SueAnn Sousa, Vice President of Sales, Sunstar Covers and Accessories Q: Tell us a bit about your company and what you do for the hot tub industry. A: Sunstar is the originator of the rigid vinyl spa cover with over 30 years of service and dedication to the spa industry. We pride ourselves in offering products that are not only recognized for their quality and reliability, but in our employees ...

Warren Stefferson, Vice President, Baja Products, LTD Q: Tell us a bit about your company and what you do for the hot tub industry. A: Baja Products, LTD started manufacturing spas back in 1971. With our invention of the first acrylic spa, the spa industry completely changed. Q: What is your biggest selling product and the impact this product has had on the industry? A: We have Kleen ...

Jon Althoff, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, King Technology Q: Tell us a bit about your company and what you do for the hot tub industry. A: King Technology manufacturers and markets a unique spa care technology under the FROG brand that uses minerals to destroy bacteria. This reduces the need for traditional chemicals like chlorine or bromine up to 50%. The end result is softer ...

Outselling the Internet Selling the experience – Make your store the only place your customers will want to buy. By Robert Stuart It’s hard enough to survive in an economy where budgets are tight and everyone is holding onto their discretionary income, but then we have to add to that the hoard of online discount sites and big box stores selling our products for less. Once ...

The Great Balloon Heist Bullfrog Spas of Ogden/Layton took a bad situation and found a way to turn it into a marketing strategy. by Shawn Maynard Bullfrog spas of layton was just waking from it’s long winter hibernation, Wednesday, March 17, the snow had melted away and we had our first 50-degree day. Time for a spring parking lot event! The new store location has great visibility ...

Palatial Presence With 26 years in the business and six locations, Spa palace has positioned themselves to make an impact for years to come. photography by Tim Reese After having traveled on the road as a rep for a hot tub manufacturer, Michael Wiege, president and co-owner of Colorado-based Spa Palace, decided to settle down and start a his own retail store. “Being in retail ...

The Hidden Vibes of Your Booth Know what your event booth says about you and your store. by Heidi Thorne As a tradeshow industry veteran and marketing professional, I have attended expos and events of every type and size over the years. I can tell you that if the only impression that I got of a company was their booth and their personnel, I guarantee I wouldn’t be doing business ...

Online Resources for Events Scour the Internet no longer; a selection of resources for putting on your next event are outlined below. For your next home show or fair, look no further than the Internet to find products for displays, giveaways and attracting customers. Using web resources is a popular way to discover unique items that will help grab the passerby attention. Many of these ...

When the Boss is Away… What you don’t know about your employees, but should. By Danielle Lavallee Wasson and Jaden Kemp You have carefully designed your store and chosen the right product mix. You have painstakingly interviewed, selected and trained your staff or, for many of you, your staff is part of your family. Your doors are open for business and it is your day off. ...

Off-Site Event Trend Many would say that the hot tub industry was built on sales from events like home shows, fairs etc., but somewhere along the line there was a shift and it became preferred to sell hot tubs in retail locations. Now it seems we are at the precipice of another shift, are off-site events making a comeback? “I find the hot tub industry to be kind of an odd industry because ...

Off-Site Branding The elements you need for an off-site event and how to make sure they correlate with your showroom. By Linda Cahan The buzz right now is all about tweeting, texting and online messaging. But local buzz, the type that attracts customers into your store, is created by off-site events. People still read their local newspapers, listen to local radio and see fliers and ...

About the CARD The new need-to-know regulations on credit cards and how credit is offered to consumers. In an industry where financing options for consumers are constantly changing, it is important to know the new credit card rules. These regulations not only affect consumers, but they affect businesses, financial institutions and lenders as well. The changes began in May2009 after ...

Blogging for Business How creating a blog for your retail store can help establish an identity and keep your store on the minds of consumers. The world wide web is home to many innovations including the blogosphere – a term used to describe the entire collective of blogs. In this Internet realm, users become authors (bloggers, if you will) and share thoughts, ideas and practical ...

Protecting the Hot Tub Industry The newly appointed industry watchdogs for the international hot tub association. By Alison Stanton For many companies, dealing with the day-to-day issues of running a business can be more than enough to contend with. Keeping tabs on any government legislation that might impact your company may seem daunting and overwhelming. This is where Connie ...

Go Big or Go Home Home shows, fairs and sales – oh my! Off-site events are not for the faint of heart, but these days the sit-in-your-store-and-wait strategy could be far more perilous. by Megan Kendrick There was a time when you could plop 15 hot tubs on the side of the road and have them sold by the end of the day. And people did. In fact, there were several operations ...

New Connections, New Sales Pitching the benefits of a hot tub to local businesses and associations could land you qualified referrals. By Rochelle Belsito In business and in life it is important to remember that it is not about who you are, but whom you know. Connecting with others and maintaining the relationship could be vital to your success. It also can provide you opportunities ...

The Steps of the Sale A tried and true method of getting customers to say yes. by Marco Longley The steps of the sale are the essential building blocks or sequence of events that will move your prospect towards making a buying decision. Understand the different steps of the sale and how to move or transition from one to the next. The steps of every successful sale should include: ...