Boat Pro Point of Sale Training online video series provides time-efficient training opportunities designed to educate marina personnel, recreational boat dealers, marine retailers and others who sell products and services to boaters on how to to make the right decisions about buying safety equipment and the contents of a U.S. Coast Guard safety kit.

1. BOAT PRO Point of
Sale Training Grant
The NSBC and its Continuing Partnerships with
Manufacturers, Marine Retailers and Safety
Advocates
September 2013
Fred Messmann
Deputy Director
SafeBoatingCouncil.org/BoatProPointofSale

2. Boat Pro Point of Sale

3. Boat Pro Point of Sale

4. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
CHALLENGE:
How do you get this kind of attention or
opportunity to customers everywhere?
and
Maximize Sales and Safety
Try Innovation and targeting previous untapped
resources

6. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
• USCG published Area of Interest for non-profit grants,
Produce, and Distribute “Vessel Point of Sale” Training
Program Designed for Employees of Marine Distributors,
Marinas, and Marina Stores
• NSBC contacted potential partners when developing
grant in December 2011
• Partnered with Industry: Personal Floatation Device
Manufacturers Association (PFDMA)
• Association of Marina Industries (AMI)
• Marine Retailers Association of America (MRAA)

7. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
The “TEAM”s subject matter experts:
– Fred Messmann, chair
– Virgil Chambers, NSBC
– Pam Dillon, NASBLA
– Rachel Johnson, NSBC outreach Objective 2
– Gordon Colby, PFDMA, all life jacket components, Objective 4
– Chuck Hawley, West Marine
– Matt Gruhn, MRAA
– Bruce Rowe, Forever Resorts
– Wendy Larimer, AMI, all distribution components, strategy 2.8
– Norman Hoffman, USCGAUX, strategy 2.8 Marine Dealer Visitation
– Bob Sweet, USPS, Brunswick Dealer Advantage
– Jim Parraco, Michael Rhinehart, PPG, video and testing
– Joe Carro, USCG, Grant Technical Manager
– Sheila Chappell, NSBC, Office Manager

8. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
Key:
BOATING SAFETY ADVOCATES AND INDUSTRY
WORKING TOGETHER
BOATING SAFETY ADVOCATES AND RETAIL HAVE
THE SAME CUSTOMER, different motives: sales for
safety and wear versus sale for profit. All succeed!
Point of Sale / Point of SAFETY, is interchangeable

9. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
APPROACH:
• Thorough research, surveys
• Identify required and recommended safety
equipment
• Develop List based on PRPII, VSC data,
strategy 8.2
• Properly outfit the boat
• Properly outfit the boater

10. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
Target audience:
 Targeted towards training marina personnel,
recreational boat dealers, marine retailers,
persons who sell products or services…
 to help recreational boaters make good
decisions when buying safety equipment with
the knowledge provided by the point of sale
grant trained professionals

11. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
• U.S. Power Squadron with their Brunswick Dealer
Advantage program
• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary with their Marine Dealer
Visitation Program
• West Marine with their previous experience and national
retail distribution
• MRAA, its members and training cadre
• NASBLA with its education and marketing
• Association of Marina Industries and their International
Marina Institute training program

12. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
• SafeBoatingCouncil.org/BoatProPointofSale
• NOT a boating safety course; it focuses on
equipment
• Creates an informed sales staff (both seasonal and
seasoned) that will build confidence; be able to help
educate the boating public; gain customers respect
and loyalty
• Ties in with Rental Boat Safety training program
(RentalBoatSafety.com)
• Ties into the Boat on Course (BoatonCourse.com)
navigation awareness training

13. RentalBoatSafety.com

14. BoatonCourse.com

15. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
• Industry is using to train marine sales staff
• NASBLA, USCGAUX, and USPS helped develop with
intention of getting educators as well to promote a wide
array of marine sales and education opportunities
• NASBLA is encouraged to promote and encourage the
entire boating community to use and participate

16. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
• Formalization of the “Marine Dealer Network,” a
NASBLA Education Committee project was initiated with
this project, opening communications and coordination
between industry and safety leaders.
• It will give seasoned as well as seasonal staff a new
perspective on how to deal with “selling” safety and
improve sales.
• It is online, free, and staff can sign on, take one or two
segments, leave and come back later for another
session or finish it up.
• The certificate is suitable for framing and would be good
to put on a resume.

17. Boat Pro
Point of Sale Training
Coast Guard Kit:
• Nothing Defined but now we Refined
• Depends on location, coastal, inland, lake,
river, reservoir
• MRAA & AMI survey input
• Developed downloadable checklist for
business to personalize and customize
appropriate “kit” for their customers

18. Boat Pro Safety Kit Check List:
DOWNLOADABLE AND CUSTOMIZABLE

19. 9 Video scripts approved by the USCG:
– Introduction 6:02
– Commissioning or Coast Guard Kit 4:55
– Life Jackets 12:50
– Fire Extinguishers 5:35
– VHF Radios 6:30
– Vessel Safety Checks 7:36
– Visual Distress Signals 4:37
– Boating Education 5:14
– Conclusion 1:35
TOTAL: 54:54

20. Boat Pro Point of Sale Training
• Video shoot –
February 27-28 VA
• John Greviskis, host
of “Ship Shape TV,”
on TV for over 14
years with over 51
million potential
viewers weekly
• Co-host Tina from
BoatOnCourse.com

21. Matt Gruhn Introduction

22. Boat Pro Point of Sale
Promo

23. Boat Pro Point of Sale
Short Life Jacket Clip

24. • Questions developed and based on video
segments
• Set up similar to BoatonCourse.com
navigation rules awareness training
• Completing the training will result in a
“Certificate of Completion”
• Will count towards TWO hours of continuing
education requirements for AMI Certified
Marina Manager program
Testing and Certificate
of Completion

25. CERTIFICATE OFCOMPLETION

26. THANK YOU!
Fred Messmann
National Safe Boating Council
deputy@safeboatingcouncil.org
703 789 2730