Exceeding Expectations, the Galati Way
What are the odds that five siblings would work in harmony, expand and transform their father's service and sales business, and be named the nation's top dealer, two years running, by Boating Industry magazine? Meet the Galatis, who have built their business on exceeding expectations.
By John Burnham
Photos by Eric Stammer
First impressions make a difference for reporters as well as potential customers. Let's take a look at what showed up in my notebook after I reached the Tampa branch office of Galati Yacht Sales:
"Shiny boats on trailers, flags flying, more boats at adjacent docks, clean yard.
"First staff member, a young man waxing a hull, politely inquired how I was doing, directed me to the office.
"Second, a young woman in sales, asked if I were "John," offered me something to drink while waiting for my appointment.
"Third, minutes later, a more senior salesman, asked if I had been helped.
"Waiting area clean, quiet music playing. Pictures of company principals and copies of awards hung on walls. Staff dressed casually, but in shirts with Galati logos or brands the company sells, such as Tiara and Cruisers."
Even before I met the Tampa office's general manager Darren Plymale (the only senior manager who isn't one of the Galati siblings), I had picked up a good sense of a friendly, purposeful, and consistent company. And I could start to imagine how this and either other Gulf Coast locations like it might position Galati Yacht Sales to earn first rank among Boating Industry's Top 100 Dealer.
Not that the spread of its offices from Naples, Florida, to Houston, Texas are what make this company unique. "They are maniacally focused on making sure the customer always has a good experience," said financial consultant Mike Eiffert, who I met the next day. As the financial guy, Mike regularly sees the price tag on some of the "investments" required to back up this approach. But in the recent economic downturn, he has also seen the value bred from customer loyalty and the company's strong reputation.
How does a tagline like "Always Exceed Customer Expectations" get converted into business practice? Darren showed me one example aimed at improving the Galatis' sales training—not a simple task when you're selling Tiara, Cruisers, Marquis, Viking, and Princess Yachts, plus assorted brokerage boats. The company tracks the experience levels of their 44 broker/salespeople by product, for which each is designated a Primary, Secondary, or NA. If a salesperson hasn't earned a Viking Masters certificate, for example, he's not allowed to sell that brand. Once he has the certificate, he's still a Secondary until he has more experience. New salespeople (NA) can partner with Primaries in any sale, and Secondaries can take the lead in some sales; but to ensure a positive customer experience, Galati policy says that a Primary will always manage customer interactions.
As I drove south across Tampa Bay's Sunshine Skyway, I reflected on how Darren had also applied his background in marine finance to making finance and insurance a simpler part the buyer's experience. Clearly, in the process of growing the company's revenues tenfold in the last decade, somebody in this family had realized talents such as Darren's would be needed.
Then I drove west across the bridge from Bradenton to the barrier island of Anna Maria, and turned back the clock in my head 40 years to when Mike and Anna Maria Galati, transplanted from Brooklyn, made the same trip to buy a tornado-devastated marina. In the process, they not only moved to an island that shared Anna Maria's name, but also found an ideal spot for a service and sales marina. It might seem to be a remote outpost at first, but, as Chris Galati explained to me the next morning, it's about as close to the Gulf of Mexico's rich fishing and cruising grounds as you could get.
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