April 21, 2012
► Customer Feedback: A customer by the last name of Crocker, from Canton, CT stated that their general shopping experience with us was Excellent. “Good service – questions answered”. Sales help, operations, communications, and products were all rated Excellent. This customer would recommend us to a friend.
► New print advertising next week: “April Sale”
It is the final week of the Pool and Spa Supply Sale.
► We just received a sign-up for Seasonal Reward$ from someone who does not have an email address. The application states “We are allowing you to gain Seasonal Reward$ points in exchange for your actual address and email address”. So the customer can never receive his credit and did not make his side of the bargain. Putting “Does not have email” in the email field won’t get his certificate emailed.
► So, I created an entirely new program for that customer, called Seasonal Sense (Get it? Say it out loud.) It will pay the customer 85% less than Seasonal Reward$ (33¢ per 100 points instead of $2.00), it will be more work for Anne-Marie to administer manually, and it will probably be insulting to the customer. However, Seasonal Reward$ is a payment in exchange for email marketing and newsletters. It is also highly unfair to the people accepting our email to give the same benefit to those who do not. We will leave some yellow applications out front for Seasonal Sense if you need one. Put “Seasonal Sense” in the email field, or if you can’t find an application, leave us a name and address, and we’ll mail one. Remember, without a signature agreeing to the correct rules, no one gets in.
► I have been told that we had “many” customers at the cash registers objecting to giving their email address to join the Reward$ program. You could eliminate that by always explaining to people when you discuss it, that Seasonal Reward$ is designed in exchange for their email address. So if they are unwilling, we don’t have to hold up the line with a separate discussion.
► Why are people changing the price of 5 gallon deposits? The computer is correct. Deposits are $7.00 and returns are $7.00. For everyone.
► The full page advertisement in New Hampshire Home is just coming out to subscription holders and going on to news stands for the May/June edition. It features Gloster furniture and our Design Center. It is a new form of advertising for us, and it would be nice if we were to find out that it worked.
► Now in stock – Skeetervac Mosquito Catchers use a 20 lb. propane tank and handle 1.5 acres for only $459.99. As they draw mosquitoes, you do not put them where you are, you put them where you are NOT. Also in stock, promotionally priced outdoor wood fireplaces, propane fire pits, and patio heaters by Uniflame. We make lousy money on them, and they are all over the internet, but it’s one more thing to sell. Prices from $199.99 to $369.99.
► When you receive mailings or newspaper inserts from us in the mail, please write the date you received it and give it to me. I appreciate getting a note, but it is more important that I receive the actual printed product. It is the only way that I can proof the print/fold quality, or how they addressed it. I will replace your copy with a brand new one from our samples. Thank you.
► From Patrick: Reminder: Read the warehouse items check stock list.
► I left some copies on the bulletin board of an article by Jon Meechum titled “Heaven Can’t Wait”; on current attitudes on religion. As I read it, Jon is not pushing any point of view – just discussing various points. If I thought he pushed a point of view, I would not leave it out. Anyhow, I thought it was interesting. Of course, New Hampshire is the least religious state in the country, so perhaps no one is interested.
► We have lots of new hot tubs and options changing; with four new models due in any day now. As we run out of some current stock, we have a plan to continue with a new program. Besides new colors, you will notice that we are adding full foam to stock e Series tubs, while dropping ozone from one of them. Why? Because you can always add ozone here, but you can’t add foam without a special order.
► We just paid $600 to ship one special-order hot tub from Marquis. The half-truck coming in this week is still going to cost $400 per tub. So special-orders are costing way more than stock tubs, and over-all, we should be charging $300 more for all tubs than we do now.
► If you are listed in the opening of our PoolClosingPoolSchoolas a Senior Pool Technician, and if you want your photo updated. please get a new photo to Rose before July 1st.
► A Five-Minute Management Lesson submitted by Anne-Marie:
Lesson 5: A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree” sighed the turkey, “But I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story: Bull crap might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there…