Sunseeker marketing, nice to see a professional job

[kcrane]

Recap - Went to Show last Friday, visited Sunseeker stand and was shown around by a young lady who was one of their delivery skippers (reference PowerYacht's comments on how effective it is to have real staff showing you boats rather than salesmen).

When we went back to the stand at the end of the day she recognised us and remembered our names. Today, while show is still on, a letter arrives from Sunseeker...


It was a great pleasure to meet you and Rita and the Boat Show on Friday. I enjoyed viewing the Portofino 53 and Predator 52, and the time chatting about your boating interests and your experiences aboard the sailing catamaran you kept at Haslar. How that you have sold your boat I understand you are in a position to pursue your interest in a pre-owned motor yacht for the 2009 season. Sunseeker have formed a new company in Poole and have acquired two pre-owned Portofino 53's. One is a Mk2 with hard top and MAN 800's and available immediately. May I take this opportunity to invite you for a sea trial in Poole? I look forward to meeting you and Rita again, Regards Lindsey

I'd be happy if our marketing was as sharp.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

You're dead right. We looked at a Portofino 47 on Friday, and I mentioned that I didn't like the curved sofa in the saloon. Today in the post I got a set of drawings from the SS design team showing how the sofa could be made with square corners, together with a long letter recapping our visit, and a suggestion of a try-before-you-buy charter in the SoF complete with details of a charter 47 down there. Properly on the ball. This was also from Lindsey.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[B175Chris]

We had the same experience at SIBS 2007. Went up, interested in chartering the Manhattan 60 in a corporate capacity - they gave us a full tour around the 37M and when we got home there was an e-mail waiting from the lovely woman we'd spoken to with all the information we could need and a summary of all the requirements that had been discussed, she didn't write anything down at the time yet remembered it all! Top notch service, deserves praise!

 

[DougH]

The buying experience with Sunseeker has to be experienced to be believed.

Attention to detail is second to none other, and I really mean second to none.

YOU spec the boat from a huge number of variations and fabric choices. Just how the staff manage to maintain their charm and smiles when dealing with so many types of customers is beyond me.

Mr Braithwait their MD deserves full acolades for his organisation which he calls the Sunseeker Family and which you join when you buy a Sunseeker of any age.

If Sunseeker survive the present crisis in the financial world without making any redundancies it will be not only because of shrewed management but because all employees from the top to the bottom of the company all pull together and sing from the same hymn sheet.

They fully deserve the success they are having.

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

I find these tales interesting. I don't criticise S'seeker one bit, but their marketing just does nothing for me. What i really care about is not the warm (or worrying?) feeling of a great marketing machine, but rather that ia am getting a product with best mix of engineering/design/function/reliability. I mean, I'd rather have the latter with crap marketing, than vice versa.

It somewhat remins me of the thread on here a few months ago about Ferretti's sexy new showroom in Germany

The marketing process I was subjected to when buying the boat I'm currently in the process of buying was (a) no personal letters, just some blackberry emails striaght to he point - the ultimate in "no bullsh!t straight talking", I'd say (b) invitation to a scruffy boatyard with gravel and potholes, to view it (c) offer of "we'll engineer any mods you want on the boat, and an "interview" with the boat fitter who'd be doing the work so I could assess him (d) an offer "we'll put the boat indoors in a massive shed for 2 months with scaffolding, and you can do any fit out work you want, bring in tradesmen, borrow our tools, use our trade accounts to get parts at good prices, have your purchases delivered straight here, and here's the key to our massive shed and the mobile number of the gate security man so come in on Christmas day to work on your boat if you want, etc". All that was from the dealer, and it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, for sure. From the manuf I got a boat whose design/function i happen to think is top of its class (just my personal opinion of course)

Anyway, I'm not knocking s'seeker one bit, and their boats are mostly great (apart from a very small number of engineering shortcomings that folks need to be careful of/content with when buying). I'm just saying, i suppose, that what counts as a good "marketing machine" is in the eye of the beholder and I'm putting forward a contrary view on that, and i suppose I'm saying beware of the marketing becuase it laats only a few months whereas the boat is then your baby for several years. With s'seeker the product is mostly top notch and the personalised/custom spec process is much fun at the factory, but beware the view of some recent customers that there is poor after sales support in some locations. In other words an incredibly smooth marketing machine ought to make you not just happy but a bit suspicious. All imho!

 

[DougH]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

jfm,
I agree that Essex Boat Yards is a very good organisation and ticks nearly all the boxes, but for my taste a little to close to being car dealers in their approach.

This is merely a personal opinion and we must surely all agree that no one company can satisfy all the people.

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

to be honest taking care of boats for clients of myn in the past ovehere I must admit that dealing with SSeeker was much better to the rest

SS 44 Camargue had an icemaker problem, and a new IM was delivered after a month free of charge, this was 2 years after new puchase
Fline Phantom had one AC problem never working well from delivery of boat and Ice Maker problem after a year, till the boat was in my hands owner used to call them every month and in 10 months nothing happened always talk and just talk

 

[[2068]]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

>SS 44 Camargue had an icemaker problem

Is that a PAN PAN or a Mayday?

 

[alt]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

jfm - Am I right in saying that what you're saying is:

"Id rather walk into a dirty garage full of mechanics covered in grease and filth knowing that my car bas been serviced properly, rather than walk into a fancy waiting area, be given a coffee, have my car driven back out to me only to find some apprentice mechanic has made a sh1te of my car"

Sorry just couldn't read that long post /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

its part of the after sales service from any builder, especially if rather new

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

Yep, agreed Doug, it's all a matter of personal opinion. I was just putting forward the contrary view to the "sunseeker's marketing machine is lovely". (The forum wouldn't be as much fun if we all agreed with each other!)

Though, it's not the "car dealer" aspect of EBY I was commenting on. It was their "we'll do whatever the customer wants" approach. Seriously, I can't imagine another dealer who would give you the key to their unmanned indoor boat workshop, mobile number of the security gate guy to get in, and say "just work on your boat over Christmas as you wish". It's just another form of good customer service, and for some people it's preferable to receiving the personal letters mentioned above

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

No, you're missing the point on delivering extraordinary customer service and keeping customers happy, but no matter!

 

[Pinnacle]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

[ QUOTE ]

>SS 44 Camargue had an icemaker problem

Is that a PAN PAN or a Mayday?


[/ QUOTE ]



/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

You say "sseeker much better" but i think you're mixing up builder and dealer. Fixing the IM was a dealer task for both builders, and there are good/bad f'line dealers, and good/bad s'seeker dealers. I can assure you that if you have a £2m Sunseeker-Sales delivered big Sunseeker in Antibes you won't be getting your IM (or anything else) fixed anytime soon (and I'm not referring to just one boat, ie Magnum; I'm referring to others)

 

[colingr]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

Depends if it has stopped making ice or if it can't be turned off. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MapisM]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

[ QUOTE ]
an incredibly smooth marketing machine ought to make you not just happy but a bit suspicious.

[/ QUOTE ]Yup, interesting tales indeed.
Whilst in principle I fully agree with your last statement above, I actually fail to see such a big difference in the two approaches, and why you seem to rank them so differently.
S'seeker, given what a show visitor might normally expect, did an impressive job, resulting - if nothing else - in someone posting here that he wishes his marketing was as sharp! Job accomplished, methink.
EBY, given what a specific customer expected, did a comparably good job of matching or possibly exceeding his specific expectations/needs.
Different context, different actions, but comparable results at the end.
It's very hard to compare the two approaches as such: surely you wouldn't have been impressed by a dealer sending you a nice letter upon your purchase of the boat, instead of offering the shed and other practical support.
But I don't think it would have made sense for any manufacturer to offer their trade account, shed and tools before the customer has even made up his mind: how suspicious would have that been, btw? A letter showing that they listened at his specific situation/wishes and offering a support in the decision making process is much more appropriate and effective imho.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

[ QUOTE ]
apart from a very small number of engineering shortcomings that folks need to be careful of/content with when buying)

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats an interesting statement. Pls explain further

Actually, I think I know where you're coming from with S/S. Even though my business operates in a sales environment, personally I don't like to be sold to or feel that I am the target of some marketing machine, however warm and fuzzy it might feel
However, we on this forum often criticize boat manufacturers and dealers for their incompetence and idleness when dealing with customers so if there is one manufacturer out there who is doing this in an efficient and professional manner, they should be applauded. And it seems to work. Was not our own Magnum persuaded by S/S's care and attention?
The question is whether the marketing hype carries through to the quality of the product and the after sales service? Anyone with experience of that?

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

Yup, fair comment, all agreed Mapis

I suppose the (unsaid) subtext behind my post was that two owners of 2008 big SS in SoF whom i know very well (a) were hugely impressed with ss's sales service and factory customisation and (b) are now very disappointed, one year on, that the boats have significant breakdowns and ss are doing too little useful to fix them. So, I was making a point that marketing niceness is short term but you have to live with the boat much longer

The hattan 70 still doesn't run at the correct speed. Interestingly, ss now accept the owner's complaints that the flybr dash is utterly useless ergonomically, with all the screens/instruments too low and too flat. SS have made a new design for the hattan 70 fybr dash, and are supplying one as retrofit to this owner, being fitted as I type this. (Pity about the other models tho, that aren't being fixed). The owner, fortunately speaks his mind. Too many ss buyers seem to think "well if ss are doing it, it must be right, cos they know about boats". Well that's nonsense. I have told ss many times that their fly dashes are all worng and that their 'hattan exhausts are too noisy and they've always responded "we know what they're doing and we're right". but it's emporer's new clothes isn't it? The fly dashes on big hattans are just all worng, aren't they? Even sseeker agree, in the case of the hattan 70. And the exhausts were noisy, till they fixed many of them a year or so ago

 

[jfm]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

I was referring to
(a) awful flybridge ergonomics - dash loo low, nav screens feel like they're laid out flat on the floor, screen viewing angles bad, you can't reach the buttons without leaning forward and down from your seat
(b) VERY noisy exhausts on hattans and yots. On several models they have fixed this in the last 1-2 years. The hattan 70 is fine. But the hattan 50 and the yot 75/82/94 from a year ago and longer have unquestionably VERY noisy exhausts. Much noisier for the passengers in a cruise than mainstream FL and Prin. The hattan 56 (old model) with MAN800s was always very noisy on the flybr

 

[MapisM]

Re: Sunseeker marketing, a contrary view

[ QUOTE ]
marketing niceness is short term but you have to live with the boat much longer

[/ QUOTE ]Not one single doubt about it.
I was strictly looking at the mktg part, which undoubtedly can only make a difference IF the product is sound, in the first place.
After I read your report on the performance (lack of) of the 'hattan 70 with "small" engines, I wondered if they shouldn't have rather thrown away the moulds after the first sea trials, instead of bringing the boat to the market!!!
I don't think that any dash changes or marketing tricks can really help, in those circumstances... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif