Here's How To Revive Sagging Sales.

My inbox has an email I’d rather not reread.

Those lurking numbers numb my eyes. It’s the latest industry sales stats.?They quantify why few want a repeat of 2024.?Sales in some categories are off by 40% compared with Covid numbers.?

Comrades late to the game wonder where customers have fled, how to navigate rougher seas, and survive on scarcer dollars.? Industry vets shrug, knowing the seasonal and cyclical nature of the marine industry is once again revealing its ugly side.

Encouraging, however, was a recent meeting with a third-generation dealer with a fresh plan. "Fiberglass is dead, pontoons are moving but we really need something fresh, something to excite buyers," he quipped.? Attempting to simultaneously differentiate themselves from competitors while reviving door swings, I found his quest refreshing.

He’s fully awake. He sees an industry languishing, seeking answers.? Tossing out hope and crossed fingers as operational building blocks, he’s taking action toward creating buyers.? He’s acutely aware that spending buyers are more stingy.? But he knows the love of boating hasn’t gone away.? Enthusiasm for participation YOY isn’t down. How to cure sagging sales??

Create a reason to buy, some excitement is key.

Smartly, he doesn’t agree that lower prices on last year’s goods define excitement.? Funny, that’s the rampant strategy so widely adopted.? Not funny. The most effective fisher people know about changing bait until the most attractive one gets hits.? They also know fish aren’t going to jump in the boat, there’s some special effort involved.? Same in sales.

So he’s striking deals with fresh-thinking brands, changing up show tactics, and lacing up his customer’s shoes every day to ensure the right perspective.? Doing things differently in the future is his mantra.

He knows screaming, buy my stuff, louder isn't going to help. Nope, That plan is for the hopeless masses howling verses from the hymnal of lost promises.? He knows a better way to open wallets is to think like a gardener, planting a colorful red rose in a sea of white daisies. Curiosity attracts without saying a word.

Fearlessly embracing the future, seeking new songs then turning up the volume.? That’s a respectable hallmark that consistently wins.?

A reflection.

In December 1984, an unusual rescue unfolded in the freezing waters of the Chukchi Sea, near the coast of Chukotka, Russia. A pod of nearly 3,000 beluga whales became trapped in fast-forming sea ice. With the ice thickening around them and their access to open water blocked, the whales faced a grim fate—either starvation or suffocation as the ice closed in.

The situation alarmed local authorities, marine scientists, and the indigenous Chukchi people, who had witnessed whale rescues before, though never on such a large scale. While past efforts had relied on using explosives or small icebreakers to free trapped whales, the sheer number of animals and the extent of the ice meant those traditional methods wouldn't work this time. They needed a new approach.

That’s when the diesel electric-powered Russian icebreaker?Moskva, captained by Anatoly Makarov, was called in. The?Moskva, a powerful Arctic-class icebreaker, had never been used in a rescue mission of this nature. Its immense size and power, designed to clear paths through the thickest ice, allowed it to reach the trapped pod, but the crew needed a creative strategy to guide the whales to safety.

In February 1985, the?Moskva?arrived and began cutting channels through the ice. The idea was to create a path of open water that the whales could follow. Yet, despite the progress, the whales hesitated. Something about the mechanical noises and sheer size of the icebreaker seemed to frighten them.

Captain Makarov and his crew brainstormed new tactics. A few among them noted that beluga whales are highly sensitiveto sound. They hypothesized that different kinds of noise might either attract or repel the whales, potentially guiding them more effectively. They decided to test this idea using music.

The crew began playing various types of music through the ship’s external loudspeakers. They tried everything from pop to Russian folk tunes, but the whales remained unfazed. They kept experimenting, and finally, when they played classical music, the whales responded. The rhythmic, calming tones seemed to relax the animals, and they slowly started following the icebreaker through the newly cleared channels.

For weeks, the?Moskva?continued breaking the ice, while the crew played classical music. Each time the music changed to something more upbeat or loud, the whales became agitated, but as soon as the relaxing melodies returned, they would move forward. The rescue team found their winning formula—a combination of careful icebreaking and the soothing influence of ambient music.

By the end of February, the pod's majority had made their way through the ice, following the music to safety. The crew continued working for several weeks until an estimated 2000 whales were freed into open water.

The rescue was a success, not only because of the crew’s technical expertise but because they dared to try something completely different—using music to communicate with the whales and guide them to safety.

The 1985 beluga whale rescue symbolizes innovation, fresh thinking, and the courage to experiment with new tactics to triumph in the face of overwhelming odds.

Humans are hardwired, gravitating toward the new.? Instagram proves it. ?Putting new twists on old ideas, IKEA, Tesla, and Apple succeed wildly.?

It's perilous if you’re not looking for new ways to inspire yourself, your team, and your customers. To win, find a fresh beat your customers want to dance to, with you.