In this issue:

• Feature: Show Follow-up Begins at the Show.

• NEW! Footsteps 2.5 JUST RELEASED!

• Real World Results: Texas Marine

• Move More Inventory With A Virtual Spokesperson!

• Did you know?

A Virtual SpokespersonWill Help YouSell More Boats!

• Differentiates your Web site from the competition.

• Adds a personal touch.

• Creates a memorable experience for visitors.

• Increases sales leads and conversion rates.

January 2008 Issue 1

Boating Industry Magazine’s 2007 Top 100 Dealers – Congratulations Are in Order!

Congratulations to our dealer clients who made the highly coveted 2007 Top 100 ranking. Channel Blade now supports more than 70 percent of Boating Industry’s Top 100 Dealers – a 40 percent increase over the 2006 list. Your team understands the critical role world-class Web site and lead management solutions play in your dealership’s success and we are proud to be your Web partner of choice in this endeavor. We look forward to seeing many more Channel Blade clients in next year’s Top 100 ranking.

Visit us online at:www.ChannelBlade.com

Channel BladeTM and Your business. Anywhere.TM

are trademarks of Channel Blade Technologies. All rights reserved.

Channel Blade Technologies. Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved.

Contact support at866-233-8314 or askus@channelblade.com

Contact sales at866-233-8300 or sales@channelblade.com

Available through an exclusive partnership with:

Show Follow-up Begins at the ShowBy Bob McCann, Director of Client Education

Displaying at a boat/RV show is a necessary and huge investment. As such, your dealership should make the most of it by implementing a sound, well-organized lead management strategy designed to close sales at the show with customers you’ve been talking to for a while, and start a sustained, personal relationship with new visitors. Your goal is to aim for a specific number of leads, just like you would for units sold at the show.

(Continued on page 2)

NEW! Footsteps 2.5 JUST RELEASED!

Channel Blade just launched Footsteps 2.5 – a new, feature-enhanced version of its widely used manufacturer and dealer leadmanagement solution.

(Continued on page 4)

Gather and Enter Customer Data

Boat/RV show leads should be entered in the dealership’s lead management solution – not simply kept at your salespersons’ desks. This process should start at the show, requiring all salespersons to collect as much information as possible from all prospects they spend meaningful time with, including name, address, phone numbers and e-mail address. When the prospect leaves your display, your salesperson should hand over that information to an assistant who will immediately enter it on Footsteps™’s quick and easy-to-fill, single screen.

Set up a From-the-show, Thank You E-mail Template

Start by setting up a simple, automatic Thank You e-mail that can be scheduled to go out to the prospect as soon as the assistant adds his or her contact information to the database. Below is a template sample that should be added to Footsteps prior to the show.

This template is a starting point so feel free to personalize it but keep it short, simple and to the point. You’re not asking for anything. It’s a soft-sell tool that enables you to demonstrate your professionalism and keep your dealership at the forefront of the prospect’s mind in a highly competitive environment.

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Did you know …

... that our training classes are now recorded and available on demandat www.cbteach.com?

Contact support for the password!

866-233-8314 oraskus@channelblade.com

Show Follow-up Begins at the Show(Continued from page 1)

Industry Trend Supports Need for Sound Lead Management Strategy

Looking at Channel Blade’s dealer clients’ performance over the last year, the trend seems to indicate that new prospects who visit the dealer booth at a show for the first time are not buying right then and there, as boats and RVs are discretionary income items often associated with a long-term buying process. The first visit at the show often marks the beginning of the sales process rather than the sale per se. That’s why implementing a sound, follow-through process with as many new prospects as possible at a show, and later holding their hand throughout the buying cycle will result in more sales in the long run, when the timing is right.

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[Dealership’s Logo]

Hello $FIRST_NAME,

Thank you for taking the time to stop by our display at the [NAME OF] Show. It was a pleasure speaking with you and showing you the new, 2008 [BRAND] line-up.

If I can be of further assistance with selecting the perfect boat/RV for you, please feel free to call me at $ASSIGNED_EMP_CELLPHONE or reply to this e-mail.

In the meantime, you can also visit [DEALER SITE] for information about our dealership, inventory, services, financing, local boating/RVing events and more.

Sincerely,

$ASSIGNED_EMP_SIGNATURE

January 2008 Issue 1

Show Follow-up Begins at the Show(Continued from page 2)

With Footsteps, you can set up an e-mail template in seconds. All you have to do is check two boxes to change the default e-mail name and address to those of the assigned salesperson and you’re done!

Day-after Follow-up

A prompt, personalized follow-up approach will enable your dealership and salespeople to stand out from the clutter. Take this further and have the assistant in charge of entering leads sort them and print them by salesperson at the end of the day. The following

Bob McCann – our resident globetrotter

Director of Client Education Bob McCann travels extensively within the U.S., to Canada and recently to the UK and Germany, to help Channel Blade’s clients make the most of the company’s proven solutions. In 2007, McCann taught more than 500 hours of hands-on seminars and workshops at dealer and trade associations’meetings, as well as key industry shows, including The Miami International Boat Show, The RV Dealers Convention & Expo and The RVIA National Trade Show.

January 2008 Issue 1

Need more help?

If you have questions regarding the above process or other e-business efforts at your dealership, please e-mail Bob McCann bob@channelblade.comor call him at (727) 735-9592.

morning, while the show is still slow when it opens, have your salespeople follow up by phone. They should thank the prospect for coming by (as he or she may have not read your Thank You e-mail despite your best intentions), find out more about where they stand in terms of decision making after a day at the show, visiting several booths, and try to obtain a credit card deposit.

Beginning the follow-up process at the show goes a long way in making your dealership stand out in a crowd and building the pipeline for future sales. Footsteps makes it easy to quickly set up customized e-mail responses and template-driven communications, search and segment the prospect and customer database, consistently use scheduled follow-up activities and develop and launch powerful e-marketing campaigns in minutes. Through permission-based access, sales reps, management and ownership can run the dealership, build customer relationships and close sales from anywhere there is Internet access – truly providing you access to your business. Anywhere.

Happy show season!

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One of the many benefits of Footsteps 2.5 is that Channel Blade’s clients can automatically assign leads to a sales person based on a predetermined set of business rules, effectively eliminating the need for any manual intervention by a sales manager or other associate with similar responsibilities. This is a tremendous win after hours, on weekends and over the holidays.

“Leads can be immediately sent to the newly assigned staff member’s Blackberry and he or she can reply from anywhere, even while out of the office,” says Reich. “This way, no leads are left unanswered and our response time is significantly improved.”

“When research shows that more than 60 percent of online leads go unanswered, it’s clear that the enhanced features provided with Footsteps 2.5 give Channel Blade’s clients a competitive advantage,” said Lintvet.

Real World Results: Texas Marine

"In the first 12 weeks since we launched our new Web site with Channel Blade, we've increased leads by 90 percent! Within the first 16 weeks of using Footsteps lead management tool, we increased sales by 40 percent!“

- Ryan Hebert, e-Business ManagerTexas Marine, Beaumont, Texas

NEW! Footsteps 2.5 JUST RELEASED!(Continued from page 1)

“Channel Blade has made significant enhancements to the Footsteps platform, spanning Web site connectivity, reporting capabilities and overall management usability,” said Jon Lintvet, Channel Blade’s chief executive officer. “Footsteps 2.5 enables our clients to further streamline the sales process and accelerate the buying cycle, enhancing their ability to turn more prospects into customers.”

Currently free-of-charge for existing users, the Footsteps 2.5 release is the result of extensive collaboration with Channel Blade’s clients. The company works hand-in-hand with its clients year-round to deliver industry leading innovation and results-oriented features.

Esther Reich, Website Administrator at M&P Mercury Sales Ltd in Burnaby, BC, and M&P Yacht Centre in Vancouver, BC, says that her whole team is thrilled about the new, automatic lead assignment feature in Channel Blade’s Footsteps 2.5 release. “Not only will it save us time in administrative processing, but it will also help us serve our customers more efficiently.”

About Channel Blade

Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., Channel Blade provides award-winning online marketing, lead management and sales education solutions that drive customers from the Web to the showroom, increasing traffic and sales for thousands of manufacturers and dealers in the marine, RV and powersports industries.

Channel Blade supports over 60 leading manufacturers and 2,000 dealer locations worldwide with its easy-to-use, cost-efficient solutions and hands-on education programs – including more than 70 percent of Boating Industry’s 2007 Top 100 dealers.

For more information on Channel Blade, please visit www.channelblade.com or call us at (866) 233-8300.

January 2008 Issue 1