INTERNATIONAL NEWS
trucks to come on the weekend to serve your boaters or to make use of your empty waterfront parking lot to attract the business lunch crowd during the week. That pretty empty weekday
parking lot might also prove an attractive location for a farmers market or similar operation. WiFi is now a necessity
probably more so than water. Most people are turned off by charging for usage. Many hotels are now rethinking their policy of charging and adding to the base cost and advertising FREE WiFi. And it seems to be working. Others are using it not only for security but for boat owners to see their boats from their phones through an app when away from the marina. Some facilities have taken to selling advertising. We would suggest that facilities think twice before selling advertising and it potentially backfires as clients do not like the usual
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advertising interference. However the WiFi can be useful for providing weather updates, tidal or water elevation updates, what is running for fishing, boating regattas, and services provided by the facility all of which have been found to be desired by the overwhelming majority of clients. We are in the electronic age and setting up an app for clients as well as accumulating base information, including client likes and dislikes, past and scheduled service needs and concierge desires can be a substantive boost to profit enhancements. One can then easily remind clients that it’s time for scheduled service or what opportunities are available for various concierge services, etc. This type of soft sell marketing can be very meaningful to the bottom line. The only limit to
nontraditional profit centers is one’s imagination.
But a word of caution – one needs to think it through so that it can be handled in a meaningful manner – delivered better than and beyond the customers’ expectations. Boaters are always looking for a bargain, but are also willing to pay for what they perceive as value.
Dan Natchez is president of DANIEL S. NATCHEZ and ASSOCIATES Inc., a leading international environmental waterfront design consulting company specializing in the design of marinas and marina resorts throughout the world. He invites your comments and inquiries by phone at 914/698-5678, by fax at 914/698-7321, by e-mail at
dan.n@dsnainc.com or on the Web at
www.dsnainc.com
52 FORE & AFT SEPTEMBER 2016
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