Here it is, another busy season is approaching
and another round-up
of my recommendations
for promoting your swimming pool
business.
One of my personal goals this
year is to streamline operations,
which is why I’m streamlining my
recommendations. Rather than
regurgitate my old sermons from
the past, I’ll just give you a summary
of what I said last year and the
year before. That way, we can jump
right into the new and unique
considerations for this season.
My advice for 2023: “Get clear,
nimble and sharp.” This meant:
- Get clear in your messaging.
- Be nimble and ready to adjust
your business offerings to align
with the changing market. - “Sharpen your ax” in everything
you do — both online and “in the
real world.”
My “Smart Marketing
Recommendations for 2022” reiterated
the basic marketing necessities for
pool builders:
- A great website
- A compelling “Brand Story”
- Sophisticated marketing
automation - An easy-to-use sales CRM
- Intelligent lead generation
- Proper use of video
- And proper use of social media
Now that we’ve got that out of
the way, let me share my unique
presentiments for this year.
Firstly, I’m seeing a bit of a balance
shift between “internet leads” and
referrals. Historically (for like the last
18 years), I’ve observed that most good
pool builders get about 40% of their
new leads from the internet, and about
40% of their leads from referrals. (The
remaining 20% is a mishmash of yard
signs, truck signage, partnerships, etc.)
What I’m seeing in the United States,
is Google searches for “swimming pool
builder” have fallen off a cliff, for two
big reasons. First, many homeowners
who might buy a pool in 2024 already
bought that pool in a panic during the
pandemic. Second, the interest rates and
the economic uncertainty have scared
a lot of potential pool buyers out of the
market, and over to the sidelines.
If most of your business comes
from internet leads, then you’ve
probably been feeling this pinch all
along. This trend seems especially
stark in the larger metropolitan areas,
where you have lots of pool builders
fighting over a dwindling supply of
leads. Not a very pretty situation.
While Google searches are down,
it seems NEW PERMITS in most of these cities have NOT fallen off a cliff
like you might expect.
My observation is that there is a
stratum of society that (1) has the
financial resources to purchase a
beautiful backyard dream without
financing, and (2) they aren’t likely
to go search Google for a builder.
They will, instead, reach out to their
similarly wealthy friends, and get
recommendations from them instead.
If you are one of those rare builders
who gets 80% of their business from
referrals, then you’re probably asking,
“What slowdown? I’m as busy as
ever!” You are fortunate to reach that
societal stratum of pool buyers which
remains invisible to builders who rely
on internet searches.
Bottom line: If your internet search
leads have reduced to a trickle, you
might want to put more emphasis on
nurturing referrals.
Let me offer some quick tips on
how to do that:
- Pay extra attention to the
homeowner’s “experience” of
working with you. Make sure
everyone on your team views
every client as a dear friend, rather
than just a customer. - Communicate with them regularly
to make sure they remain happy
throughout the entire process,
despite all the typical challenges
and setbacks that beset most
outdoor construction projects. - Try the “FatTowel” / “Thankyou
meeting” strategy I’ve
recommended for years.
(Basically, you leverage the law of
reciprocity by giving them a nice,
unexpected gift that will last and
be remembered for many years.) - Go one step further and sponsor a
“Pool Party” for those ideal clients
who have friends you would like
to meet. Offer $500 to $1000 in
food catering, in return for letting
you hang out and meet everyone.
(It’s also a perfect opportunity to
get some great video footage, by
the way.) - Continue to communicate with
them long after the project is
completed. (My personal favorite
here is the automated “Happy
Birthday to Your Swimming Pool!”
e-mail we are now sending to all
our client’s clients.)
You may have noticed that I did
not suggest “Start a referral program!”
If you currently have one, I’m not
suggesting you shut it off. I am,
however, suggesting (1) most wealthy
homeowners are not motivated by
your promise of $500 for the next
$200,000 referral they give you,
and (2) you would be much wiser to
invest your time and dollars in the
five strategies previously mentioned
instead.
Brett Lloyd Abbott is the founder and CEO of Pool Builder Marketing LLC (www.PoolBuilderMarketing.com), a marketing consulting agency that works exclusively with swimming pool builders, pool service companies and high-end landscape professionals throughout the world. He is a frequent keynote speaker and leader of workshops and seminars.