In the ever-evolving world of yacht sales, brokerage success hinges on visibility, market awareness, and strategic use of technology. Boats Group recently spoke to Schmidt & Partners Yacht Brokers Director Peter Markowitz on catering to a global clientele and how Boats Group’s platform and tools have become instrumental in their continued success.
Tell us about Schmidt & Partners
Peter Markowitz: At Schmidt & Partner International Yachtbrokers, we have over 40 years of experience in the sale and construction of sailing and motor boats. Our headquarters are in Italy, but we cater to clients worldwide. Our success stems from a highly specialised team of sailors, designers, shipwrights, and yacht brokers, along with collaborations with renowned global shipyards and manufacturers. We offer various services, including new and used boat sales, insurance, maintenance and refit services, and boat deliveries.
We first joined Boats Group as a YachtWorld customer 20 years ago. The account management team are very kind, skilled and helpful, and we appreciate the attentive support they have provided over the years.
Which Boats Group package are you subscribed to?
Which advanced digital tools do you find most valuable for your business and why?
While we have developed our own CRM and do not use the Boats Group CRM, features like automatic data export to Boats Group websites and lead registration directly to our CRM are highly valuable. This seamless integration saves us time and ensures our listings are always up-to-date.
Additionally, SoldBoats helps us understand the market and price competitively, especially important in today’s environment with less buyer demand. Lead Smart Premium allows us to identify serious buyers through detailed tracking of lead behavior, so we can focus our efforts on the most promising leads. The Pro Seller Platform is another crucial tool for us as a brokerage, allowing us to disseminate information and collaborate with other brokers in the network.
How has your use of Boats Group platforms and tools contributed to the growth and success of your business?
As a long-standing Boats Group client from our initial years with YachtWorld in Germany and subsequently in Italy, we initially declined to opt in to the new subscription packages earlier this year to explore other options. We decided to trial some competitor platforms for a two-month period. While these platforms offered different features, we ultimately found that the lead generation and activity level we experienced on Boats Group websites and services were unmatched.
As the boat show season approached this year, we recognised the need for an extra boost in visibility internationally. With a focus on maximising return on investment for our brokerage size, the Europe SELECT package offered a compelling combination of affordability and valuable tools. Since rejoining, we’ve been impressed with the increased visibility and lead generation across Europe compared to the competitor platforms we tested.
In addition to Europe SELECT, we are also on a trial of YachtWorld SELECT, which was another great incentive for us to come back. The real advantage of YachtWorld is the global visibility of our listings, of which some are very specialised and require a certain type of international buyer, who of course tend to search on YachtWorld first. For listings for more standard mass production yachts, we receive excellent leads through the European portals.
We’re happy with the results so far, and if this positive trend continues, we would consider upgrading to the YachtWorld SELECT package for even broader global exposure.