Don’t we all want to know how effective our advertising is? Is there a minimum we have to spend? Is there a maximum beyond which we’re just wasting money? Is there an optimal promotional mix? I use three metrics to help answer these questions: What is the advertising budget as a percentage of gross sales?…
Caldera introduces Freshwater Salt System Watkins Wellness learned a lot from the launch of the ACE Saltwater Sanitizing System in 2010 and customer feedback since then, says Melinda Scheble, assistant manager of product management for Watkins. Among those changes: Customers were looking for something easier to maintain and with a lower price point. “The No….
America’s 3.5 million truck drivers move 10.5 billion tons of freight every year, a full 71 percent of everything shipped from one place to another within the United States. Even still, America’s businesses are reeling from a massive trucker shortage. According to The Washington Post, 50,000 new drivers would be needed to satisfy the current…
In the spa industry, ongoing sales training is a must for your business to keep turning a profit. Steve Sharp, sales manager of six-year-old South East Spas in Fort Myers, Florida, says everything in his business comes down to the sales techniques. Among its three locations, South East Spas bring in about $10 million in…
In 2007, Chris Robinson was profiled in the first issue of SpaRetailer. At that time, he had already worked 20 years at Lucite. Now Robinson is retiring after 39 years with the company. He began his career working at the Remington Arms division of Dupont in 1980. He had a hunch Dupont would sell that…
David Wood says chemical sales for water care is a huge problem in the hot tub industry — one that many retailers, dealers and manufacturers are trying to solve. “We’ve interviewed tons of homeowners and maintenance is the No. 1 concern of those buying a hot tub,” says Wood, managing partner of Ouster Water Solutions,…
Your employees should be trained in the art of keeping your store in top shape. Clutter, dust and stains visually degrade your store and your merchandise. Sticky shelves or dust on products says you’re not busy, and these products don’t sell well. Customers will wonder, “If no one else is buying them, why should I?”…
Onboarding new employees can be nerve-wracking, but with a bit of pre-planning you can take many stumbling blocks out of the process. Susan Heathfield, owner of TechSmith and human resources and management expert for TheBalanceCareers.com in Okemos, Michigan, has been helping employers perfect onboarding practices since 1984. “There’s nothing worse as a new employee than walking…
Coming off the holiday brain fog, I find myself training a new hire. After a long search for some-one to take over sales for our company, I’m so happy to have Kelly Ross on board. I quickly realized, however, how unprepared I am to onboard a new employee — one with no prior knowledge of…
In 2013, Core Covers provided Christmas presents and food to the Casa Hogar Santa Teresita Del Niño girls orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, where its factory is located. The Christmas drive was such a success and so popular with its employees that the company decided to partner with the orphanage on an ongoing basis. Twice a…
Since 2013, Lakeland Pools & Spas has been sponsoring a toy drive, Harrison’s Toy Box, in memory of co-owner Tracey Shauger’s son, Harrison. Harrison died in March 2013 at age 6 from congenital heart disease. Harrison spent a lot of time at Lakeland Pools making customers laugh. Each year on Harrison’s birthday, Tracey, her husband…
Photography by Garrett Costanzo The combo company of Utah Landscaping and Form Pools in Herriman, Utah, was already slammed. “We are go, go, go, go, go,” says owner Chip Galloway. Galloway had been thinking about opening a store and expanding into hot tubs for awhile, but in the spring of 2018 he got serious. “I…