying to sell them your item. They say yes or no, and you move on. If you are a salesman, you are qualifying your leads so you don't waste your time.

As a SELLER, people who have no intention whatsoever of actually doing anything other than wasting my time show up for the pure hell of it because they are bored at home, which is wrong.

Just yesterday, I was set to advance to Level 6 on expert, and I had to run for a showing. I was in the groove, and I can't quite get my fingers limber enough to get back there today. Dammit. I was ready to unlock some more songs too.

It is easy to get jaded. You don't have to show your Platinum Card, but some questions are more meaningful than others, and tend to point you into whether this buyer is meaningful or not.

In fact, I have found some of the most insincere buyers to be the ones who show up under the pretense of "this is a cash deal". Guess what - they are all cash deals to me, it's just a matter of who writes the check. That doesn't impress me a whole lot.

The broker absolutely should be responsive, but a buyer should not be wasting their time either. They are trying to sort out the posers from the knowledgable buyers.

Boats are different from other commodities you buy, at least in some classes of them. Almost nobody buys a 50 foot boat on a whim as their first boat. If the buyer has a clue, they get credit. If they act like they are looking at a ski boat, and have never seen anything larger than an innertube, they are worthless.

If someone says "I'm comparing Sea Ray's Express Bridge to a XXXX", that's OK too - at least I know what I'm dealing with. Lying to get on my boat and waste my time is unforgivable. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the boys get angry when I am away too long.

spimik said:
Not sure what you do for a living, but I bet it ain't sales. (And if it is, I bet you are enjoy a monopoly in whaterver it is you do sell) .
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Actually, you don't know.
 
fc3 said:
I don't photoshop anymore, but how about this for sticking a fork in? That had to hurt!


Best regards,
Frank
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Kids a little cross eyed, or as the say in Nantucket "He was born on a Wednesday looking both ways to Sunday".
 
spimik said:
Not sure what you do for a living, but I bet it ain't sales. (And if it is, I bet you are enjoy a monopoly in whaterver it is you do sell) .
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I did sales.One does not sell boats the same way one sell houses, or the way one sells airplanes, or the way one sells enterprise software. Totally different approaches for each despite that they are all large 5 to 7 figure deals. What do you sell, since you seem to profess expertise in all aspects of sales?

Best regards,
Frank
 
Interesting

No not really
 
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I read all 15 pages of this.

I am a boat broker.

I feel for the poster of this thread because the reason that the company I work for was started is the exact reason for the posting.

All of our brokers are boat owners and have been burnt or not impressed by some of the other brokers out there and figured we could do it better. Our company is only 5 years old and 2nd largest on Lake Michigan. That says enough.

Returning calls, in all honesty there should be a broker there to answer the phone. Hell even our cell phone numbers are posted on the website to get a hold of us any time, I frequently get phone calls at all hours of the night or out on my personal boat and have to come in to show a boat. I am not going to lie and tell you its a pleasure to show a 300K boat to somebody who is only willing to pay 140K for it. This also goes for all of the other unreasonable requests we get either but at the end of the day it still needs to be responded to in a timely fashion.

Being a broker myself please take it from me, we hear fromm "Market Experts" daily about what they think the boat in question is worth. In all honesty we may feel the same as you do on certain occasions but at the end of the day WE do not price the boat, the OWNER prices the boat at what he wants it listed at. We give him soldboat data as well as whats on the market right now but if he wants it listed 40K higher than the others then thats his decision not ours.

Chances are if you are looking for a boat in Illinois, Michigan, or Indiana you have run across our listings. We believe in a ton of pictures, DETAILED information on that exact boat (not one like it) and we even do virtual tours on some of our boats to give you a real walk through of it. Does this sell our boat before another? Probably not but if you are even remotely interested in that model you better believe that you know everything about that boat before you even get there!

Regarding when you call a broker, do what you want but take some tips from me with a grain of salt.

-Immediately asking why the seller is selling or saying that the price is way too high and should be X amount is disqualifying you as a buyer in the brokers mind.
-The broker literally has NO control over the listing price of the boat, like I stated earlier if the owner wants it listed at a certain price you better believe thats what its listed at. If it were up to the brokers you know the prices of the boats would be VERY competitive and probably the lowest out there so they will make a sale.
-I myself understand that if there are no pictures or info that you should be able to get it in a timely fashion. However we have usually 100 or so pictures and detailed information online ready for your review, if its not online we dont have it. If it is something that you particularly want to see and we don't have it, I will get it.

As for putting a certain amount of pictures online on yachtworld, that is complete BS. I place all of my own listings online as well as a few computer illiterate brokers that work for us online. It takes just about a full day to get 1 boats pictures and information on yachtworld alone. VERY time consuming but it pays off in the end.

This is by no means a plug for my company but I felt the need to add my own two cents. As in any business there are good ones and bad ones out there, you just need to weed through and get comfortable with 1.

I became a member of this site because I am in the process of buying a Sea Ray Sedan Bridge but also to gain knowledge from some of the members for my own use as well as using this knowledge when showing or selling a particular Sea Ray. Most brokers are not just sitting around drinking coffee and watching youtube!
 
did you see the YouTube stripper pole video?
 
Yes, with a cup of coffee in hand.

Actually just saw it at Michigan City boat show, I walked by another booth and a broker was watching it.
 
So having never really spoken to a broker, I thought I'd go and check out Mr. Lazy Pants. Just so happens that I pass a brokerage near my marina on the PWC going between my marina and the ramp I use. They had a nice blue-hulled 420 on the lot right near the water, so... watch out birds! I have a stone.

Told him I wasn't ready to buy, just looking to get a feel of what's on the market. Also said that I was afraid that I'd take a beating on my 330, since people probably don't want gas hogs. He went out of his way to offer to show the 420, despite that I didn't ask him, he gave me information and a couple sheets about the boat, gave me a run-down on the market, told me what's selling and what's not. Then today he left a message on my cell phone with the selling prices of other 330s.

So for my survey of boat brokers (OK one boat broker) I found 100% to be knowledgeable, out going, and hard working. I also was looking like crap when I went in. Just back from a 60 mile ride on the PWC, running up to 70 MPH and still wearing my shorts, Aquapalooza tee shirt, water shoes, and driving my 300,000 mile Navigator with the Sea Doo on the back. So not looking like I had a few grand, much less a few hundred grand to spend.

Best regards,
Frank

PS
The 420 was nice. Clean inside and out. Needed some buffing of the blue hull since there were some light white scratches. Otherwise in nice shape. $269k
 
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ylwjacket said:
That was probably from me, but I am not a broker. Brokers should not get tainted on my account.
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Well.....we all know that buyers can indeed be a pain in the ass, especially boat buyers. We just don't like being told so. There is a sense of connection with a boat, unlike most other products, so we search for that boat that we connect with. Then we upgrade it, polish it, name it and develope a relationship with it. Maybe not the best way to descibe it, but for many it is their "baby". Thus, we CAN be a pain in the rear in our search for the "right" one. :smt001
 
Bel_Mar_Pointe said:
Well.....we all know that buyers can indeed be a pain in the ass, especially boat buyers. We just don't like being told so. There is a sense of connection with a boat, unlike most other products, so we search for that boat that we connect with. Then we upgrade it, polish it, name it and develope a relationship with it. Maybe not the best way to descibe it, but for many it is their "baby". Thus, we CAN be a pain in the rear in our search for the "right" one. :smt001
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Mistress would be a better word than baby. My wife has suggested mistress. Seems fitting. Hmm. Might name my next boat that.

Best regards,
Frank
 
fc3 said:
Told him I wasn't ready to buy, just looking to get a feel of what's on the market. Also said that I was afraid that I'd take a beating on my 330, since people probably don't want gas hogs. He went out of his way to offer to show the 420, despite that I didn't ask him, he gave me information and a couple sheets about the boat, gave me a run-down on the market, told me what's selling and what's not. Then today he left a message on my cell phone with the selling prices of other 330s.
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Sounds like a typical visit to our office. Any broker I am personally friends with would handle you the same as well. Too bad there are some bad apples out there.
 
admin said:
Sounds like a typical visit to our office. Any broker I am personally friends with would handle you the same as well. Too bad there are some bad apples out there.
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..and they all have Greg's phone number.
 
What you really need to do now Frank is go back and introduce yourself as "Greg Robinson" and see if they run for the door.
 
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