Our lead process is fairly simple. We collect leads from several platforms, including website forms, emails, Facebook and our suppliers — Hydropool Industries Inc., and Coast Spas. Anything by direct message, we simply answer. We also ask where people are from before going in-depth, or giving prices, since we only deliver within a certain radius of our store.
On our email form and those forms that our suppliers use, we ask for a postal code — again, this allows us to verify if someone is within our sales and delivery radius. If they are not in the area, we refer them to the closest retailer if we know of one.
For those in our area, we respond to their questions, and give them approximate pricing by email. If they are looking for something more specific, or have listed many questions and concerns, we usually call them, since sometimes it can get confusing by email.
For swim spas, we generally call to ensure they are aware what a swim spa project entails. It’s not quite as simple as a spa purchase and installation. For swim spas, we require a concrete base and many require delivery by crane, which are not included in the price of the swim spa.
We are not aggressive salespeople, meaning, once we provide clients with information they have asked for, we may contact them once more to follow up, but if they do not respond we leave them be.
Many of our clients have told us this is why they chose us, because they did not feel pressured or harassed once contacting us. They felt they could take their time to come see us in person without pressure. We believe making people feel relaxed during the sales process is important. It is an important purchase and a product that will sit in your yard for years to come, it’s important to take your time and choose the right spa for you and not regret a rushed purchase.
We had looked into bringing in a customer relationship management system to auto reply and manage leads, but we just can’t seem to find one that suits what we’re looking for and that is available in French. Being in Quebec, we must adhere to language laws, so emails must go out in French and the platform used must have the capability of being viewed in French for French speaking employees. So for now, we do our best to reply and keep up with leads without an automated system, rather than spend thousands of dollars on a system that doesn’t have what we need or want.
Dana Hyde
CK Spas
co-owner
Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada
This is an area where we are looking to grow and improve our close ratios as well. Our leads are based on a round robin system and passed directly to the salesperson and the associated branch. We have automation rules set based off lead type that trigger automated emails over a six-month period. In addition, we have a brand-new ERP system where we can track quotations and conversions to sales orders. The ERP system allows us to see whether the quotes are viewed / responded to by customers. This has greatly increased visibility to our sales team and as of the last 6-12 months improved close ratios by 2+%. We rely on the team to have multiple touch points with email and phone call follow ups to their leads. As leads begin to cool off, they are transitioned out of their pipeline where the sales team can focus on more serious buyers. With COVID sales returning back to normal, our 2023 priorities are to standardize follow-up procedures with weekly reviews on potential prospects: Have you met the criteria of x phone calls per week for the amount of leads in the pipeline? Are we targeting the right prospects / directing the appropriate ads? Do we need to change our message and sale promotion to increase conversions as things slow down? Those are some questions we are looking at moving forward. We also set deadlines for quotes, which helps the sales team and the customer act upon the deal faster.
Jeff Claypool
Lifestyle Outdoor
Founder and president
Sherman Oaks, California
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