Accentuate the positive: show your staying power by prominently displaying hard-won awards and training certificates - Checkout

Most big-box stores have only one story to tell: "We are the cheapest." On the other hand, specialty pool and spa retailers can share several different stories. My favorite is: "We are the experts."

But it takes more than just saying those words to convince today's shoppers that you deserve their business. Our industry offers several effective ways to demonstrate that expertise. One of the best is by promoting and displaying your awards, certifications and commendations.

If you're starting off with an empty slate, you'll want to actively seek opportunities for recognition. The following are ways to obtain and showcase design-award plaques, educational training certificates, membership decals from professional associations and more.

* join the group

Most companies receive numerous benefits from belonging to organizations such as trade associations and the local Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce. However, participation in these groups provides an additional benefit: it conveys to customers your commitment to the health and growth of your industry and community. Thus, your membership certificates should be the first items you display.

* Show your smarts

Because your customers have spent, or are about to invest, several thousand dollars in a product you sell and service, they want to feel secure that you have the know-how to assist them. By prominently posting your company's educational qualifications, you'll give them the reassurance that you have the knowledge and skills to get the job done.

Check out the classes offered at trade shows in your area. NSPI also offers a variety of educational programs and technical training certifications, such as Tech I, Tech II and Certified status. In addition, many chemical and equipment manufacturers hold training schools to sharpen your employees' skills. Each offers some sort of recognition, such as certificates, upon course completion.

* Exude excellence

NSPI's Retailer of Excellence program helps companies separate themselves from the competition. This designation tells customers that you offer the highest level of expertise and service. The program is thorough: It evaluates your promotions, return policies, store design and more. The application process does take a considerable effort to complete, but it's worth it. Keep in mind, you probably don't want to undertake this in the middle of the summer. However, that's a good time to take photos of your fully stocked store and outdoor displays (with landscapes in bloom).

* Keep an eye on design

Regional and international design award competitions give retailers a way to display their finest work--and demonstrate their excellence. To win awards, you'll need to put your aquascapes in the best light. Photos of completed projects must be taken when the landscape has had time to mature. Take pictures from several different angles and have your sales staff meet to decide which views are best. Don't forget to send a little gift to the customer when you photograph their "masterpiece." As an added bonus, the design-award photos give future customers ideas for their own backyards.

* Exhibiting you! excellence

Our industry's awards and certifications are not household words. They mean nothing unless customers know why you received them and how much work went into achieving them. So during initial sales presentations, you should explain the importance of the associations you've joined, the awards you've won and the certificates you've earned.

Displaying your commendations in a highly visible place and professional way also helps show customers their importance. We group our Retailer of Excellence certification and all of our design awards in the sales area. This allows new and potential customers to see photos of our best jobs right away.

Like many other retailers, we showcase our more technical certificates in the water-testing area. Here, our intent is to show our customers the advantages of dealing with trained water professionals rather than the local discount center's stockers, who have no real expertise in water chemistry.

You should take some care when displaying your awards; they deserve more than being propped up by push pins in the wall. I strongly recommend that you purchase matching frames to display your certifications. After all, you don't want a hodgepodge of mismatched awards lining your walls--it looks unprofessional. For the past five years or so, we have had our awards custom flamed. They look great.

Over time, the collection of these certificates and awards will grow. At that point, you'll want to cull through the pile. While we do regularly update our awards wall, I don't necessarily take our oldest design awards down. I find that the older plaques--which perhaps showcase pools that are a little outdated--allow us to show our continuity and demonstrate that we're in it for the long haul.

Walsh is president of The Above Ground Pool & Spa Co., a San Antonio NSPI Retailer of Excellence.

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