Boating is more than owning a boat. It’s about peace, family, memories and community. What kind of boating lifestyle do we want to pass forward?
Jump to a section (4)
What's one lesson you've learned over the years that every new boater should hear?What's next for Workman Marine, and what excites you most about the future?Thursday at 5 PM ET Encore: Saturday & Sunday at 5 PM ETThank You to Our SponsorsHello, this is Brian with Dockside Live Radio, and today we have the pleasure of speaking with Chris Workman from Workman Marine in Palatka. Let's talk a little bit about your journey.
How did you get started in the marine industry, and what has kept you passionate about boating all these years?
I definitely appreciate your time and being here I got started in the marine industry really, from birth. My dad actually owned a marine repair facility since, the time I could walk, so I've been in it a long time between, marine and power sports, which are really linked industries.
So for the last, a little over 20 years now, I've been, inside of, real dealerships, whether it's power sports or marine, working my way up through different dealerships and management roles. And on December 2nd of last year, me and my wife decided it was time to open up our, own place, and with the support of, great brands like Mercury and Tohatsu, Lowe, Bayliner, all these numerous brands, it's been been great so far.
We're looking forward to, keeping it going.
You've been working with boaters for a long time. What's the biggest change you've seen in today's boating customer compared to 15 or 20 years ago?
Oh, that's a easy question to answer right there. Everybody is so much, better prepared when they come in.
Everybody has access to the internet. The boat manufacturers are giving so much more information than they used to. So now it's not like you're selling the boat, you're trying to help customers really find the boat with the right specifications that meets their needs. And that's really the biggest change I've seen, is just the education is great because people really know what they're looking for.
It- we're hearing that across all the communication channels - that we deal with, the marine associations with manufacturers and dealerships other across the country, and they're saying the same thing. The- today's consumer is more educated and so what we're trying to do now is help the dealers get the awareness and their stories out there to the customers so that whatever step they're in and they're ready to go and write a check or take out a loan for a boat they're gonna go to the dealer that they've heard on the radio station they've, that they've developed a trust with.
And that's part of what this conversation with you is getting that trust and letting people know who you are and just expanding that awareness. And it's it's a great way to bring that community together. Manufacturers make great boats. Dealers know how to sell the boats. The electronic division of the boating company they know exactly what they're doing. The customers have gotten more educated, but there's still a gap where do they go for what they're looking for. It gives them the opportunity to walk right into your store knowing who you are- ... and having trust in you based on the conversations that we've had and that they hear over the radio. , That could not be more true. Nowadays really, integrity and honesty are the two key components to selling a boat.
People come to us and they know more than ever. So it's really about who delivers factual information. And, it's as simple as if you don't know something, don't just guess, you can work together with the customer hand-in-hand and help find the right answer to really any problem that's out there or any question somebody might have, whether it's does this boat fit in my lift, does it hold the right amount of people, what's the beam on the boat.
There's no question you can't figure out if you work together on it. And customers no longer want that, old school used car dealership mentality. They want a partner to help them have the best experience possible on the water. Yeah, 'cause they wanna be able to pick the phone up when something happens and say, "Hey, Chris, - my boat's not starting. What do I do?" And knowing that they have that relationship with you and that trust with you, you're gonna be able to tell them exactly what they need to do and, or send somebody out there to wherever it is that they are and take care of their problem. And that customer, that relationship that you've built with them just continues to get stronger.
And the relationships are key, and they start long before the sale. They start just like you were talking about earlier. Whether they hear about you on the radio, they see you in any kind of social media, they make a quick phone call to check stock levels, inventory levels, or just, specifications on boats.
It starts there from ground zero, and you have to work harder than ever to earn the business. But you don't just earn the business one time, you earn a relationship for the rest of the time that person's going to be on the water. And it's, extremely gratifying to be a part of that. Yeah, 'cause the day comes when they're gonna want a bigger boat or a faster boat, and they're gonna come to the person that they have that relationship built with.
What's one lesson you've learned over the years that every new boater should hear?
Use your boat. Don't spend so much time worrying about scratching it, that it sits in the driveway. The memories you're gonna make on it are gonna make up for any little scratch or ding you put in it.
There's nothing on a boat that can't be fixed. Don't stress about going to the boat ramp and launching the boat. Take your time and just enjoy the ride. It's a whole experience. It's not just owning a boat, it is the boating experience. Yeah, those are two different things. We had a conversation earlier this week with a gentleman from Texas that's been in ever since he was a kid, just like you.
And he said that there's a boating cycle. You buy the boat one year. The second year, you use the boat as much as you possibly can. The third year, you use it on weekends and holidays. The fourth year, you don't use it. The fifth year, you sell it. He said that's a boat owner." I'm not a boat owner.
I live the boating lifestyle and I don't fit into that. And that's what we need more people to understand and get involved with. And the relationship and the trust that they built with it's, we want them out on the water as often as possible, like you said. Create those memories with your family.
Looking ahead, what trends do you think will have the biggest impact on boating over the next few years?
Technology for one. It keeps getting, better in all aspects. Engines are quieter, cleaner, they're more reliable, more fuel efficient than ever. I also think, customer service is becoming an even bigger, differentiator from different dealerships, and you have so many choices because of that. It's, one big grand circle on that, and it's just gonna make for a much better boating experience for everybody.
If you could give one piece of advice to marine businesses trying to grow today, what would it be?
Focus on the long game. Don't worry so much about the, "Hey, did I get a sale today?" Focus on building that trust instead of the next sale. Customers who trust you and that you do good work for will come back and see you. They'll send their friends and, you build that relationship.
It's not about the quick $50, it's about, that whole lifelong relationship. We want to earn customers for life. With so many recreational choices available, what is it about boating that continues to bring people to the water? It's, every day is busier and busier. Life gets ahead of you and you have no time for a lot of things.
When you're out on a boat, boating slows life down. Families get to spend the quality time together away from any distractions and everyday life, and that's really becoming more valuable every year, just being able to spend time with those you care about.
Dockside Live Radio believes boating is about community as much as boats. How important has the boating community been to your success over the years?
It would've been impossible without it. If it wasn't for the community, like again, Mercury, Tohatsu, some of the manufacturers, some of the great customers I have, we would've never been able to open up December 2nd. It's because of the community and because of those relationships we've built over time that we're able to be here servicing, Northeast Florida.
What's next for Workman Marine, and what excites you most about the future?
Really, there's always innovation in the marine industry. There's always new brands coming out, new innovations within the brands we have. There's always, that next newest motor that gives better fuel economy, the newest technology. There's so many individual components that it's hard to say just one.
Favorite place to boat?
Currently most of the time I'm on the water is right here on our St. Johns River. It's a spectacular place, whether you're fishing, whether you're running down to Salt Run, Salt Springs, Silver Glen.
There's so much different water in the area, and we're not too far away from St. Augustine either. You can go right to the Intercoastal. You can catch redfish, trout. You could even go offshore. Right here where we're at is central to any type of fishing and any kind of boating experience you may wanna have
Favorite boating memory?
Favorite boating memory. Huh. It would have had to have been this was a long time ago. At the time I had this awesome little Key West 1720 and we were in the Gulf, and we actually went offshore about 10, 15 miles, which is crazy in a little 17-foot boat. But we're out there and we didn't know what we were doing offshore.
This was when I was real young. So we're out there and we decide to hook up these little, five-inch, seven-inch jerk baits that you use in fresh water to catch bass. It's my first time really, offshore there where we're at. And we're going around there just catching Spanish mackerel after Spanish mackerel.
Every time you turn around it was just an amazing day. Within an hour we must have caught 60 fish, got back in, and were still able to come in and catch a limit of red fish and trout. It was just absolutely amazing. That's a good day on the water. Yeah.
Sunrise or sunset cruise?
Oh gotta be sunset.
You've already worked hard all day. You've had, all of that day to put behind you and you're out there and you just get to relax and just be on the water with those you care about.
What is always on your boat?
Always on my boat. That's a good question. I would say what's always on my boat is a jump pack.
A jump pack will absolutely save you under the worst circumstance, whether it's just, battery runs dead for some weird reason, or even your cellphone dies. For whatever reason you have to call somebody, you can charge it with that. It's really useful.
One word that describes the boating lifestyle.
Peaceful
If you could spend a day on a boat with someone, who is it?
Ooh, that is a good question. Are we talking about anybody ever or just somebody I know? Let's go with anybody ever. Anybody ever. I would have to... recently there's been this gentleman, Robert Yuns, who's just tried to complete this great loop again, and he had s- some boat issues, and I would like to be in a boat with him just to pick his brain a little bit and see what is really motivating him to take on this, arduous journey and to, see really what drives him.
Thinking about, passion. How passionate do you have to be to try to set a record on this great loop, and to already set it once and then to go back the next year and try it again, it's just unbelievable. I would, if I had a tenth of his passion, I'd have 10 stores already. I hear you. It's all about the experience and the memories that it creates. And stories are the, great way To get them excited about that And it passes it along to the next generation. It's not so much about what we do now, but it's about preservation, conservation, and, getting the boating community great for the future generations.
And when we do that it's gonna just go on and continue to grow. Yeah. We were talking with somebody the other day and that's, we've got twofold. One, we wanna make sure that the next generation of boaters is aware and excited and things like that. But we also want that next generation of music fans that, that listen to to our station and still let that be the driving force that- that they're listening to it while they're out on their boat and doing whatever, they're still hearing it. They're hearing the stories. Exactly.
Chris, thanks for being with us on Dock Talk on Dockside Live Radio. It's always a pleasure,
Thursday at 5 PM ET Encore: Saturday & Sunday at 5 PM ET
Stories from the people who live the boating lifestyle.
Dock Side Live Radio — Where the music meets the water.
#TheNextBoatJourney #BoatingLifestyle #MarineIndustry #DockSideLiveRadio
Thank You to Our Sponsors
The Next Boat Journey is made possible by the businesses and organizations that believe in the future of boating and help us share the stories that keep people connected to the water. We’re proud to recognize Let's Go Boating TV, Franklin Pillsbury IV, and the growing group of partners supporting this journey. Thank you for helping us inspire the next generation to discover, enjoy and live the boating lifestyle.
