14 NATCHEZ ON THE WATERFRONT


Why have customers chosen your facility?


By Dan Natchez* D


o you really know your customers? Most marina owners and managers would say yes. They may


be partly right, but really getting to understand what your customers are thinking and why customers come to your facility as opposed to others takes some effort and it’s not always an effort that gets the


MARINA INDUSTRY • JUNE 2021


full attention it deserves. There are, of course, many


reasons why customers choose to come to your facility or, conversely, choose not to or to leave for another facility. There may be many similarities, as well as numerous differences. The key is to understand all of them and decide which ones are important and how


to better achieve them (for the positives) or avoid them (for the negatives). Equally important is to consider them in relation to your vision for the marina and business model. The effort starts with taking time to really talk with your customers and mostly just letting the conversation flow. You might


be surprised as to what you learn, not only by what they say, but how they say it, as well as what they don’t say! I make it a point when visiting


clients’ facilities (and sometimes non-client facilities) to walk the docks in boating attire and speak to the customers. Most are willing to talk about the facility


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