Sweeten the Deal

There are many ways for a business to thank its clients and partners — from thank-you notes to discounts. But one Alabama-based company has taken a more unique approach.

Cox Pools, a pool service and construction company near Birmingham, has given out mini chocolate bundt cakes for years to show appreciation.

John Burkett, service manager at Cox Pools, says they wanted to make sure customers could see the genuine time and effort that went into recognizing them. “It’s not just something you buy and send somebody with your company logo on it,” he says. “We actually spent a lot of time to get them made, prepare them, package them with our own packaging and hand-deliver them.”

The idea came from owner Gordie Robinson, who started giving out the cakes shortly after purchasing Cox Pools in 1991. Over the years, cake production has grown along with the company, and the bundt cakes have become a signature gesture. “Very rarely does somebody take something handmade like this, package it and bring it with them,” Burkett says. “We’ve always thought it showed a little bit of extra effort.”

The cakes are made by a local woman using a proprietary recipe. Though not a professional baker, she’s been making the cakes on demand for the company for years. As Cox Pools has grown, so has her role in the process. To prepare for cake deliveries, the bundts are baked throughout the year and stored in a freezer. When it’s time to deliver, each cake is wrapped in Cox Pools-branded plastic film, finished with a coordinating bow and paired with a thank-you card and a plastic cake knife. While cakes are delivered year-round, things ramp up during Thanksgiving week for what the company calls “Operation Chocolate Cake.” That week, hundreds of cakes are wrapped and delivered to residential and commercial clients.

We’ve always thought is showed a little bit of extra effort.”

John Burkett, Cox Pools

The baker increases production beginning in early November, and the Monday before Thanksgiving kicks off a tight three-day window for the Cox Pools team. The administrative staff wraps the cakes, then hands them off to a small team for delivery. To ensure no one is missed, the company uses Skimmer software to manage the process. “We create work orders for every customer who’s to receive a cake to ensure nobody gets skipped,” Burkett says. “And it actually routes it for us. We just follow the work orders and go from stop to stop delivering cakes.” 

Cakes go not only to clients but also to business partners like field superintendents, manufacturers and project managers. “We’ll walk into their job trailer, introduce ourselves and bring them a cake,” Burkett says. “Sometimes it’s during a project, with people we’ve come across or with people [we’ve worked with before] — basically anyone we partner with.” 

Cox Pools builds the cost of the effort into its annual budget — including the packaging materials — and adjusts for projected client growth to ensure there’s enough to meet demand.

Burkett says he’s not sure whether the cakes have played a role in the company’s growth, but he knows they’re now an expected part of the experience for many clients. And business partners are often surprised and delighted by the thoughtful gesture.

The longtime baker has considered retirement, and the company is prepared to replicate the secret recipe when the time comes — but that doesn’t appear to be anytime soon.

For now, Cox Pools continues to serve clients throughout Alabama and the Southeast with pool construction, service and a little something sweet. 

“It’s a personal touch from our company,” Burkett says. “Anybody we feel is a good partner for us, we want to thank them that way.”