fbpx

Sweetwater Hot Tubz

Wanda hild and her husband Jason started their pool service company 25 years ago with a truck, a pole and a bucket of chlorine. In 1999 they opened their first hot tub showroom and this year opened their second location. Hild says that the new home building in the area, along with their own creativity, has helped boost their business.

How do you measure your success when times are tough? // What we find is you have to work harder at what used to come easier. I think we have to be much more creative in our marketing, and also we’re finding follow-up is key. A lot of people out there are interested in hot tubs, but they may just pop into the store, look, get some information and then go home and set it on the back burner. And I think as a retailer, it’s our job to be creative not only in the store but in follow-up and creating special events. Every month you can create an event, whether it’s Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Father’s Day or Mother’s Day. There are all kinds of things you can get creative with and you have to give people a reason to buy now. And that’s our job: Be creative and package things to make it an enticement to the customer.

- Sponsor -

Do you feel like your sales are coming from the same places as they were when the market was good? // In this economy, we’re finding a lot of people are not traveling or going out of town on vacation; they’re staying home. We work hand-in-hand with a deck builder who creates an outdoor kitchen, a family play area and a place for the hot tub. So you create that environment that when you come home from work and all the stresses of the day, no matter the traffic, the gas prices, all the things that come related to our lives these days, you get to come home to that private time with just the family in the backyard and spend quiet time with your loved ones. If we can create that backyard environment, that makes it enticing [for customers] to want to make those memories in the backyard.

What advice would you give to other retailers? // I think the best advice is, you have to work harder at what used to come a lot easier. I’m constantly looking for ways to improve my sales approach, whether it be listening to CDs, going to sales training or reading a book on how to improve my skills. You have to be sharp and set yourself apart from the competition. We can’t be the pushy, aggressive salespeople because our customers are much more educated. Almost every customer that comes in has either been on the Internet or they’ve done some research already. Those customers are well-educated already and if they come in and the salesperson doesn’t know what they’re talking about, you’re not going to make that sale.