We started this article series by challenging ourselves with a question: In this $23 billion global industry, why do sales growth and career development often seem to flatline or end in burnout? Over the past year, we’ve focused on uncovering and removing the barriers that keep many people stuck in what marketing expert and author Seth Godin calls “90% below average.”
How we view the world, and specifically our work, guides all our decisions and actions. It is only when our perspective changes that we can change. Perspective is everything.
I have rarely met a service tech who considered themself in “sales,” and I understand why; in their world, salespeople usually create problems, and techs fix them. Sales and service are different skills, but thinking of them as completely separate is a mistake and a missed opportunity for both the technician and your pool company.
It can be easy to think physics has nothing to do with running a pool business, but the three rules of physics show why we might be struggling with our effectiveness — whether in sales, customer communication, service quality or team efficiency.
Almost every key concept discussed — like motivation from the last article in this series — triggers an affirmative head nod, an agreement that, yes, of course, this is important. Acknowledgment isn’t the goal; the objective is to generate an ultraawareness of these concepts that motivates us to practice, train and embody them.
Aspects of personal and professional achievement, which I call Key Concepts, are essential to driving effective behavior in work and life. These concepts are connected; it’s never just one thing.
The greatest opportunity for industrywide pool equipment and service sales growth is better sales support and education from the manufacturers to distributors to the service professionals and retailers on the front line.
Just about everyone has hopes, dreams or goals — whatever word you want to use — something short or long term they want to accomplish. If they are not written down, they’re actually a wish instead of a goal. There is magic in writing goals down, as well as research that supports the difference in accomplishment between written and unwritten.
Why do some acquire basic sales skills but never develop further, either flatlining or flaming out?
As the industry has flourished with increased demand, so has manufacturing and accessories. However, one important aspect that hasn’t evolved is the sales role. Sales development is skill development. The sales career needs a higher level of expectation and opportunity.
Even with all safety precautions, water can still carry unknown contaminants. Bacterial testing adds an extra layer of protection for swimmers.
Manning Pool Service puts the focus on safety. Remaining safe is at the forefront of everything that we do in the pool and on the road.