When customers come into POOL-ology, it’s the start of a personal journey, notes construction administrator Lisa Marshall, and that personal journey begins with personal customer service. For that reason, she says, “being able to interact with customers more and take them through our process allows them a better experience,” and ultimately, “giving them the backyard they want.”
Offering Options
Much of this is afforded once POOL-ology presents financing options to the customers, which allows them to buy more than they originally thought their budgets would provide, Marshall says. About 35-40% of projects at POOL-ology end up being financed, which is a sales victory for both the builder and the customer.
Financing allows builders build their customers the pool they really want. In other cases, Marshall says, “sometimes people just max it out and see what they can build to that.” For others, it’s also just a good way to hold onto savings in the bank and make monthly payments, rather than front the entire project with cash.
POOL-ology customer representatives hand brochures to potential clients and includes the information on its website as well. It’s presented at the initial meetings so they know, up front, all the options for their pool.
Building Trust
Marshall says the type of financing her company offers gives it a competitive edge. Some financial companies that POOL-ology partners with, like Lyon Financial, provide a direct contact for each builder, so POOL-ology can keep the customer informed on a real-time basis. Places like Lyon also hold the builder accountable, which adds transparency to the process. For example, the customers have to sign off on the photos that the builder submits to the financing company before payment is released to the builder to continue onto the next part of the project. This is critical to make the entire building process smooth and fluid, Marshall says.
“It gives security to make sure we are going to finish their projects,” Marshall says. She notes that some of POOL-ology’s customers had started their pool projects with companies that went out of business, leaving an unfinished hole in the ground and a lot of sunken costs. They are already nervous about trusting another builder, but serves as an opportunity for POOL-ology to prove its trust. “There’s a lot of customer satisfaction of having that security.”
Starting Now
Financing also helps POOL-ology attract customers right away. Some who might have just shopped around with the idea of starting to save today to build in five years realize they can actually begin the process now. Others who are in their forever homes with big dreams for the pool find out they can actually afford those dreams, without sacrificing a thing, with financing in place.
The key to this success is a great financing partner, Marshall says. Communication is key, and being able to access real people and get answers in a timely matter make all the difference, translating down to the customer experience and the end product.
“Financing really gives people the opportunity to put a pool in even if they didn’t know they were able to afford it,” she says.
Learn more at, www.lyonfinancial.net.
