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There is a good selection of small outboards on the market. Their application runs from inflatable boat propulsion to aux power on larger sailing dinghies, thru trolling motors for fishing boats. They represent some 35% of total outboard sales in numbers in the UK. So lets see which one is the best shall we?

1.The new Yamaha 2.5hp 4 stroke outboard retails at 650 at time of writing, but discount prices are around 550 so price wise it is at the higher end, but not beyond the pocket of most boaters. As far as spec is concerned the new 2.5hp 4 stroke from yamaha outboards is fairly good, weight is 17kg and displacement is a little low at 72cc.
2.New Suzuki 2.5hp 4 stroke outboard prices are: retail 595, and the discount prices for these are around 540-550, so there are bargains to be gotten. This engine is light, I mean really light, the new 2.5hp 4 stroke Suzuki outboard engine is 13kg!! Thats an industry leader for a 2.5hp outboard. However, it isnt all peaches and cream with this engine, the light weight is at the sacrifice of functionality and quality. The engine sounds tinny when running, it has an AWFUL gearshift which is VERY sloppy and I have had a good number with faults, from gearbox failure to powerhead failure. So only buy this engine if you are desperate for the lightest engine possible.
3.2.5/3.5hp from mariner outboards, mercury outboards and tohatsu outboards. I have lumped all these together because they are all the same engine manufactured by tohatsu. This is the heaviest engine in the range, at 17.5kg, but it has the biggest displacement @ 85cc. I love this engine, its well made, sturdy and VERY powerful. The 2.5hp from mariner outboards prices are: retail 581, and you will find discount prices as low as 525 – we have a few left so give us a call on 0161 790 7678 or email [emailprotected] if you want one of the last discount mariner outboards! If you want a bit more power you can also plumd for the 3.5hp, you dont jump up in weight – still 17.5kg, but you do get a little more bang for your buck!
4.New Parsun 2.5hp 4 stroke outboard. This engine is similar to the yamaha, its weight is 17kg, and the displacement is 72cc. It is the quietest 2.5hp outboard on the market today and is the best value at 450 (there are no discounts around on this one Im afraid!), it is well built and comes with a 3 year no quibble warranty.

So which one would I buy? Well if you want a premium product with a 5 year warranty the 2.5hp mariner outboards offering will take some beating, the tohatsu outboards 2.5hp is the same engine but at the time of writing is a little more expensive. but if you are on a budget then my best buy award will go to the Parsun 2.5hp 4 stroke.

Human Channel Marketing was founded on the principles of discovering the most effective ways to train and motivate sales people to achieve the highest level of performance . Beyond saying that “People are our business” we believe that creating successfully people is the success of our business and that of our clients. HCM is committed to creating success through sales excellence in everything we do. We fully believe that people are our highest resource and investing in and creating opportunity for others is where our ” Tire hits the pavement”. Human Channel Marketing, Direct Sales, Marketing, Company Management, Sales HCM is focused on creating partnerships with all of our clients to co-manage the development of a sales objectives to expand the customer base in their markets. In creating effective programs to penetrate each market we are able to fully support our clients in both retaining and expanding their market share. Human Channel Marketing was founded on the belief that given the right support and opportunity people are able to achieve the life they want to live while creating value in the marketplaces. HCM was Founded by Tim Padden and Sam Custodio in 2007 with the mission of creating an organization that can create opportunities for other while delivering sales excellence for our customers. To achieve this we focus on 4 important concepts in everything we do. Intentionality – Keeping a focus on what you want to achieve and knowing what you are committed to achieving. Integrity – Becoming part of a structure where commitments are kept and communication is real and precise. Honesty – Being accountable for your commitments and having integrity in your actions. Results oriented communication- Measuring your live based on real results and setting measurable goals to achieve them. Backed by a team of industry experts, Human Channel Marketing’s unique hands on approach to marketing both penetrates markets and increases customer retention. With a focus on increasing company revenue for our clients we are constantly innovating marketing methods to more effectively convey value to our customers clients. Human Channel Marketing was founded around the idea of creating more effective methods to support our clients in reaching and expanding their customer base. With more than 40 years of hands on direct sales experience, our management team is constantly innovating our marketing proven methods of direct sales.

Sales people often feel that all marketing needs to do is to drive loads of leads their way. If this is the approach in your organisation, then you are missing sales and lowering potential profitability. Careful management of the tone and quantity of your marketing content across a planned sales funnel can deliver pre-qualified leads to a sales person, significantly improving the chances of conversion.

Many of us will have experienced a sense of ‘information overload’ where we simply switch off, or the frustration of wanting to know more about a product or service before we commit and not being able to find it. Both happen regularly, and when they do – you’ve lost a sale.

For almost every purchase we make, we run through a broadly similar decision-making process (I say almost, as the impulse bar of chocolate at the supermarket counter is quite a different process). Typically, and particularly for more complex purchases, our thinking will go something like this: ‘My laptop is heavy – I saw that ad for really light weight ones, who was it again?’ (Latent need); ‘There’s that ad, it’s X-brand’ (Awareness); ‘I’ll just check out their site’ (Interest); ‘Hmm, well the weight certainly compares well, but can I afford it, what are the other options?’ (Evaluation); ‘I’ll pop into Y-shop to see what it feels like and ask a little more about it’ (Trial); ‘I’ve researched the best price, I’ll get it from there’ (Purchase). Kotler and others have spelt out various different versions of this process, there’s bound to have been one modelled for most markets. By understanding the way people make buying decisions, you can map your sales funnel: 1. Awareness, 2. Interest, 3. Evaluation, 4. Trial, 5. Purchase.

Against this process you should map and measure your sales funnel, you’ll steadily whittle down your audience at each step, with interested parties moving through the funnel and those who either don’t want what you offer or who are turned off by your messaging going elsewhere. To maximise the conversion at each stage, marketers should consider two key elements; tone and quantity.

What do I mean by tone? As short-hand, think emotion. Against the sales funnel, there is an appropriate tone at each step. If you imagine a continuum from emotional to rational, typically your marketing material will need to start at emotional and move to rational through the funnel. To really get noticed, you need to appeal to our most human side, our emotions. If you hit a nerve, they notice you. However rational you are, e.g. ‘we’re cheap’, if they don’t feel a need for what you’re offering they’re unlikely to notice your communications in the first place. Successful emotional appeals, in marketing terms, usually hit on a negative feeling and say that you can take it away. This is called finding the point of pain. Once you’ve established that emotional appeal, your communications need to move into more rational territory, where proof is needed. As a sanity check on the tone of your marketing materials, map out each stage of the sales funnel and look at the material (offline, online, sales person, in-store, etc.) and then judge the emotional appeal – are you delivering rational messages too soon? Is your material providing further emotional messaging, when your buyer is looking for rational proof?

Quantity, in regard to sales funnelling, is a fairly straight forward concept – start ‘short and sweet’ and then provide more information at each step. Where most organisations fall foul of this is on their websites. Home pages are often jam packed with information. In a typical sales funnel, an organisation’s website is the second or third step – this means that people typically reach you looking for an emotional appeal (what’s the benefit for me?) and they are looking for key messages. Again, map out your journey and assess the quantity of information you are serving at each stage, it should start small and increase at each step.

So, if you’re experiencing lots of web traffic, but low numbers of enquiries – or lots of footfall and low sales, think about the sales funnel. An initial assessment against tone and quantity will signpost where your blockage might be and put you on the path to a free flowing sales funnel that has a tangible link to your bottom line.

Copyright (c) 2008 Bryony Thomas