If you think closing a sale in a showroom is tough, try competing for customers’ attention over corn dogs and carnival rides.
Fast-paced events like state fairs or home and garden shows don’t offer much time to turn a shopper into a customer or a believer in your product. But if you’re Melanie Fogolin or Becky Williams, you’re unfazed by the time restriction because these events are your bread and butter. And you’re that good.
While both began in the industry in 2003 with different sales, retail and business backgrounds, they are now sought-after independent contractors who work with Jacuzzi dealers selling hot tubs year-round on the road at some of the largest events in the industry.
“You have to have a very unique personality and strength to be able to travel from show to show to show,” says Ronak Shah, CEO of Galaxy Home Recreation, whose team of employees works with the duo at shows like the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel Show every year. “But these ladies are very diligent. They take time with customers to really understand their needs and to make sure that they feel comfortable and understand the product.”
Fogolin and Williams not only get the job done, but they handle each sale with grace and confidence that assures customers they are making the best decision for their lifestyle.
I’m not just there to sell them. I want an excellent end-consumer experience.”
Becky Williams
“I’m not just there to sell them,” Williams says. “I want an excellent end-consumer experience, not only for the customer but for the dealership. We both lean into representing the dealership like it’s our own.”
With so much learned over the years, Fogolin and Williams share not only what it’s like to sell on the road but divulge their best advice for similar success.
In the beginning
While Fogolin rose through the sales ranks at Jacuzzi Ontario (now Wellness Shop) — excelling as a sales manager opening new store locations and later as an events manager overseeing major trade shows — Williams took a different path, spending a year selling hot tubs at a friend’s store in St. Louis, Missouri, after leaving her corner-office job.
Williams realized she had a knack for sales when a booking agent invited her to take her talent on the road after quickly becoming one of the top sellers for Sundance Spas, a brand that also falls under the Jacuzzi umbrella.
Fogolin says the two women’s lives collided in 2011, but it wasn’t until after COVID that she decided she wanted to pursue a different path.
“I was looking for changes that allowed me to work outside of the four walls of a retail showroom,” Fogolin says. “I did retail for over 20 years, and event-based sales work allows me the freedom to have a more flexible work-life balance. I still work a lot of hours, but they’re different hours.”
Fogolin then reached out to Williams, expressing her interest in event-based sales and life on the road. With so many mutual contacts in the Jacuzzi family, Fogolin says the transition was nearly seamless. Although the women each have their own businesses, they often cross paths at the larger shows.
“I always enjoy working with Becky,” Fogolin says. “We’re really tight; we’re more like sisters.”
Although both admit to missing home while they are away, they find camaraderie with each other as well as the dealers they work with, making it a point to share at least one meal as a team while they are in town. And when time permits, a glass of wine and a session of Dice Poker in the hotel lobby allow them a moment of solace together.
How do they do that?
Days on the road are long and require stamina to remain perky and astute while also being on your feet for 12 to 14 hours a day, but the duo never waiver in their desire to take care of customers’ aspirations of becoming hot tub owners.
“I take a consultative approach with customers,” Fogolin says. “I ask questions, and I allow the customer to answer the questions because I need that information to lead them into the right product. And you don’t have a lot of time to do that, so you need to move quickly.”
Williams agrees that a large component of successful event-based sales is qualifying customers — quickly. But not so quickly that you don’t hear them and genuinely listen to their thoughts.
“No one wants to be sold, but people like to buy, and people like to have solutions,” she says. “So that’s what we do. We listen to them and find solutions and give them an excuse to purchase and permission to purchase.”
But first, Fogolin says, you must lead with authenticity.
“Step one is to make a friend,” she says. “If the customer doesn’t like you, they’re not going to buy from you.”
She adds that creating a sense of urgency and narrowing the options to a single model are two of the most important steps in securing a sale.
“If you present the customer with too many options, there’s no sense of urgency for them to make a decision,” Fogolin says. “Customers buy based on emotion, not logic. So, if your presentation lacks urgency, you’re going to hear, ‘Thanks for the information, but we’ve got to think about it. Can I grab a brochure from you?’ and they are not coming back.”
Meanwhile, Williams admits being a saleswoman in a primarily male industry requires being on your A-game when it comes to product details.
“You have to know your product a bit better as a woman because there are men who will try to test you and assume that a man’s going to know about a motor or pump or something more mechanical than a woman would,” she says.
However, Fogolin says, so long as you’re prepared, resourceful and ultimately ask for the sale, your talent will speak for itself.
“A really important part of my presentation is understanding the customer’s motivation to own a hot tub,” she says. “So, it’s my job to peel the onion back and figure it out.”
Forever industry insiders
Although sales are a big portion of what makes Fogolin and Williams unstoppable, that’s not where their skills begin and end. In fact, the independent contractors are often called to assist dealers with inside sales training. Shah of Galaxy Home Recreation uses words like “polished,” “diligent,” “knowledgeable” and “tenacious” to describe the ladies’ approach to hot tub sales.
“There are things we were never able to connect the dots on that they’re able to,” Shah says. “They’re very passionate about the industry, the customer and the companies that they work for. They’re always exchanging and providing us tips and tricks that they learn, not only from shows but from other people and what’s going on in the world of hot tubs.”
Having both traveled extensively, Fogolin and Williams agree that event-based sales keep their skills sharp because they have little to rely on but themselves and their ability to make meaningful connections.
“You don’t have the luxury of having all the tools at your fingertips like you would in a showroom,” Fogolin says. “So, you need to be resourceful.”
Williams says the challenge reminds her why she’s so passionate about selling hot tubs — because of the impact the products make on customers’ health and wellness.
“I believe all the products we’re selling truly change lives,” Williams says.
Hot tubs are fun to own. Buying one should be, too.”
Melanie Fogolin
As a parting gift, both road warriors note the playfulness of the industry as a good way to sell it, and Fogolin quips, “Hot tubs are fun to own. Buying one should be, too.”