Learn How to Outmarket Your Competition

Effective marketing is vital to a dealership’s success. But given the speed at which marketing technologies and communications channels are changing, what worked well yesterday may not deliver the same outstanding results today.

At the 2014 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, taking place Nov. 16-19 in Orlando, Fla., sales and marketing whiz Don Cooper will lead conference attendees step-by-step through the process for developing a powerful and effective marketing plan they can easily implement for their business in 2015.

In his MDCE session, "Outmarket Your Competition,” Cooper will explore the biggest marketing mistakes dealerships make; reveal where the best customers are hiding; identify five buying triggers and how to use them in marketing materials; discuss where dealers should focus their time, energy and dollars to get the best return; and much more.

Attendees will walk away from Cooper’s session with a customizable Marketing Plan Template, as well as a special report on "Using Publicity to Sell More Boats.” The session takes place Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. ET as part of MDCE’s Marketing Track.

"With the fast changing nature of social media, online reputation management and search engine optimization, deciding where to spend your marketing dollars can be challenging,” explains Liz Walz, director of education for the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas, which produces the annual event in partnership with Boating Industry. "Don will help dealers create a marketing plan that will make the most of their budget, regardless of how big or small.”

Each of the 2014 MDCE educational tracks — Sales, Marketing, Leadership and Service Plus — features five sessions. In addition to Cooper’s advice on developing an unbeatable marketing plan, the Marketing Track includes insight into increasing SEO through social media, filling your online marketing holes, rethinking your target customer, and exploring the next wave of digital marketing tools and trends.

"Don is a perennial MDCE favorite, largely because his enthusiasm and energy in front of an audience is infectious,” says Boating Industry editor-in-chief Jonathan Sweet. "But what really sets him apart are the tools and take-aways he provides, which help attendees bolster sales and marketing results when they return to the dealership.”

The 2014 MDCE will offer 30 educational sessions in all, the most the event has ever offered, including seven Pre-Conference Workshops. The conference has traditionally included three educational tracks, but in 2014, it has expanded to four tracks: Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Service Plus. A Closing Keynote address also has been added this year.

The MDCE is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It has attracted an increasing number of dealers every year since 2007. In 2013, MDCE featured double-digit growth in dealer attendance, for a total of 615 marine retail professionals. MRAA’s goal is to grow the event to more than 1,000 dealer attendees. To learn more, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

About the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo
The Marine Dealer Conference & Expo is the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas’ annual conference and member meeting. As the marine industry’s only dealer-specific educational conference, the MDCE offers an in-depth lineup of educational topics, a full-featured expo hall and a series of fixed networking opportunities, all of which are designed to help marine dealers connect with and learn from others who can foster their success. The MDCE is co-produced by MRAA and Boating Industry, and it features Pre-Conference Workshops, Opening and Closing keynote presentations, four tracks of educational content and 30 sessions in all. It will be held Nov. 16-19 at the Orange County Convention Center and Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit MRAA.com/MDCE.

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