Over the last 50 years, we have sold our yachts to people in more than 28 different countries and one of the most frequently asked questions is ‘Why don’t you have local agents or dealers?’. We understand that not having dealers and only exhibiting at a selected number of international boat shows each year makes it more difficult for you to see our yachts. But hopefully, after reading this you’ll understand our reasons, and why, in the long term, you’ll benefit the most.
We believe not using an agent or a dealer benefits you because we:
- Give you a personal service from your first contact, throughout the ownership of your Sirius, and often afterwards too.
- Have an international network of owners who enjoy showing their boats to potential buyers
- Build a relationship with you; it means everyone benefits from sharing knowledge
- Know all the options that are possible on every one of our yachts
- Know every inch of your boat and have a direct relationship with all of the equipment suppliers we use
- Save you a lot of money and time
That said, we do have one dealer, in Japan; we wouldn’t last five minutes without making a faux pas in either language or culture without them!
You are welcome to visit us anytime
We encourage and welcome any prospective buyer to visit us, we’re just a short drive from Hamburg International Airport. We can offer test sails and factory visits on consecutive days, as there is a lot to take in. You can stay in the pretty lakeside town of Plön, just minutes from the factory, and perhaps enjoy an evening walk along the lakeshore, the cobbled streets or up to the 17th-century castle for the elevated views over the surrounding lakes.
Half an hour drive from the factory is the Ancora Marina in Neustadt, the biggest private Yacht harbour in Europe. Here, we usually have a selection of all Sirius models in the water and available for test sails. These are all owner’s yachts, with many different layouts and options. Sometimes, the owner will join us to explain why they chose the arrangement and features they have. The next day we can tour the factory. Here you’ll see four or five yachts in build, you can look under the skin and see the details, care and craftsmanship, that go into building one of our yachts, which you might not be aware of. You can also talk to our designers, cabinet makers and craftsmen and women, see them at work and feel the enthusiasm, care and attention to detail that will go into your yacht.
We understand that travel isn’t as easy as it used to be, so we can also offer personal live video tours of the factory and our boats. It might not be the same as being on board, but it is a way you can see all the models and ask any questions about what you’re seeing there and then and have someone knowledgeable to answer.
Our owners know their boats better than dealers
We believe we have a better solution than using agents and dealers. We don’t need to pay people to sell our boats for us, we have a network of owners who are happy to show their boats to prospective buyers. There is no financial incentive for them to do this, only pride in their boat and a desire to help others discover how good our yachts are. Many Sirius owners volunteer to help us at boat shows and share their first-hand experience of owning one of our boats and dealing with us as a company. We are truly grateful for their support.
You make our yachts better
As a builder, we like to work with you, the buyer and build a direct relationship with you, not through a dealer, so we know what you want and details won’t get lost in translation while passing through a third party who might misinterpret what you’ve told them. At best, misunderstanding or confusion might just mean that more discussion is needed, but that wastes everyone’s time. At worst, you might not get exactly what you want.
For us it is the beginning of a relationship that will last for many years, we don’t just want to hear from you during the design and build process, we like to feel we’re sailing with you and share the enjoyment your new yacht brings. This close relationship has helped us constantly improve our yachts and we know exactly what works and is essential for the way you sail. Many of the ideas and details of our yachts, haven’t come from us, they have come from owners, just like you, that were developed together. Dispensing with dealers has meant we can gain and distribute this wealth of information, knowledge and advice collected over 50 years.
We know all the options available
When it comes to discussing interior layouts and customisation, we know exactly what can be achieved within the parameters of our yachts’ hulls. If you have a question you can call the factory and if need be arrange to talk directly with the interior and structural design team, and then with the craftsman who will make what you want. You won’t have to ask a dealer and wait for them to get back to you with an answer.
You can reach us (almost) 24/7 every day of the year
Dealers tend to work set hours. At Sirius, we are available more or less 24/7. The shipyard usually starts work at 6 am and works through until 5 pm CET, but everyone who buys a Sirius has a personal contact here, who deals with you so they know you and your boat. You don’t speak to a different person every time you call or have to explain any issue time and time again. If your contact is unavailable, every owner also has the company owner, Torsten’s, personal mobile phone number. He can be called or texted using Whatsapp out of hours, evenings and weekends. We believe we offer you a much better response to your calls by handling them personally.
No one knows your boat better than we do
We keep extensive records of all the yachts we build, so we have all the information on hand for after-sales support. In keeping contact with all our customers around the world, it’s not only a rewarding relationship for us, but we also know about what’s happening to all our yachts and the wishes and suggestions to constantly improve our advice and our yachts. A dealer or agent won’t have that experience or data and would need to contact us anyway. We know your boat better than anyone else, we know the options, the layout, the way she was customised for you. We might be in Germany, but with phones and the internet, we can be with you on board. Torsten lives next door to the factory, he and his colleagues are able to consult the archives and get the information needed to help or advise an owner.
When you go off cruising, we are again on hand 24/7 via phone, email or text. We can have video calls where you can explain the issue and we can show you methods to fix common problems. If the problem is bigger or related to onboard equipment, we only work with established and well-supported brands that can offer you the support you’ll hopefully never need. Through 50 years of boatbuilding, we have built up methods to work with local yards and contractors who we can advise and trust to carry out any repair. We can advise and support them with all necessary pictures, guidelines and information.
Any faults that do occur are rarely with the boat, but with some technical aspect of the system. Luckily this happens infrequently as we run a high-quality pre-delivery inspection and test program on every yacht before the handover or shipping overseas. If you have an issue with any part of the yacht and you can’t work out the cause or a solution, you can contact us and we’ll do all we can, there and then. In the few cases this solution does not work out, our customer support team will drive or fly to the boat if necessary to get you sailing as soon as possible independent of the area you are currently in.
You wouldn’t get that with a dealer or agent.
It saves you a lot of money
And there’s one last reason why we don’t use brokers, dealers or agents, which benefits every Sirius buyer. Quite simply, it saves you a lot of money. You are getting the very best price for your new boat, there is no percentage added on for the salesperson’s commission, we’re not paying for agents’ overheads, office running costs, advertising or boat shows in lots of different countries, and we pass those savings on to you.
Not only do you save money, but you also get a quicker response and better support directly from the factory and your contact there who knows all about your yacht. We think this offers our customers a better service and is a win-win situation for both sides, we feel it outweighs the initial convenience of having somewhere close to home for a test sail. You are always more than welcome to visit us, it’s a short drive from Hamburg and we usually have all the models in the water for you to view and test at your convenience. With our worldwide owner network, we might be nearer than you as you thought. Please contact us for more details.
