A Full-Service Yacht Brokerage Firm Offers Sellers Many Advantages

A Full-Service Yacht Brokerage Firm Offers Sellers Many Advantages

By HMY Contributor   March 29, 2021

One of the greatest pleasures for a yacht broker is getting first-time yacht buyers out on the water, enjoying all that comes with yacht ownership. Inevitably, that first-time buyer becomes a first-time seller. Unlike selling a house or car, selling a yacht is an intricate process with lots of variables and moving parts.

Going it alone or with a solo or small brokerage can be a tricky endeavor. Money can be left on the table, visibility to potential buyers could be minimal, or your yacht can simply languish at a marina, all while you continue to pay for maintenance, insurance, and other costs that come with boat ownership.

INS AND OUTS OF THE BROKERAGE PROCESS

Those who have never sold a boat in the brokerage marketplace often aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of the process of listing and selling a boat. This is where an expert yacht broker will act as your trusted business partner - making all the difference.

Smaller and even some of the larger brokerage firms simply don’t have the resources to effectively market your listing.  If your broker is posting your yacht on YachtWorld and calling it a day, they’re doing you a disservice and greatly limiting your yacht’s exposure. Reaching today’s customer requires multiple exposure points on the web, social media, YouTube, and Google to name just a few. Without these all working together, boat listings just can’t rise to the level of exposure needed to become a qualified lead.

What you want, and what you deserve, is to be plugged into an integrated marketing system that puts your prized possession in front of as many qualified buyers as possible. In today’s fragmented media world, that’s tougher than ever. Fortunately, HMY has the resources and ability to get content in front of customers where they are – social media, online, email inbox, podcasts, mailbox, in person at boat shows, fishing tournaments, and more.

Our industry-leading marketing investment allows this, meaning we don’t miss any potential buyers and you get the maximum number of targeted eyeballs on your yacht.

We also know it takes more than great marketing to sell a yacht. Which is why our marketing team is closely aligned with our world-class brokerage team. Together, they fuel our highly collaborative strategy from the first customer connect opportunities to customer nurture and outreach campaigns, to final close, and every step in between. We do this because we believe it’s the best way to serve our customers.

The end result? More opportunities to sell your yacht.

LISTING AND SELLING YOUR YACHT AT AN ADVANCED LEVEL

A seller should look for a brokerage firm whose sales and marketing teams are a finely tuned, and a collaborative engine designed to sell yachts.

Here are a few questions that will help you quiz potential firms about their marketing approach:

  • Will they have a presence at major boat shows?
  • What are their search engine marketing, email and direct mail marketing strategies?
  • Are they investing in social media to showcase your boat to capture interest?
  • how do they use YouTube to benefit your listing?
  • Which leading yachting magazines do they place ads in?
  • Are they using advanced sales tools such as virtual tours and video walkthroughs?
  • Are they utilizing professional video and photography to get the highest quality and most creative shots that showcase your yacht like no other?

TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF YACHTING MLS TOOLS

When it comes to places like YachtWorld (and other major brokerage sites such as Yatco.com and Boats.com), ask about their strategy and how they use them to increase exposure. While lots of firms are on YW, not all have the ability to make listings stand out. For example, every HMY brokerage listing is a "premier listing," which means that it gets larger photos, a larger placement on the search results page, and exponentially more people clicking on your ad.

Basically, make sure a potential broker is covering every base, so you know your yacht is visible in as many relevant places as possible and looks its absolute best.

NETWORKING BRINGS VISIBILITY

Also, inquire about their brokers’ networks and how your yacht will get talked about with the right people who can make things happen. Are they working with their marketing team? Are they active at fishing tournaments and boat shows? What can they bring to the table that other brokers cannot?

Why is that important? Because your yacht needs to be where the buyers are, and all of these efforts add up to an unprecedented level of visibility by putting your yacht in front of boaters all over the world.

Selling your yacht doesn’t have to be a chore. Let the experienced pros at HMY take the reigns and guide your sales journey using our powerful, proven methods. You will not find that strength of knowledge or customer service anywhere else in the industry.

Ready to sell? Contact us today: (561) 510-6200


Get Info

Watch Price

Two Oceans E-Newsletter Sign-Up