What is it like to be a broker? It might not be what you think!

See career positions available here.

A day in the life of a Yacht Broker

What is it really like to be a broker?
In today's information/service economy, it's more important than ever to provide an unequalled level of service and support to our clients.

If you've looked over our Web site, you have some idea of how much effort we've put into supplying our clients with the best information available. 

As a result, we are often chosen to represent them as their personal Broker. To help them set up a profitable business that becomes a part of their ultimate retirement plan. To arrange charters while they're building up the funds or confidence to eventually own a boat.

We work hard, but we play hard too. We travel, we sail, but most of all we make new friends and service those wonderful sailors who place their confidence with us. If you think you might like to join our team--read on... 

Eric Smith,  President

Services--Meet our staff...

Jeff Jorgensen, has over 30 years sailing and has enjoyed his power cat experience., He has add to our success  for 7 years as a broker at BYA and is our  service and commissioning manager: jjorgen@bayacht.com 410-263-2311

Chris Bent. Chris has managed charter boats, a brokerage and new boat sales organization and has been running sail and power boats for the last 20 plus years. Now, Chris is our sale manager cbent@bayacht.com 410-263-2311

Eric Smith President and owner. Eric started Bay Yacht Agency in 1972 and since that time has helped approximately 600 people set their boat up as a business. 410-263-2311  esmith@bayacht.com

Douglass Dillard. President of Let's Go Cruising. Eric's first mate and a communications pro. Douglass helps smooth out the process of integrating your boat into the management program regardless of where you ultimately choose to locate it.410-263-2311 douglass@letsgocruising.com

410-263-1818 

For more details about us and our organization, FOLLOW THIS LINK

Want a job?

06:00 Get on the computer at home and update the brokerage list on the "Yacht World" WEB page. Type up a new article for the newsletter to go on line next week. Check E-Mail, and reply. Call up client list on our web based data base (access from anywhere that there is internet access) to update notes and come-ups as a result of emails.
08:00 Head for the office.
08:15 Review and Distribute E-Mail  Organize desk for the day. Check Faxes.
09:00 Send confirmation FAX (He doesn't have good email in the Islands) to listing broker on the used Lagoon 47--purchase agreement received overnight. Start a folder. Call Surveyor to check on his availability.

09:14 An email message pops on my screen, "Can you send the financing application we talked about--we decided to go with the Fountaine Pajot 43." Attach the financing (Acrobat document) to the email and return it with a quick note and instructions pulled from my file of standard replies--along with a few custom notes, of course.)
10:00 Meet client to discuss setting up a Jeanneau 49 in our management program.
12:15 While client is at lunch, put standard layout on CAD system and design custom dressing area he requested. E-mail the design for a quote. (Have lunch brought in.) Check mail. Answer E-mail
13:30 Review design with client, agree on a $5,000 reservation deposit to hold the Fall boat until we can finalize financing, design changes, etc.
14:10 Return phone calls. Finalize agreement on Lagoon 47, confirm survey with surveyor, Call St. Martin to discuss with Luke the new boats on the market coming out of the Caribbean Charter fleet. Pass the list on to Judy for entering into the computer. Confirm an appointment for him to meet with a client I'm sending next week. If all goes well, I will meet with him for survey and sea-trial in approximately 2 weeks.
15:35 Call clients. Arrange an appointment for Saturday afternoon, and another for Tuesday.
16:22 Call John at the charter base in the Virgin Islands to discuss one of my clients coming down to see his operation and possibly make an offer on a Fountaine Pajot coming out of the fleet. Douglass confirms the reservations for France to Sea Trial the new Fountaine Pajot 46.
16:48 Call Thomas (our advertising agency) to discuss material sent yesterday for the latest newsletter. 
16:55 Send out the Email newsletter prepared yesterday when all of the brokers met in the conference room. We used our media projector to design the letter and update our on-line newsletter to reflect all of the latest changes.  Put the email in the queue for automatic mailing on our next email mailing (We use "Gammadyne")
17:20 Gather magazines and technical materials that have come in for review at home: Sail Magazine, Boat builder, Soundings Trade, Waterlines (A newsletter from West Coast Catamaran designers.)
17:35 Arrive home and settle in to read the paper and the information brought home.

In all honesty, this isn't exactly a typical day, but it was representative of one recent Wednesday at our office. We have 4 active, hardworking brokers and this could describe any one of their days at the office. We work 6 and 7 days a week (with one or two weekends a month off, sailing delivery trips scheduled in, as well as a variety of vacation breaks) because we love it.

As a bonus, we occasionally get to sea-trial a boat and we go sailing for several weeks each summer and each winter-often with clients and/or doing delivery trips for boat shows. If you're interested in becoming a full time broker, or an owner-agent--please contact Eric Smith. ( esmith@bayacht.com   410-263-2312) Extensive sailing experience not required, enthusiasm most important and sales training a must for full time brokers.

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 Bay Yacht Agency, "On the harbor, Annapolis"  Since 1972

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Call, Sales/Management  1-800-YACHT20 (922-4820) or 410-263-2311

Charter (Let's Go Cruising--offering America's 5starfleet.com): 1-888- 995-BOAT or 410-263-1818

Bay Yacht Agency Group Power/Sail/New/Used/Charters On the Harbor in Annapolis 326 First Street, Suite 29 Annapolis, MD 21403 (map) Sail/Cat Trawlers: (410) 263-2311 Power 410-990-1090 or Cat Trawlers . (410) 263-2964 (fax) info@bayacht.com Charter from our 5 Star Fleet Let's Go Cruising 410-263-1818 info@letsgocruising.com

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