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New England Spas

Sticking with a hot water theme, Norm Coburn went from selling solar water heaters to hot tubs, becoming the president and CEO of New England Spas in 1985. Coburn, a lifelong Boston-area resident, says that besides David Ortiz and the weather, the biggest challenge that they face is a lack of consumer awareness.

“I am still, 25 years later, having to explain to people that there’s no plumbing to a portable hot tub,” he says. “Getting [customers] more comfortable with the product and its particulars has been our biggest mission to educate the consumer. So, we encourage backyard surveys where we go out and do a site visit and we look at their electrical, we look at their delivery, we look at service, we look at privacy, we provide them with some options for site preparation. We encourage the site visit and we encourage them to come in the showrooms where we have picture albums of installations that others have done.”

The staying power of New England Spas can be attributed to a number of things. “I’ve always tried really, really hard to make sure that my brand is the most prominent and the consumer knows who they’re writing the check out to and who they’re going to call if they have a question or an issue. We want to give them the comfort level that we’re local, we’re here, we’re going to be here. If you’ve got a good brand behind you, good warranties and a good reputation for both your own company and the manufacturer, then the consumer really doesn’t have to shop around a whole lot, or at least they shouldn’t.”

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Coburn also credits their success to great employees and a good-humored atmosphere. “When I started doing this, there were two things I wanted to do for myself. One was obviously to make a living and the other was to have fun doing it,” he says. “This is not nuclear physics, this is selling hot tubs so that people can feel better and enjoy their lives. The folks that work here get that and they share the same vision. One of the things that keeps our employees here for as long as they are is their co-workers. They enjoy the team. What a pleasure it is to be able to get up and go to work and then to not do work.”

“Pay attention to your staff,” Coburn advises. “Their passion for the product and the customer is going to determine whether customers enjoy doing business with you or not. Keep customers and your employees motivated and passionate about the product. It will make a big difference.”