Retention is the act of retaining, the state of being retained. And retain means to keep in possession or use, to keep in one’s pay or service. Now, on to our lesson for today: retention as a metric. In the association world, many organizations live and die by the concept of retention. The concept is equally important in the for-profit world.
At the American Boat & Yacht Council, we use retention as a tool of effectiveness. Though it doesn’t represent immediate feedback, retention does indicate a longer-term, more stable way to see the needle move. Retention, from our perspective, means how many members choose to keep their relationship with the American Boat & Yacht Council.
I like to think about retention the same way I look at my vehicle’s average miles per gallon. It’s a different metric than instant mileage. My 2009 Ford F-150 is a 16-mpg V-8. That said, turn on the instant mileage reading, and foot-off-the-gas downhill results are 99 mpg.
Looking at our association in these terms, we’ll announce a webinar on a particular subject that resonates. Immediately, we’ll see more than 400 people sign up. I equate this to instant mileage — something like 10% of our members responded in a positive manner to an offering we created. That’s great, but looking at our long-tracked retention rate — how many members renew in any given month — we can see whether we hit the mark with those instant-mileage offerings.
Our retention rate can fluctuate for many reasons. Take, for example, the season after a key customer-service staffer moved on to another job. She was responsible for making daily calls to members. Her absence was evident in the retention rate report that we ran on the next cycle. We dropped by almost 7%. I had to get someone in that seat quick.
Dealers, manufacturers and repair-yard managers likely think about retention in terms of customers and employees. Let’s focus here on retaining technicians.
In my years just out of college, I worked at a marina with a guy named Bill. He was pretty damn frustrated with management. (We were in New Jersey, so feel free to insert geographically appropriate expletives.) In a moment of calm, Bill said, “This is why toolboxes have wheels.” And then Bill left.
I don’t pretend to know what really went down. But as the low man on the totem pole responsible for scheduling service, I knew that our only sterndrive guy was gone. That would not be good for the customers or for the business.
No company is ever going to be able to satisfy everyone’s needs and wants when it comes to a job. But there are some things that companies can do to improve retention rates.
Train Your Workers
The age-old argument here is that once you train them, they will leave. Look at the epigraph from Henry Ford, and think on that for a moment. Our industry offers lots of opportunities to elevate employees’ skills, starting with training courses through us at ABYC or with the National Marine Electronics Association or the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
There are also industry conferences and shows, such as the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference, and the annual conferences and meetings of various associations. There’s OEM training and on-site training through the ABYC. Local colleges may offer marine-specific training.
What does your company’s internal training look like? Do you have a method to train your staff? Reach out to us. We’d be happy to help.
Think of people who immediately respond to training opportunities as the instant mileage. They’re a good indication that you are on the right track.
Recognize Your Team
This is one of the easiest things to do: Let your technicians know you appreciate them. Our boss at the marina where Bill left was not a big fan of appreciation. That said, our service manager was. When the boss was away, there was pizza in the shop, lunch lasting a bit longer than usual, even an unnecessary boat test to get us on the water. Participation in these impromptu events was 100%, a solid instant-mileage reading.
Today, culture shifts allow appreciative actions to be the norm, not the exception. Lean into this. Sales solves all problems, but technicians solve the problems for the boats already sold. Celebrate the techs.
One of the main reasons we initiated our International Marine Service Technician Week was to recognize those techs who keep things moving on the water. Join us for our online and social initiative this year, April 20-24. For more information, visit abycinc.org/thankyoutechs.
I hope that your word of the day today is retention, and that you can incorporate it into your metrics of success.
John Adey is president of the American Boat & Yacht Council.
This story originally appeared in the March 2026 issue of Soundings Trade Only.
