The Edge - Quarter 4, 2008 - (Page 15)

2009 POOL & SPA MARKET | by Leon Rawitz WHO CAN I TRUST? Value also translates into other intangibles for prospects who are questioning themselves throughout the entire buying process. Who can I trust? Is one builder really any better or different than another? Will they do what they say? Will my questions and concerns be addressed right away? Is the upkeep going to rob me of my leisure time? And, what about the horror stories I’ve heard or read about of others who have gone through the process. Will I experience a similar nightmare? While prospects may not verbalize these questions, rest assured they are worrying about them. Your role is to put their mind at ease. How? By making certain that these concerns are addressed via multiple communication channels— your sales presentations, your marketing materials, your website, your showroom, your PR and even in your advertising. For example, issues of trust can best be overcome with a long track record of satisfied customers. Timely testimonials are critical. If your most recent testimonials are six years old, your prospect will be wondering why no one has had anything good to say about you since then. Testimonials should be sought after every job. Once you have determined that you have a delighted customer (this must be after your work has been completed), ask what they most appreciated about doing business with your company. After thanking them, explain how testimonials from happy customers are your best advertising. Ask if they would mind putting something in writing. Better yet, because you value their time, offer to write the testimonial for them, summarizing what they shared. Since it’s your goal to merely capture what the customer expressed to you on paper, the customer can modify the testimonial in any way they wish. Once the copy is agreed to, you can offer to print it out on their letterhead for signature. If they don’t have letterhead, what a wonderful “thank you” gift for doing business with your company. Be sure to ask your customers specifically about their experience with your company in promptly returning phone calls, answering questions or concerns, the amount of time they spend maintaining their pool or spa and how they would rate their overall buying experience. This is the information you’ll want to capture in their testimonials, so they can be prominently featured in your presentations, your brochures, your website, your articles and proudly displayed in your “pitch books” and showroom walls. A great way to alleviate prospective buyer concerns about trust and qualification issues is to become known in your local press as the absolute, go-to authority on backyard design trends and new technology for pools and spas. Pay attention to what new customers and prospects are interested in and inquiring about when it comes not only to their pool or spa, but to the entire backyard. What changes are you noticing in tastes and designs? What equipment options are becoming necessities in the eyes of your customers? What are the biggest changes you’ve observed in the last two or three years? Local newspapers and city magazines are hungry for stories on the latest trends and product innovations. Who knows more about the backyard than you do? Why not approach your local paper about a story on today’s hottest selling products for pools and spas? Not comfortable with your writing skills? No problem. You can hire a college intern studying journalism or public relations from a local university to interview you and write the story for you. Or, go to www.elance.com and have writers bid on this project. Getting published gains you credibility from a third party that is worth its weight in gold. Be sure to have the newspaper print reprints of the article (you’ll pay for this service but it will be well worth it) so you can include a copy in your presentation package. You’ll also want to post a copy of the article on your website. to popular belief, the wealthy are still buying expensive homes, swimming pools, luxury cars, boats and a gazillion other things. One could easily argue that higher energy prices have not only kept consumers closer to home this summer, they’ve also created an even greater focus on the backyard. Contrary THE EDGE 15 http://www.elance.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Edge - Quarter 4, 2008

The Edge - Quarter 4, 2008 Contents The President’s Message New Pool/Spa Federal Safety Act Worried About the 2009 Market? Treating Hot Water? Project Focus The 411 on UV Disinfection for Pools and Spas The Advantages of Seeding Aggregate Surfaces Pool and Spa Industry Wins Gold Choosing a Retirement Plan To Get Best Coverage at Lowest Cost - Shop Now Index of Advertisers

The Edge - Quarter 4, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.