A couple of things have surprised me recently. First, if you haven’t read Skimmer’s State of Pool Service report, you definitely should. The nugget that made me do a double take was that only 35% of pool service companies said they did any paid marketing. I’m sorry, what? I realize that most of us don’t have the budget for intense marketing campaigns, but 65% of you aren’t even dabbling in social media marketing? Lawn signs? Nothing? Collectively, the amount of money we are leaving on the table blows my mind. Also, we devote an entire story each issue to marketing, so maybe my feelings are hurt a little that you aren’t implementing those tips.
Perhaps we just didn’t reach out to the right people, but I was also surprised by how difficult it was to find sources for our in-the-field sales article. I’m a little sensitive to this subject because my husband has a job where he’s expected to do sales in addition to his in-the-field responsibilities but is given no training or resources. Is that what’s happening to pool service technicians, too? They are the ones in the backyard who will notice if there’s a problem or a piece of equipment that needs replacing — but are they given any tools to do that part of their job well? I’m guessing most technicians want nothing to do with a formal sales job (same, guys, same), but I bet most wouldn’t be opposed to some basic sales and presentation training so they feel better prepared to have those conversations with their customers. This would not only help companies close more sales but probably relieve some anxiety for the people who end up being your default salesperson, whether they like it or not.
This is a judgment-free zone; there are definitely many things in my business I know would be beneficial that we don’t have the time or resources for — so some food for thought if you are in growth mode.
In this issue, we also talk about vehicles — finding the right tires and wrap best practices. And we go over some of the pool service software options that are available. I feel like we barely scratched the surface of all the companies that are out there now. Even after we finished that article, I ran across a handful of new ones that I hadn’t heard of before. So if you aren’t happy with your current software solution or don’t have one, there is most likely something out there now that suits your needs.
Best,
Megan Kendrick, publisher, CPO
megan@kendrickcontent.com
