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Industry News |
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Sneak Peek
Be the first to read an article that will be appearing in the next issue of Pool & Spa News:
 The Big Time
The commercial market is very alluring. With higher price points and already-in-place financing, commercial work can mean a company gets to avoid the all-too-common headaches of residential jobs.
But there’s also a huge potential for loss.
If a job isn't managed properly, a builder can really end up behind the eight ball. To protect profitability, it’s important to properly manage funds, understand the scope of the work, and thoroughly investigate any laws affecting the job. Here, a number of experts weigh in on the topic.
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Top 50 Buzz
 What new initiative are you working on?
Probably the biggest change that we’ve made recently is to try to improve the sales experience. We’re still dealing in a very troubling economic time, so your sales experience needs to prove to prospective customers that this is a worthwhile way to spend their money.
How does it work?
We spend more time on our Structure Studios drawings. It might take an extra 10- to 30 minutes to provide a true indicator of what their backyard can look like. If you don’t take the time, it can be a bit cartoonish. We snap pictures of the back of the house so we can place windows precisely and pay close attention to line of sight from different perspectives in the house. If you replicate the house exactly, then you can walk the client through and show them how it will look from their kitchen, master bedroom, and as you walk in the front door.
We also pay very close attention to the landscape design to better show the finished product. We’re not horticulturists so we don’t specify plants, but we’ll designate the location of beds or where we need some height. It gives the client a good initial footprint. Then we can pass the drawing over to the landscaper, and they can decide the exact plant materials.
Soon we’ll equip all our sales staff with iPads. We’ve done more than 6,000 pools, so our photo gallery is huge. The iPad allows us to sort [the photos] a little better, so we can quickly customize a presentation for a client.
— Charlie Claffey, president Claffey Pools, Southlake, Texas
Pool & Spa News Top 50 Builder (No. 14)
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Business Tip
 Minding Your Phone Manners
You don’t want to turn off your customers before they even walk into your store. So, be sure that your employees’ phone skills make the grade.
One major gaffe: Asking customers “Can You Call Us Back?”
No! It doesn’t matter how busy the store may be, employees should never say those words unless they want to lose a possible sale. Besides if a sales associate can’t handle a call when things are hectic, what does that say about the business!
Find more tips — and expert advice on the topic.
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Trade Show News
Attendee Online Registration is Now Open
Register today to attend the 2010 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, your complete source for backyard living. No other event offers builders, retailers, service companies and landscape architects the products, resources, education and valuable information to strengthen their entire operations.
Held in the Bayside Halls at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the Expo will showcase booths that feature the full gamut of industry product categories, including waterfeatures, casual furniture, decking, barbecues, grills, lighting, landscape décor, hearth, outdoor lighting and fencing, as well as pools, spas and hot tubs.
Whatever your role in the pool, spa and backyard industries, you’ll learn something new and useful to improve the efficiency and productivity of your store or business.
Receive discounted registration rates — register online now!
To read the IPSPE blog, visit blog.poolspapatio.com
Questions? Contact Info@PoolSpaPatio.com or 972.536.6350.
 2010 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo
Exhibits: Nov. 3-5
Conference: Oct. 31 - Nov. 5
Mandalay Bay Convention Center | Bayside Halls
Las Vegas, Nevada USA
972.536.6350
www.PoolSpaPatio.com | info@PoolSpaPatio.com
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