Sales Order book

hi all, got to be honest this was our second boat show the first being Southampton and I have got to say the sales people on the big boats stands are so pretentious it makes you feel very unwelcome. my wife went to look at a princess with my 9 year old and they made it pretty obvious that they thought she was just being nosey, I went and sat down on a sofa near by in my smart clothes and straight away over she came asking if I wanted to look at the boats. I've been in retail 30 yrs and learnt a long time ago not too judge a book by its cover. all these perl;le have paid there money to go into the show, if the big builders don't want non buyers on the boats don't go to the shows. grrrrrrr rant over. on the flip side of that it was great to be able to walk around and see so many products on view
 
TwoHooter said:
That strikes me as much more sensible from the buyer's perspective but presumably the boatbuilder has to do due diligence on the buyer to avoid the risk that the buyer doesn't have the money when the 90% comes due.
My only experience of buying bespoke big-ticket items is building houses and commissioning expensive machinery. In both cases there is a large initial deposit to pay for materials and then stage payments which have to be authorised by an independent third party (architect usually in the case of a building, consulting engineer if the machinery job is large enough). Provided that all payments are made as they come due the buyer has ownership of both the design and the part finished job and if the builder fails it is possible to get another builder to finish the job. Despite the fact that big motorboats are more expensive than anything I have ever commissioned the whole process seems much more casual.
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There is a BMF model contract for individually built boats which does follow this principle. Title to the work done so far passes to the buyer at each stage payment. The buyer may well engage a surveyor to inspect progress before payment is made. I worked for a custom builder in the 1980's, building both leisure and commercial boats, all custom built. All our contracts were on this basis.

However I have bought two new mass produced boats and both were 20% deposit and balance on completion. The latest one (in 2015) there was just over 2 months from contract to build ( I filled an empty build slot) and the documents were faxed over when the boat was complete and Bill of Sale swapped for money plus Bill of Sale for my old boat part exchanged. All very painless.
 
andrew humphries said:
hi all, got to be honest this was our second boat show the first being Southampton and I have got to say the sales people on the big boats stands are so pretentious it makes you feel very unwelcome. my wife went to look at a princess with my 9 year old and they made it pretty obvious that they thought she was just being nosey, I went and sat down on a sofa near by in my smart clothes and straight away over she came asking if I wanted to look at the boats. all these perl;le have paid there money to go into the show, if the big builders don't want non buyers on the boats don't go to the shows. grrrrrrr rant over. on the flip side of that it was great to be able to walk around and see so many products on view
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Your rant is justified. Discouraging a young person who is showing an interest is madness. He might be the buyer of the future.
andrew humphries said:
I've been in retail 30 yrs and learnt a long time ago not too judge a book by its cover.
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I know two very wealthy people. One is always smartly dressed and would find it easy to get on to a big motorboat at a boat show. The other ran a plant hire company and often dresses as though he still does. You could not tell by looking which is the most wealthy.
 
andrew humphries said:
hi all, got to be honest this was our second boat show the first being Southampton and I have got to say the sales people on the big boats stands are so pretentious it makes you feel very unwelcome. my wife went to look at a princess with my 9 year old and they made it pretty obvious that they thought she was just being nosey, I went and sat down on a sofa near by in my smart clothes and straight away over she came asking if I wanted to look at the boats. I've been in retail 30 yrs and learnt a long time ago not too judge a book by its cover. all these perl;le have paid there money to go into the show, if the big builders don't want non buyers on the boats don't go to the shows. grrrrrrr rant over. on the flip side of that it was great to be able to walk around and see so many products on view
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Sadly this is a story we hear all too often. My particular bugbear apart from snooty salesmen is the gatekeeper system where you have to be qualified by the thick bimbos on the reception desk and then you have to wait for 'your' salesmen to become available before you can look at anything which might mean having to wait hours. Thankfully not all manufacturers are like that. Sunseeker in particular are very good. They recognise that today's young kid might be tomorrow's buyer and whilst you might have to queue to get on their boats, at least you can get on and nose around when you want not when they want. I believe that is one of the many reasons why Sunseeker is the most recognised brand in British boat building
 
Perhaps these snobby sales people are unaware of something called The National Lottery? It would be just desserts if they turfed someone of their stand who went to a competitor who took people as they found them and they then placed an order with them.

It's similar to that stuck up broker on the programme a few months ago about the Monaco boat show. He got a lot of stick on here for his arrogant attitude and his views on people's dress sense and the condition of their skin!
 
Deleted User said:
Sadly this is a story we hear all too often. My particular bugbear apart from snooty salesmen is the gatekeeper system where you have to be qualified by the thick bimbos on the reception desk and then you have to wait for 'your' salesmen to become available before you can look at anything which might mean having to wait hours. Thankfully not all manufacturers are like that. Sunseeker in particular are very good. They recognise that today's young kid might be tomorrow's buyer and whilst you might have to queue to get on their boats, at least you can get on and nose around when you want not when they want. I believe that is one of the many reasons why Sunseeker is the most recognised brand in British boat building
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My system is to either barge past them or start a riot in the queue. I got Jeanneau girls to let the whole queue on once. Its my biggest bugbear, politics aside. If any of the girls stop you you should blast the maker in this forum and hopefully lose a sale for them but praise must also go to the deserving.
 
Bouba said:
My system is to either barge past them or start a riot in the queue. I got Jeanneau girls to let the whole queue on once. .... .
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I don't like the heavy policing either but am also prepared to respect the boat as typically it's sold and on route to it's new owner.
 
NGM said:
I don't like the heavy policing either but am also prepared to respect the boat as typically it's sold and on route to it's new owner.
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Sunseeker have a finishing shed .
Returned punter boats from shows are re finished -headliners and carpets etc replaced before handover .
This means they can adopt an open door policy and where H+S permit re numbers allow the great unwashed on board -with kids ! Who then then wipe snot and grease all over the cream decor ,it does not phase them and believe me it works from marketing .

Many years ago @ Earls court when it had the water pool they did just that .
With a buggy /toddler ,a heavely pregnant wife SS helped us on board the floating SS Porto 35 ,I think it was launch year.
Others were not so accommodating .

I told the guy I had a mooring in the SoF and the 3.54 M beam was perfect .This conversation took place sat down in the saloon AFTER they help us on board .
Other,s stuck there noses up at the buggy + grubby little hands -never got on board !

Wife was sat down in the saloon and pampered ,todler allowed to run about down there and play ,buggy looked after etc
I think there's was an "incident " they gave the tolder a chocolate biscuit -yup you guessed it crumbs all over rhe cream wool carpet -staff said "no worries " and the sales guy ( who now runs SS Monaco ) then pointed out a grease mark on the cieling -said folks all touch it and say "is it leather " -Then he told me about the finishing shead @ Poole .

Fast fwd 5 y -we get a call from the marina reminding us of clause 9b -limeted time letting a berth - and asking
"when are going to bring your boat "
We did not have a boat -just enjoyed the 11 % return on the mooring .
So where do we go ,who,s our refference point .
A phone call to SS - remember they regularly advertised in the Sunday times mag and were winning all sorts ,or Mr Braithwaite was -of awards .
Next day a car from SS greeted me from Bournmouth airport .Deal done on a P-ex just come back from the Med ,it too was re-finished
3weeks later via truck ,they arranged it was in the SoF .They even arranged tuition .I ,d never had a MoBo .

There was and still is nothing wrong with the Priney V42 or the FL 34/38 .
I ended up with a SS -cos of that 1st encounter with them at Earls court .
After sales were brilliant in the 9 y of ownership and still is ,they still if a ask send tech,s to fix Itama ,even arranged a retro fit of Aircon , galley hob and much more ++
,-cos you never know !!
 
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Portofino said:
Who then then wipe snot and grease all over the cream decor ,it des not phase them and believe me it works from marketing .
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But make you take your shoes off ! so not completely care free ... !!

I think a bigger deal is often made of this than really merits.
Apart from the Fairline's gatekeeping policy of previous years the vast majority of boats are freely accessible even if you have to wait a bit.
I suspect the girls who attend the boat are told to ensure they don't get overcrowded and that people show some care and respect. It's not surprising they are a little cautious with children, I certainly get nervous when my kids are with me. I don't think that's unreasonable. No one appears to ever be refused entry.

As for marketing, yes SS welcoming nature is great, but would that really drive your ultimate boat buying decision. I'm pretty sure if you showed a vague genuine interest in any other brand you would get a royal welcome.
 
MapisM said:
That ain't too bad, all considered.
Sounds like a travel back in time, when as teenagers we actually enjoyed the process... :D :D :D
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Long long time ago Mapism and one thing is for sure. They certainly ain't qualifying us now for any reason other than whether we can afford one of their boats. Although having said that my brother has just married a stunning girl half his age so there's hope for me yet;)
 
As others have said, even if a potential viewer can't afford a new boat there is always the chance they will buy a used boat and that keeps the whole chain moving. Often the used boat is a part exchange, or the sale frees up the seller to get in the market for a new boat.
What annoyed the OP is what annoys me - the off-putting nature of the boatshow way of doing things. When we came into boating 3 years ago the whole thing was very daunting and it wouldn't have taken much to put us off completely. We were tossing up between a boat and a mobile home, we might easily have stayed on the land. What we needed was a welcoming attitude and a readiness to help us gradually get to grips with the whole thing. When we went to Southampton for the first time we never even thought of going on the big company stands because we felt sure they would look down their noses at us. In the end we bought our motorboat from a company that treated us very well even though we are near the bottom of the motorboat food chain.
 
Portofino said:
Sunseeker have a finishing shed .
Returned punter boats from shows are re finished -headliners and carpets etc replaced before handover .
This means they can adopt an open door policy and where H+S permit re numbers allow the great unwashed on board -with kids ! Who then then wipe snot and grease all over the cream decor ,it does not phase them and believe me it works from marketing .

Many years ago @ Earls court when it had the water pool they did just that .
With a buggy /toddler ,a heavely pregnant wife SS helped us on board the floating SS Porto 35 ,I think it was launch year.
Others were not so accommodating .

I told the guy I had a mooring in the SoF and the 3.54 M beam was perfect .This conversation took place sat down in the saloon AFTER they help us on board .
Other,s stuck there noses up at the buggy + grubby little hands -never got on board !

Wife was sat down in the saloon and pampered ,todler allowed to run about down there and play ,buggy looked after etc
I think there's was an "incident " they gave the tolder a chocolate biscuit -yup you guessed it crumbs all over rhe cream wool carpet -staff said "no worries " and the sales guy ( who now runs SS Monaco ) then pointed out a grease mark on the cieling -said folks all touch it and say "is it leather " -Then he told me about the finishing shead @ Poole .

Fast fwd 5 y -we get a call from the marina reminding us of clause 9b -limeted time letting a berth - and asking
"when are going to bring your boat "
We did not have a boat -just enjoyed the 11 % return on the mooring .
So where do we go ,who,s our refference point .
A phone call to SS - remember they regularly advertised in the Sunday times mag and were winning all sorts ,or Mr Braithwaite was -of awards .
Next day a car from SS greeted me from Bournmouth airport .Deal done on a P-ex just come back from the Med ,it too was re-finished
3weeks later via truck ,they arranged it was in the SoF .They even arranged tuition .I ,d never had a MoBo .

There was and still is nothing wrong with the Priney V42 or the FL 34/38 .
I ended up with a SS -cos of that 1st encounter with them at Earls court .
After sales were brilliant in the 9 y of ownership and still is ,they still if a ask send tech,s to fix Itama ,even arranged a retro fit of Aircon , galley hob and much more ++
,-cos you never know !!
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This should be rewritten into verse and all salespeople should be made to recite it before every show.
Treating the wife well should be the only thing that matters, its the wives you sell to men like every shiny thing with engines they see, they are easy game.
 
Bouba said:
This should be rewritten into verse and all salespeople should be made to recite it before every show.
Treating the wife well should be the only thing that matters, its the wives you sell to men like every shiny thing with engines they see, they are easy game.
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Correct. My SWMBO eats boat salesmen for breakfast and very few survive a grilling from her. I remember taking her to Sealine open day on the Hamble many years ago. She buttonholed one poor Sealine bloke and started having a real go at him about what she thought were poor design and layout aspects of one particular model. After about a 5 min rant during which the Sealine guy was looking increasingly cowed, she eventually asked him 'and who are you?' Turned out he was Tom Murrant, the founder and then owner of Sealine. To be fair he was extremely courteous and thanked my SWMBO for her comments but I bet he was thinking somebody save me from this wretched woman

So yes boat salesmen should sell to the wife as well as the husband. I often think that it is the husband who comes up with the shortlist but the wife that makes the final choice
 
Deleted User said:
Correct. My SWMBO eats boat salesmen for breakfast and very few survive a grilling from her. I remember taking her to Sealine open day on the Hamble many years ago. She buttonholed one poor Sealine bloke and started having a real go at him about what she thought were poor design and layout aspects of one particular model.
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Are you sure you're not really married to my other half?

That could explain the mysterious disappearances once the boating season starts - and I thought it was just for another man, not another boat.:ambivalence:
 
stillwaters said:
Are you sure you're not really married to my other half?

That could explain the mysterious disappearances once the boating season starts - and I thought it was just for another man, not another boat.:ambivalence:
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No but her sister is just the same so maybe you're married to her;)
 
Interesting thread drift.
Every now and then my wife looks at something, not just boats, and says scornfully, "I bet a man designed that".
Of course there are some equally bad female designers.
But the truth is that it's often the woman who selects the boat. I know someone who claims that the family boat choice came down to two models at Southampton and the clincher was that his wife liked the upholstery in one more than the other, so that's what they bought. His take was that he just wanted a boat and was happy to accept whatever his wife preferred.
There's an American builder of trawler yachts whose slogan is: 'This is the one she'll say "Yes" to!'
 
His take was that he just wanted a boat and was happy to accept whatever his wife preferred
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My last boat purchase came down to whether the SWMBO could see out of the saloon windows when seated in the saloon. I preferred the other boat myself although it was more expensive but I learnt long ago that unless my SWMBO has bought into our boating hobby, it just ain't worth it
 
My SWMBO wanted a boat that did not slam and had a smooth ride .Did not have any high or low for that matter gloss interior wood work or carpets down below .Boat /house keeping issues .

She ,s recently poo poohed a riva 53 Rivale to the sales man on test drive out of Monaco ,cos I got it slamming .TBH there was hardly any sea state and we just looked silently at each other as it crashed about ,for 5 mins -we both realised it was a fools errand !
she broke the silence to dealer and I turned around -quick sea trial .
 
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