May 20, 2017
► Pool Opening School is Wednesday, May 24. This is the last chance for a class without paying $150 or so for a private class. So you would be doing your customers a favor to register them for it.
► Customer Feedback: We received the following email from Dave C.:
“I hope Dennis knows how much I appreciate the help the entire staff provides every time I walk through the door. Today, I walked into the store with an ugly semi-old pump motor and said “I think I need a new motor”. Patrick went over my symptoms, and what I had done to diagnose my problem. He said, “I’d love to sell you a new pump, but that won’t solve your problem. You have an air leak, and it sounds like a big one.” And then we went over what I had done, and Patrick offered suggestions where to look, that had not already been done.
Turns out the threaded connector which feeds into the basket was loose by a full (360 degree) turn. And that connector is attached to a 90 degree elbow with a pipe that runs away horizontally and at right angles from the basket. When I was troubleshooting before going to the store I figured “no way that can be an issue, it can’t move.
Kudos Patrick! I live 35 miles from the store and you *are* my local friendly pool store! Because of the great folks there.”
► Advertising, promotions, and specials continue from last week: “Seasonal Beats Them All”
► Welcome today (Saturday, May 20) to Kevin Gray from Biolab. Thank him for buying us lunch!
► Those who have taken the Friedman course on being a sale professional, should remember the first lesson: arrive on the sales floor ready to perform. Well-dressed, tools at hand: pen, notes, calculator, business cards, etc. Before you start, walk the sales floor: What is new since yesterday? What needs to be cleaned or put back in order? What makes it easier for me to make the sale? What makes it harder for me to make the sale?
I’m not a salesperson, but I walk the sales floor twice a day: once, quickly, after I have answered office questions, and once slowly, after the store closes. I walk every aisle in the warehouse three times a week. You have no doubt heard this story: that one of my favorite salespeople walked the warehouse every day, too. So he always knew what was in stock and where it was!
Why do I bring it up? Because there are 35 of you, and only 3 managers. Help them out – ask questions about situations. Even better, offer to straighten up or clean up yourself. Don’t assume that someone else will magically fix things. Thank you.
► Events during the next couple of weeks:
May 20: Meet our Bioguard Chemical Rep., Kevin Gray. Special coupons on select Bioguard chemicals will be available to customers.
May 20-21: FREE Food. Add cookies & pastries to your FREE coffee and tea in the Coffee Shop, while supplies last.
May 24: Pool School 202 ~ Easy Pool Opening, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
May 27-28: Customer Appreciation Days: Free Gifts with any purchase, while they last.
May 29: Memorial Day: Open 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ONLY
June 3-4: FREE Food. Add cookies & pastries to your FREE coffee and tea in the Coffee Shop while supplies last.
► Have you heard this one before? We put boxes of pool toys on the bottom step of the display steps in order to keep children from climbing them. We keep the rest of the steps clear so that people will give us $600 for a set of steps. Bottom step blocked, other steps clear. Thank you.
► How about this one? We have a Water Lab Night Deposit outside the Customer Pick-Up door. It is the responsibility of every employee coming in through the front door or the Pick-Up door in the morning, to check the Night Deposit and bring in samples left overnight. It is the responsibility of water testers to complete those tests before we open.
Throughout the day, it is the responsibility of every person working the Pick-Up door to look at the Night Deposit. When you see that a bottle has been dropped off, immediately get it to the Water Lab. People get upset when we take 12+ hours to do a test. Thank you.
► From Stephanie:
- If you still have any tests from Sunday training classes, please complete them and put them in my mail ASAP.
- There is a rebate running now through July 9th on the Volt 8 cleaners. It is a $20 manufacturer rebate. Please read the sign by the cleaners for details.
► From Patrick: Please inform customers that the current lead time for repairs on automatic pool cleaners is one week.
► In an attempt to improve the odds that salespeople will use the correct names for liners when writing special orders, we are making the gauge smaller on the price lists, and the correct terms larger or more bold.
► While I would like to provide lunch on busy weekends, and make-your-own sundaes and Freeze Pops when it’s hot, we need to keep the counter clean so we have room to add a catered lunch. Could you please try to make room? Perhaps only keep a day or two worth of food in the freezer and refrigerator? Also, consider that people who bring in those insulated lunch bags might take everything out and put it in a plastic bag (like the ones we have at the register) before putting it in the fridge. This wasn’t a problem during the winter with a small staff, but now there is no room for all of us to put our lunches in the fridge. The insulated bags take up too much room!
► Life In These United States by the Reader’s Digest: It was the first time my four-year-old granddaughter had ever been to church. The celebrant came out, flanked by the lector and the deacon. My granddaughter leaned over to her dad and whispered, “Which one is God?”