Files

Every file should be turned in immediately as soon as a customer has signed. Even if there isn't a drawing ready, turn it in to be logged and assigned a job number.

Every file should include the following:

1. Finance Page

2. Contract

3. Cost breakdown on a worksheet reflecting the contract price

4. Drawing

5. Backpages

6. All notes related to measuring and any interaction with the customer

7. Original worksheet from when the customer first came into the store, with date circled

8. Turn-in all sales in the original blue sales folder

Remember to get as many phone numbers for the customer as possible. Go through the contract and tick-off each line, this is evidence that everything was discussed.

Turn in all files with the above elements. Not all files are turned in as described above. I don't want to have to charge a punitive fine for incomplete files, but will if there's not an effort to conform.

There's some detail work involved, just cross your T's and dot your I's. Thank you.

Showing-up

I've said before that showing-up is 80% of success. It's really true. Ron and I were talking about a guy like DeGrasso, former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange.

He didn't go to a great school, didn't have terrific contacts through his family, didn't start out with a terrific job at the stock exchange -- he started out as a lowly clerk on the floor of the exchange.

What he did was show-up. And he kept showing-up, until he had a multi-million dollar a year job.

In our system, showing-up is crucial. The Ostlund System for Selling Pools is designed to sell a pool when a customer first walks through the door. It's not that a receptionist takes the customer's information and promises to have a salesperson call. By the time a salesperson calls back, the moment has passed. When a customer first walks through that door, and is presented with all of the value in a Riviera pool, and is presented a price before leaving our store, that's powerful sales.

Now the customer, if they shop, has a clear sheet with a real price to present to our competitors and drive them crazy. Nobody comes close to us on price. But it's not just price, we need to overcome the skepticism that such a low price can't possibly equate to a quality pool.

The presentation is designed to overcome this skepticism and sell the customer on the value included in every Riviera Pool. Ask Sherri in our office about how long it took her and her husband Frank to buy a pool from us. They had made a visit to Paddock before walking into our store on a Sunday afternoon. After I went through our standard presentation, Frank and Sherri bought a pool from me. No measure, no drawing, just based on the presentation.

Show-up, perfect your presenatation, draw good pools, practice good lettering, sell tons of pools.

Greeting Customers

I know I go on about psycholinguistics and all of you are probably saying what the heck is he babbling about. But it's really important how the customer receives your communication. In fact, your content doesn't matter if the customer doesn't get the intended message.

Greeting customers is a big deal in our business. When a customer walks through the door, everyone of us should stand-up. I'm not saying snap to attention, but just at the right pace to convey, "you are important."

Leaning back in the chair, or remaining seated while the customer stands all leaves room for misinterpretation. A customer can read this as, "this person doesn't care about my business." Prevent that meta-message from taking root. Stand-up when a customer walks into our stores.

And keep the customer standing while you're introducing our Avalon and Balboa packages. Allowing the customers to sit right away creates an entrenchment of interests. Keeping them standing while going over some of the features of the Avalon and Balboa keeps the energy level up and keeps them open to our ideas.

Sitting down at a table always suggests there is a debate or negotiation. There's a risk of devolving into an adversarial position if the transition to sitting isn't introduced properly. Keep them standing intitally. Transition them to sitting by taking command, "If you like, I can give you a price right now if you have a seat."

We're not high pressure, but there's tons of ways to set the table to make the job of selling a pool a lot easier. When Lenny, James or I average 10-14 pools a month, we're selling about 3 out of 4 prospects. Our close ratios are high because of the little things we do in communicating with customers. Pay attention to your presenatation. Videotape yourself if you want.

There's no heavy lifting selling pools, but there is effort involved. For the kind of money you can make, however, it's not that bad. But it does require self-examination and constant improvement on every salesperson's part.

If your customers like you, you'll sell a ton of pools.