Lousy Boat Brokers

[Tellie]

Hey you think we bad mouth brokers? Some of the things I've heard them say about each other was a hoot.

[ssullivan]

Don't have the funds today to buy?

Yup... you're just a "looker", "tire kicker", etc... sorry, but that's how it is.

Ask anyone in sales. How do you qualify a lead?

Budget is the first thing you look for.

Originally Posted by Herbseesmoore

So far brokers have left me scratching my head. I became interested in a 39 Priviledge. The 1st one couldn't be viewed on weekends ( I work) So when i did arange for a week day, it was under contract, that fell through but I recieved no call back as I requested. This boat stayed on the internet for a couple more months. The next 39 P I tried to see on a Sunday was more of the same from a different broker, no call back on the same day as our initial contact. When we did get contact, the broker was 2 hours away from the boat which was in Palm Coast. He couldn't show it the following Sunday due to a family cookout. I actually tried one more time, similiar results. A few weeks later we had to cancel a day sail with a friend in the Palm Beach area. (engine trouble) I was aware a 45 Cat in West Palm beach. We contacted the broker on the slim chance we could see it. We called on a Sunday morn hoping for a late afternoon apointment. He said he was 3 hrs away and was only showing it when he got several showings together to make his drive worth while.

Holy cow, glad he is not selling my boat. So now this begs the question. Are these yacht brokes like realestate brokers, can they show each others listing. As you can tell i've never used a yacht broker. If I go to Sailboattraderonline and see a boat, call that listing broker, should I instead call one in the town where the boats located regardless of the listing broker.

Am I a tire kicker( we need a nautical term, how about fender kicker) you tell me. I'm 290 days away from the big R. We are waiting for the house to sell(feel my pain?) so as to pay cash for boat. Mean time if found an exceptional value and a good fit I would take out a second on the house.

Hey gang any advice?

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by jzk

There really is no way for a boat broker to know how serious the prospective buyer is, so I would imagine a good broker would treat each as if they were very serious. In this internet age, how hard can it be to assemble a nice PDF of the vessel, email it back, and offer to show the vessel?

On the other hand, I am not going to look at quite a few boats before I make my next decision, and I am not going to feel sorry for all the showings that didn't result in a sale.

I would do the exact opposite if I were selling boats. I would not ferry every guy with no budget around. That's not what makes a good broker.

In reality, what makes a good broker is the one who gets the most deals to close. Wasting time on un-qualified prospects is the fastest way to ruin a sales career.

Sorry for the "tough talk" without any sugar coating, but good brokers are people who close the most boats, not the ones who show the most boats.

That said, they, as a lot, seem to need to do a lot better getting people down the "funnel" from the leads on Yachtworld into people who are qualified and interested in buying a boat now.

[Fishspearit]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

I would do the exact opposite if I were selling boats. I would not ferry every guy with no budget around. That's not what makes a good broker.

I can see your point, it's a lot harder showing boats than a real estate agent showing houses(which is why boat brokers get a higher commission).

Unlike showing a house, the boat broker has to go down to the boat beforehand and wipe up the shoe tracks from the last showing, ventillate the smelly head so as not to offend the landlubber, dry all the hatch leaks from the last rain, pump the leaky bilge, wipe up the oil from the last time the rusty beast ran, etc. etc.

[Tellie]

Here's a hint for those brokers who want buyers to be qualified before they grace the surfs with their attention. HOW ABOUT SAYING SO IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE so you don't waste our time as well. While I agree to a point with Sully, as a broker, to assume a buyer knows the ropes before hand is just plain stupid. If I were a broker and I had Allllllll these tire kickers just beating down my door to waste my Golf time, I think I'd have a stack of pre-qualification forms I'd be more than happy to pass out to each tire kicker to help them along with the process. Personally I think arrogance is more the order of the day with a lot of brokers.

[David M]

Boy, with all this negative talk about brokers, you would think they are in it just for the money!

Oh yeah...

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by David M

Boy, with all this negative talk about brokers, you would think they are in it just for the money!

Oh yeah...

LOL Yeah, show them the money!!!!
I think to get a brokers license they should be required by law to take, Azz kissin 101.

[Mike Banks]

No--I just think that a lot of them have been bitten by a very stupid spider--

[Jerry Woodward]

I am in the very early stages of boat shopping. My partner and I would like to buy a boat and do some extended cruising in the next 2-3 years. I am very interested in multi-hulls but have mostly sailed monos. So, when I was in Ft. Lauderdale for a meeting, we decided to visit the Catamaran Company main office and possibly look at a few boats. I halfway expected an office at a dock with lots of catamarans to look at, like an auto showroom. Very naïve, I realize now, but what did I know? When we finally found the office, they were behind a strip mall, upstairs, nowhere near the water. Anyway, we walked in and the receptionist said, “do you have an appointment?” When I explained our situation, she sat us down, offered us coffee, and said, “let me try to find a sales representative.” Within 10 minutes, Brian Hermann came in and talked to us for about 15 min. and got a good idea that I was in the very beginning of my search and that I really didn’t have a clear idea of exactly what I wanted. Nevertheless, he rearranged his schedule, and drove us down to a dock and showed us two Lagoons and two Privileges. He spent about an hour with us, didn’t pressure us at all, and never asked about our financial situation. He was knowledgeable about the boats and just an overall nice guy. On top of that, he gave us a great recommendation on a place to eat dinner. Now, after reading this thread, I realize how lucky we were. But unlike most short sided brokers, Brian realized the value of making new connections with potential buyers, even if they are years away from buying. If I do end up buying a boat, I will very likely use Brian and the Catamaran Company.

[Pelagic]

Jerry…..Just be very VERY careful about how many “favours” a broker does for you, (especially in Florida).

Pretty soon, before you know it, you happen to have found your own ‘perfect” boat by yourself and to your surprise, your friendly broker has registered you with every other dealer as “his” client and wants a substantial cut of the commission.

As I sad before:

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I think a “buyer's” broker prefers to find inexperienced clients that they can guide towards a purchase that maximises their profit instead of researching for the perfect boat for a knowledgeable sailor.

I recommend writing up a very detailed owner’s brief of what you are looking for and “why”.

Send that out to every established brokerage house and wait to see if it gets a good hit from someone who feels they have found a possible match.

That way, you don’t waste anybodies time.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Jerry Woodward

I am in the very early stages of boat shopping. My partner and I would like to buy a boat and do some extended cruising in the next 2-3 years. I am very interested in multi-hulls but have mostly sailed monos. So, when I was in Ft. Lauderdale for a meeting, we decided to visit the Catamaran Company main office and possibly look at a few boats. I halfway expected an office at a dock with lots of catamarans to look at, like an auto showroom. Very naïve, I realize now, but what did I know? When we finally found the office, they were behind a strip mall, upstairs, nowhere near the water. Anyway, we walked in and the receptionist said, “do you have an appointment?” When I explained our situation, she sat us down, offered us coffee, and said, “let me try to find a sales representative.” Within 10 minutes, Brian Hermann came in and talked to us for about 15 min. and got a good idea that I was in the very beginning of my search and that I really didn’t have a clear idea of exactly what I wanted. Nevertheless, he rearranged his schedule, and drove us down to a dock and showed us two Lagoons and two Privileges. He spent about an hour with us, didn’t pressure us at all, and never asked about our financial situation. He was knowledgeable about the boats and just an overall nice guy. On top of that, he gave us a great recommendation on a place to eat dinner. Now, after reading this thread, I realize how lucky we were. But unlike most short sided brokers, Brian realized the value of making new connections with potential buyers, even if they are years away from buying. If I do end up buying a boat, I will very likely use Brian and the Catamaran Company.

That's who I ended up using after many failed attempts to get other brokers off their high horse. I felt the same way at first when I found Cat Companys office, kinda tucked away. I used Mike Carlson, I even told him right up front what I thought of brokers, didn't phase him a bit, two hours later we had seen four boats. Six months later after seeing dozens of boats and practically daily comunication with Mike I finally made the offer. I can't speak of other salesmen there but if they are as half attentive as Mike Carlson was you're in the right place.

[Therapy]

Jerry, Tellie,

It is good to hear a couple of good things.

I don't like having to register at their website though......oh well.