Written Testimonials
Simon Goyette
S.G. Sport Marine, Montreal, Canada
“We have been in the 20 Group for a year now and boy what a ride! The help you get from these groups is priceless; from better ways to manage and do business to simple and easy things to make your life easy, the whole experience is great. I come out of every meeting with a full page of “To do things” to improve my dealership and it works. David does a great job of keeping the group on track during the meetings and the 3 days just fly by in no time. I strongly recommend any size marine dealership to join one of David’s groups as this is time and money very well spent.”
Bill Stengl
Stengl Marine, Minocqua, WI
“We have just started using the online budgeting tool that David has put together. It was very easy to set up: I probably have less than a day total invested in putting together our first annual budget. The monthly variance reports are automatically generated, and the monthly input of numbers takes me less than five minutes. The result is a very helpful budget very similar to the old Spader system except its all done automatically! While we have just gotten started with the budget, I can tell you without a doubt that it will help us increase our net this year by giving us a scorecard of how we’re doing each month against our plan. Looking at it closely right now and the next couple months gives us enough time to make any necessary changes in our ordering and expenses to hopefully produce the net we are shooting for. That’s a lot better plan than winging it and hoping for a decent result at the end of the year!
Please feel free to have any SC dealers give me a call that might be interested in Parker’s 20-group, consulting, or budgeting products.”
George Pensel
Boats by George, Lake George, NY
“I have enjoyed the services and consulting relationship with David Parker since I joined the Cobalt 20 Group in 1999. During that time period to present, I have enjoyed stronger profits, and steady growth in my business. Even during the deep recession that the marine business has been so adversely affected has impacted my dealership in many ways positively. While my competition has faltered, we due to our financial strength has prospered and we have substantially grown our market share to one of the highest in the Cobalt Dealer network. But the biggest difference that David has made was in fulfilling my life’s dream to own a marina on Lake George. It was the consulting services of David Parker that not only left a very positive impression on my banking relationships, but through diligent budgeting, made it possible for me to go into this multi million dollar investment with the confidence that we could support and make the numbers work. Now almost 6 years in, and through a deep recession, we are thriving, and continuing to grow our market share on Lake George.
David, Thank you for helping me fulfill my life’s dream. You were most instrumental in this process.”
Mark Kale
Lake Norman Marina Inc., Denver, NC
“For some twenty years now I have had the pleasure of working with David Parker in the 20 Group setting and as a consultant. The last ten years I have been fortunate to be a part of the Cobalt 20 Group David facilitates. It is virtually impossible to put a price on this tool. It would be like trying to put a value on a college master’s degree. I have learned business perspectives from David and my fellow dealers that I would have never been exposed. And as different as every dealer is, David never seems to be at a loss as to how to be of help. The relationships I have forged through the 20 Group are also priceless, personally and professionally. David’s company is truly “Plugged In” to our industry.”
Clayton Raven
Boat Town, Inc. – Boating Industry Magaine, Austin, TX
“It took me years to join a 20 Group because of the necessity of sharing financial information. Ten minutes into my first meeting and it was a non issue. Joining a 20 Group is the best thing, in my opinion, any dealer can do. It’s incredible, the amount of knowledge that’s in that one room. Due to working with David Parker for eight years and being in the 20 Group for seven, I would say that we were already doing 90 to 95 percent of the Marine Industry Certification requirements. If we had not been in a 20 Group, it would have been culture shock to do it.”
Austin Singleton
Singleton Marine Group – Boating Industry Magazine
“My relationship with David Parker and the Cobalt 20 Group has helped me grow my company from one to seven locations and from $3 million in revenues to $30 million. All the growth, all the change, all the discipline, the accountability, everything happened from the day we met David Parker through Cobalt. I attribute 60 percent of our success to David Parker and the 20 Group, and the other 40 to sweat and my employees. I don’t know how anybody could not be in a 20 Group.”
Taylor Richards
Taylors Boats, Salt Lake City, UT
“David, Just thought I would drop you a note … I was a very struggling dealer who has been to just about every dealer training experience and program out there. You know where I am today. I am making a lot more money than I ever thought possible and except for the boat show weeks I can’t remember the last time I worked a 40 hour work week, meaning I haven’t worked that much. After all the training and coaching I have been through there is no training more effective than Spader to lay the foundation and David Parker to take you to the next level and that level would be the maximum potential of a dealership. I have found all others to be basically ineffective for bringing about any major changes or having any long term or lasting effect in my dealership. I guess what I am trying to say in this email is that you are the best and thanks for all of your help in getting me where I am. Your coaching and the 20 group has just been awesome! Thanks again for all you have helped me to accomplish. I will always be grateful to you and I will always believe that sitting next to you on that bus at the Cobalt dealer meeting was an answer to my prayers.”
Tom Whowell
Gordys Marine, Fontana, WI
“Joining David’s Cobalt 20 Group back in 1999 was one of the best business decisions we have ever made. Over the past 11 years, we have grown our business with the help of David and the Group and the wealth of knowledge that we all share. We walk away from every meeting excited with new ways to improve our business in areas such as: business strategy, budgeting, financial goals, industry trends and useful marketing ideas just to name a few. We have also developed very strong relationships with each and every member of our Group, and with David, and are very fortunate to have such good friends in our industry. The Group is a great resource all year long and especially in challenging economic times like these when you need them most. We value the opportunity of working together with David and the privilege of belonging to his elite group of Cobalt dealers. If you are looking to do one simple thing to ensure the success of your entire business, now and into the future, sign-up for one of David’s 20 Groups today.”
Stacy Greenwood
Cleveland Boat Center, Cleveland, TN
“Dear David,
Thank you for encouraging me to join your 20 group. I have found it to be amazing (although overwhelming) & am so grateful to have the opportunity. I can’t seem to soak up enough information & find myself always looking forward to the next meeting.”
