(1:00) Fuel price display is one of the things we hear about most often from marinas and boaters. Marinas stress over providing their fuel prices while boaters always want to know as much as possible. I think that the price you have listed for fuel right now says a lot about your marina.(0:53) One point that I have stressed before is to focus on your strengths - those things you can do better than your competition, and don't stress about what you don't or can't do. You can't be all things to all people and don't need to be.
(0:47) There are marinas that compete on their fuel pricing, there are many that do not, and others that choose not to offer fuel at all. All of those choices are correct. No matter which you choose make sure you are giving your customer all of the information they want.
(0:40) When we first began sending out our weekly fuel update emails we heard from many marinas that didn't want their pricing revealed. They were afraid their competitors would know. This attitude is not only silly, it is counterproductive. The fact is that any competitor that wants to know your fuel price, knows it. However, the message you are giving boaters (your customers) is that you are not willing to give them what they want, which is the current price.
(0:30) No customer is going to make a purchase, especially one as large as the typical fuel purchase, without finding out the price. So by attempting to keep your price secret you are only forcing boaters to call you and find out the price anyway. Well, except for one marina I once called who refused to tell me the price over the phone because I might be a competitor. Smart move. That was over ten years ago and I have to this day never visited that marina. They sent me the strong message of poor service.
(0:16) If you're wasting time worrying about your competition finding out your fuel price, you're, well, wasting time. Instead focus on the boaters. Send a positive message by giving them the information they seek, even if you can't compete on fuel price.
(0:09) There are many factors that go into selecting a transient stop. Highlight the ones where you excel but don't try to hide information. In today's world I will find out anyway and then only feel neglected by you.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
