When was the last time you were on the dock and heard:
“Hey, my buddy who knows engines told me…”
How about the last time you were searching Facebook or YouTube so you could resolve an issue on your boat?
For many of you, it’s far too recent, and certainly far too often.
There’s an old comedy skit where a therapist listens to a patient’s sincere desires for help. When the patient finishes, the therapist looks at them and says, “Stop it.” With great surprise, the client tries to explain, again, how these particular issues in their life are causing great anxiety and emotional strain and desperately needs expert advice. Again, the response is “Stop it.”
The skit goes on and on with the patient trying to repeatedly explain away, only to receive the same response: “Stop it.”
To an extent, this skit reminds me of some of the conversations I have with our service clients. “Hey, Michael. What do you think if I had someone on the dock check out XYZ problem and then if they can’t solve it, I call you?” My answer? Stop it!
I often advise our best service clients to treat our service technicians like boat doctors. Do you send yourself or your children to cheap and various general practitioners each year? I highly doubt it. Do you send your boat to whomever is available and the cheapest? If so, stop it!
I’ve been a boat owner and I’ve owned a charter company where every hour not on the water was money lost. The Chicago season is short, and we all want to absorb every moment of fun in the sun we can! I’m with you!
I understand when things go sideways and guests are coming in from out of town, and you don’t want to wait 5 days for an appointment. We get busy and we know you do too. If you have to use a non-CYW tech in the busy summer season because we’re not available, I get it. If you’re doing it to save $10, stop it!
Our technicians go through extensive training every year. Like anything else you may find things cheaper, and then have to go back multiple times to get the job done right. Stop it!
Right now, there are no guests. There are no 80-degree days with gentle westerlies and a calm lake. There is time to book an appointment with your boat doctor.
Let us be your boat’s doctor. Let us be the experts. Blogs and YouTube are very useful tools, without question; however, let us use the right parts, for the right and necessary repairs and maintenance. Let us provide the expert advice. We’re here to help.
And the next time you find yourself saying that you’ll ‘take care of that thing next year…’ – Stop it!
I truly hope this finds you all well and wish you and your family a very happy holiday season.
Michael Argyelan
Service Director
Michael@ChicagoYachtWorks.com