Marina Dock Age, March/April 1998

Is Your Marina Running You?
by Dennis P. Kissman

With all the technology available to us through the use of computers and the variety of software packages out there to make life easier, we need to step back and ask ourselves a basic question. Do you know more about your business today than you did five years ago?  

Chances are the answer is no. Many times we become caught up in the hype of new computer software that promises to solve all our problems. Yes, you may get pretty pictures, a little music now and then, or funny characters dancing across your monitor, but do you know how productive your mechanics are, or the average amount of money your customers spend per month at the marina beyond their slip or storage fees? Do you know what times during the day the marina is the busiest, and whether there is enough staff on hand to meet the customers’ needs? These are just a few of the many things you should know if you are managing your marina effectively, but most often the answer to these types of questions is no.  

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not against computers, I’m against how people are using them. I would be very interested in knowing how many readers who rely on some computer software package to help them manage their marinas know for a fact that the time and money invested in a computer system has improved the marina’s profitability from what it was before. Many of the marina operators I come in contact with cannot even answer that question because they do not have a clue about how much their computer system is even costing them.  

If you are going to successfully use the information that is available to you, you should understand what it is telling you. It is impossible to understand what the information is telling you if you do not have an objective or purpose in mind. I think it is safe to say that receiving information without an objective or purpose in mind is meaningless.

For example, your system tells you that your gasoline sales are showing a 26 percent margin. At first glance, you may say that seems reasonable. On the other hand, if your objective was to achieve a 30 percent margin, you would know that you have to make some changes. Because you had an objective and you know the facts, you are in a position to make an intelligent business decision to help you achieve your 30 percent desired margin. Continue »