Chip Fendt and the Personal Touch

Joe Vassallo was frustrated and confused.  He spent most of last summer trying to buy a boat, but he wasn’t sure what kind of boat he wanted.  He is a performance boater at heart who had owned a couple of different boats over a 20 year period.  After raising a family and building a new house, he was ready to get back on the water.  But in what?  As the economy worsened, boat dealers and manufacturers became increasingly aggressive in trying to sell him inventory.  “I don’t criticize boat manufacturers as they all build gorgeous boats and dealers are just trying to sell them—that’s what they do,” says Vassallo, “I was driving myself and the industry crazy—I was all over the map, yet I was afraid to pull the trigger.”   But as boat manufacturers and dealers were trying to push their product, he had to ask, “But is that the right boat for me?”

Vassalo knew Chip Fendt as he had bought other boats from him in the past, so he called on his old buddy to lend a hand.  “Chip talked to me like a friend—asked what I wanted and needed—what my family would enjoy.  He asked valuable questions I never asked myself.  I was thinking about the ‘cool’ factor, the ‘WOW!’ and I’d probably have kicked myself down the road if I had only thought about myself.  Chip spoke from the heart and gave examples of his and other customers’ experiences so I could learn from them.”

Vassalo calls hiring Fendt to represent and help him “a sound investment and business decision.”  “If people think they don’t need this kind of help, they’re letting pride and ego get in the way and are not thinking it through,” he states, “You’d better know what you’re doing before you sign on the bottom line.  By spending some money on the front side, you’ll be happier, knowing you made the right purchase.  Cost, it’s like buying a tank of fuel.  I have a business to run, a family to take care of—I like having an agent—he did the ground work.  This is an important decision—it’s like buying a house—you have to do your homework on everything from style to re-sale value.  I was stressed and losing sleep.  Chip told me, ‘This should be FUN!’ and he’s right—you have to be relaxed and like what you’re pursuing!”

After looking at everything from custom performance boats to sport cruisers, Vassalo decided on a 39’Nor-Tech with Mercury Racing 700’s.  “I value Chip’s opinion,” he stresses, “I hired Chip and I’m glad I did—financially, I think it was a good decision!”