The Parts Room How to create an organized and efficient system for parts storage. One thing we are always harping on in this column is organization within the service department. And if you haven’t noticed, it has been mentioned a lot in this issue alone. One of the hardest things to organize and keep track of in a service department is parts. It gets even more complicated if ...

Creative Expansion This family-owned store found a way to cut costs and still grow their business. Photography by Mia Zumsteg “It takes a lot of trial and error to get the right mix,” says Marc Black about the products found in his Long Beach, Calif., store. A family business that is currently owned by Black and his brother Jeff, the store was opened by their father ...

A Spectacular Service Department Give your service department a fresh start with these money-saving tips. Service is often described as a necessary evil and it’s certainly not as fun as selling a hot tub to an excited customer. The service department typically gets to see the Mr. Hyde of customers who are Dr. Jekyll during the sales process; besides having to deal with the disposition ...

A Different Kind of Advertising YouTube is a quick and easy way to create an online buzz about your spa store. By Adrienne Rinaldi The ever-increasing ability of international communication capabilities via the Internet makes for the world at your fingertips as an entrepreneur. There are countless social media applicationson the web these days that can help get your name out ...

Cover, Lift, Protect – Repeat The Covana, a hot tub cover and gazebo, is at the forefront of innovative add-ons. Sterling Leisure Products, makers of the Covana – a unique hot tub cover/gazebo – is a Canadian family-owned and operated business founded in 2004 by Raymond Bussière and Mario Piché. After purchasing a hot tub, Bussière grew frustrated ...

Hiring a Tech You wouldn’t ask a salesman to go out and change a pump, but why are you asking your service technicians the salesman interview questions? It is always best to have an idea of who you will hire before you have an opening. Think carefully about what you are going to ask the potential candidates before they walk through the door. It’s easy to get caught up in ...

Year-Round Sales Success Slowing sales in off-peak months inspired John Waterstraat and William Nirk to expand their business to include spas. In the summer of 2007, John Waterstraat and William Nirk, owners of Washington-based Fireside Hearth and Home, noticed that their hearth sales had been dropping during the off-season. The pair then decided it was time to research a new product ...

Should There be National Certification for Hot Tub Technicians? Electricians and plumbers have to be certified, so what about hot tub techs? The idea definitely stirs up some different viewpoints. See what some retailers and manufacturer representatives say and check out our in-depth coverage of the topic on page 42 of our magazine. “There are way too many unqualified people ...

Making Beautiful Retail Music Your hot tub retail store can become more inviting by engaging your customers sense of sound. When you walk into almost any retail shop, you are greeted not only by sales people but also by the sound of music over the speakers. For years, retail locations – including grocery and department stores – have been luring customers with tunes and ...

The Licensing Dilemma Retailers weigh-in on requiring licensing for service technicians. Much has been said about what to do to revive the spa industry since sales began to decline in 2005. Industry-wide sales and service training, as well as business licensing and certification are all ideas that have been thrown around to help boost the industry reputation and hopefully revenues as ...

Call Tracking for Leads How using a call tracking service can help generate leads, track ads and keep you up to date on employee skill sets. Placing advertisements in print, billboard, radio, television, etc. are often seen as traditional methods used to spread awareness of your hot tub retail location. But what kind of results are these ads really generating? It may be hard to get ...

Website Creation for Tight Budgets Using a template, options are quick, easy and endless. By Sarah Protzman It’s a paradox worth reconciling – businesses are increasingly going online, but a new website may be low on the list of expenditures when cost-cutting is necessary. Enter the web template. With a few simple steps, the alphabet soup of XML, PHP, HTML and CSS no ...

The Spa Store Space Savior Introducing Linda Cahan, a visual merchandising veteran who is lending her expert advice to SR. You may have noticed a new name popping up in the last few issues of SR. Linda Cahan has been providing her expertise as a visual merchandiser to our “Merchandising” section and we felt that she deserved an introduction. The sixty-year-old has been ...

Keeping Trade Shows Viable in a Down Economy Attendees, Exhibitors and show organizers brainstorm ways to improve the trade shows. by Abraham Mahshie With the cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range to attend, some of the largest spa manufacturers in the country are finding that exhibiting at the nation’s largest pool and spa trade show is the easiest line item ...

Preview Guide: 2009 International Pool | Spa | Patio Expo With November just around the corner, it is time to give you a sneak peak of the Expo’s offerings and help you plan for one of the industry’s biggest weeks. Details Make all your arrangements prior to arriving in Las Vegas. From hotel reservations to setting up meetings with exhibitors, we’ve outlined all ...

Top 10 Service Calls With this service-oriented issue, we wanted to go over the top 10 service issues. Often this is dictated by the spa brand, the season or geographical location. During the winter you might get a ton of potential freeze ups, while in warmer climates it could be heat damage and with brands that use intricate circuitry boards communication issues could be the problem. ...

Make the Most of Warranty Claims Save some time and get the money back you deserve for your warranty work. No one gets too excited about heading out on a warranty call; it’s not a money-maker, requires a lot of paperwork and the only return you get is a happy customer. But doing warranty work doesn’t necessarily have to be a big money-loser for your ...

Sales Training for Technicians Become the MVP of your company by striving to make sales. by Robert Stuart In almost every issue I’ve talked about how service techs can help increase company sales. Many techs say they aren’t salesmen and can’t sell anything, but they don’t realize that selling is not always as much about being a masterful negotiator as it is about ...