Stealing their thunder: 10 tips borrowed from other industries to break you out of your marketing rut

These are uncertain times for many spa and pool businesses. Those selling luxury items can get hit especially hard when the economy even looks recessionary. Now that consumer confidence has taken a hit, you'll probably see a lot of people spending less of their discretionary incomes.

So attracting new customers is more crucial than ever. But to do this, you must stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, too many spa and pool companies confine themselves to the same promotional ideas that everyone else in the industry is using.

If you really want to make sure your marketing stands out, look at other industries. There are all kinds of different ideas that work like gangbusters.

To learn more about other industries' marketing and business strategies, you need to subscribe to their industry publications, and network on a local level with their players.

Constantly ask other business owners which specific marketing strategies they use to successfully grow their businesses. Instead of dismissing a promotional idea simply because it comes from a different industry, think about how you can tweak it to successfully grow your business.

Using that method, I've discovered 10 successful marketing strategies from other industries. Here's how they can be applied to work successfully for your business:

1 USE RECORDED-MESSAGE HOTLINES

For years, the real estate industry has used such hotlines to supplement home listings in local real estate magazines. The real estate agent's ad will feature a toll-free number with different extensions attached to each home. When you call one of these numbers, you'll hear the agent's best marketing message about the home.

Real estate agents use this tactic because they realize that to sell a high-ticket item, they have to educate consumers. I know of very few marketing tools that can really accomplish this task like a hotline.

Using hotlines makes perfect sense for the pool and spa industry. Let's say you have a brochure or a magazine ad that shows several pools. You can give each pool its own hotline extension, where prospective customers can listen to the story behind that pool. With this hotline, you get to explain how you overcame challenges and built a spectacular pool. As they listen to your voice, they believe in you and get excited about the pool.

The beauty of it is that because you don't have to pick up the phone, it helps pre-qualify customers and frees up your time. I call it auto-pilot marketing.

You can use these hotlines in any print marketing piece: brochures, newspaper ads, the Yellow Pages. Your message can provide instructions, describe a product or process, sell a product or service, or deliver any message you like. Create scripts and record your best sales presentation for each spa and pool you're promoting.

To set up my hotline systems, I use www.automatedmarketingsolutions.com, which provides the phone system for doing this. At the end of the hotline message, it gives you the option of asking callers if they would like to be connected to a live operator to answer any of their questions, or to move on to a different extension number.

2 START A FORMAL THANK-YOU CARD PROGRAM.

Most successful professionals outside the pool and spa industry use formalized thank-you card programs to impress prospects and customers. It's the No. 1 referral generator for many companies.

Although some spa and pool businesses use thank-you cards, very few have a formalized program.

I suggest creating a formal thank-you-card log, where employees can make an entry every time they send a card. As an incentive, you can give a small prize to the employee who sends out the most cards each month.

Get everyone involved in this program, including your service technicians and administrative employees. Even send cards to vendors. When a vendor sees that you're a stand-up company, they can make referrals, too. As a rule, everyone knows an average of 250 people, so this practice could prove highly effective.

People only do business with those they know, like and trust. I can't think of a better way to get someone to like you than to take the time to say a personal "Thank you." You don't have to wait until you've built the pool, either. Thank them for calling or visiting, or for referring you to a friend.

3 USE SPECIAL REPORTS.

In the world of business-to-business technology sales, "white papers" are used to generate qualified leads and educate prospects.

A white paper is simply a special report addressing a specific topic. It can describe a product's benefits or technology, or explain a process involving the product.

Why do white papers work? People would rather read an interesting, educational report that provides real information than a brochure. When they see a brochure, they see a sales pitch. When they hold a report in their hand, they tend to think of it as good information and it generates trust.

When writing a special report for your company, use a title that evokes curiosity. A pool builder might publish a paper called, "Seven Critical Questions Every Buyer Should Ask Their Pool Builder Before They Buy," or "What Every Consumer Should Know About Owning a Pool." This topic would give you a chance to outline the benefits of ownership: You could tell them that it can have a positive impact on their marriage; promote a better relationship with their children; and keep their kids at home during the summer.

This strategy is excellent for generating leads. If you exhibit at home shows, you can promote the report with a sign or banner at your booth. But don't bring copies of the special report to the show. Ask interested attendees to give you their contact information so you can send the report to them.

The same offer can be made on your Web site or in an ad. Just list a phone number or e-mail address so people can request a copy of the report. This, in turn, will yield a contact complete with name, phone number and address. Then you can follow up with them later.

This works as another pre-qualifier. It allows you to deliver your marketing message right in their home instead of waiting for them to come to your store.

For this strategy to work, you must provide valuable information. If your topic is "Seven Things You Really Should Know Before Buying a Pool," you can cover the importance of reading warranty clauses and offer the pros and cons of different types of pools.

4 "FARM" TARGET NEIGHBORHOODS.

Here again is a strategy from the real estate industry. The idea is simple: Agents choose a specific neighborhood and then try to dominate it. You'll always make a bigger wave jumping in a puddle (a neighborhood) rather than an ocean (a city).

Word to the wise: Be sure to pick a neighborhood that houses your target prospects. It's no use farming a neighborhood that has a high number of apartments and townhomes.

If you've built a pool in the neighborhood, chances are, the area is full of people who can afford to buy pools. If you've done a good job with the first pool, you can use that first customer as a reference, which will get you in the door. Strive to build every pool in that neighborhood.

And don't ignore the neighborhood where you live. You should consider being active in its community volunteer programs. The simple act of networking among your own neighbors will bring you a surprising amount of referral business.

The key to farming a neighborhood is to have repeated contacts with each person in the area so they'll remember you. You can do this by placing door hangers or fliers on their front doors once a month during the peak buying season. Or you can do it with a clever mail campaign.

5 CREATE A LEAD-GENERATION WEB SITE.

Visit the Web site of any successful Internet marketer and you'll quickly be exposed to an offer to either sign up for their newsletter or download a free electronic special report. However, to get that newsletter or special report, you're asked to give your e-mail address.

This works as an excellent lead generator: You can capture the visitor's e-mail address so the Web-site owner can continue to send them e-mail offers.

Most pool builders I've spoken with have Web sites, but don't generate very many leads off them. They have a contact form way in the back of their site that states, "If you have any questions, fill out this form." But there's no real incentive for the consumer to give their e-mail address.

You want every person who comes to your site to leave an e-mail address, so you need to provide an incentive. Entice visitors with something of value, such as one of the special reports already mentioned or a multipart e-mail course.

I suggest making this offer right up front on your home page. You might even consider using an "exit pop-up," a box that presents a free information offer to visitors as they are leaving the site.

I wouldn't recommend an entrance pop-up, which shows up as they enter the site. These can annoy people just as they get to your site.

6 DO JOINT VENTURES WITH OTHER BUSINESSES.

Fast-food restaurants and Hollywood are two popular industries that frequently partner up to profit from joint ventures. Most big action pictures and animated movies team with fast-food restaurant chains to jointly publicize new movies, which results in great publicity for both ventures. The restaurants give away toys to help promote new films, while the films help fund the advertising of the restaurant.

On a smaller scale, a spa and pool business can do joint ventures with businesses that sell complementary products and services. For instance, I recently visited a pool company that gets 60 percent of its business through joint ventures with local home builders. In fact, the pool builder has design studios set up inside the home builders' offices, thus extending the services that the home builders can offer their clients.

Health clubs and other health-related companies are another possibility. It's a win-win situation for both businesses.

When you find a company to work with, you can each send letters to your respective customer bases endorsing the other business. Just be sure to work with someone you know will do a good job. If you recommend someone who leaves the customer unhappy, it'll tarnish your own reputation.

7 LEVERAGE CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS.

Nowhere is this marketing strategy more evident than in late-night infomercials. You've probably watched one or two infomercials showing people who have either lost 150 pounds or who have become rich overnight through real estate.

Why so many testimonials? Because they work! People won't believe you no matter how good or trustworthy you are because they'll see your ads or sales pitch as self-serving. But they will believe someone who has done business with you and has nothing to gain by endorsing your company.

Start collecting testimonials from all customers immediately. Systematize this process by including it on your salespeople's checklist of things to do for each project. Testimonials don't have to come just from customers; they can even come from third-party vendors.

Now that you have those testimonials, start displaying them everywhere: in print, radio and television ads; in direct-mail pieces; on a wall in your office. Even set up the phone system to play them when a customer is on hold. You'll immediately see an increase in your prospect conversion rate.

Not long ago after a hailstorm, I received several letters from roofing contractors mentioning that they had replaced the roof of one, or several, of my neighbors' homes and offered to give me free on-site inspections and bids on my roof. Recognizing the names of several of my neighbors on one roofer's letter, I called and asked him to come over and look at my house.

Why not send a referral generation letter to all the neighbors of your spa and pool customers immediately after their purchase? Ask your customer if you may use their name in a mailing that you'll be doing in their neighborhood.

The trick is to save people time by writing the letter yourself, then having them sign it. Show the letter to the customer and let them make any changes they want. To motivate them, you might even offer a bonus accessory in exchange for permission to use their name in the mailing.

When I write endorsements, I like to use a problem-solution-results format. The customer had a problem, you solved it and now they couldn't be happier. The problem may be stated as: "I was having a hard time finding a good pool builder I could trust." Your solution: "Once I found Bob, I felt good about it. He listened to everything I said; he was on time and on budget." The result: "I couldn't be happier with my pool. In fact, I don't even know how I ever lived without it! We spend more time than ever together as a family."

Whenever you build a pool, send this testimonial to all the neighborhoods within a half mile. Even if your target homeowners don't know your customer personally, at least they recognize that the recommendation comes from someone in the neighborhood.

8 START AN ONLINE NEWSLETTER.

The travel industry uses newsletters to educate travelers about different vacations, resorts and theme vacations. Newsletters keep your business at the top of customers' minds and also provide a vehicle for presenting new offers and promotions. Even Joe Girard, the famous salesperson who holds the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's No. 1 Salesperson," cites the secret to his success as being the humble newsletter.

However, if you have 2,000-plus customers and send a newsletter every quarter, it becomes costly. With the advent of the Internet, you can now send a newsletter with the touch of a button, and it's practically free.

Each pool and spa business should start its own online newsletter to keep its name fresh in clients' minds. If you do, in the short run, it can lead construction customers to your retail or service operation, if you have one. Even if your company just builds pools and spas, it makes sense because it helps generate more referrals. The newsletter can offer tips for using a pool or spa, or reminders when it's time to schedule an opening or closing.

9 IMPLEMENT A FOLLOW-UP MARKETING PROGRAM.

When I moved to Houston nine years ago, I got a Veterans Administration home loan. Since then, I've received at least two phone calls a month asking if I'd like to refinance with a lower rate mortgage loan. Eventually, I did refinance with one of the mortgage companies that called me.

Because mortgage companies work with such a high-value transaction, they will hunt down a lead and follow up with them again and again. There is an important lesson for spa and pool business owners here: Once you have a lead, continue to follow up with them until they buy. A study done by the International Association of Sales Executives showed that 81 percent of all sales happen on or after the fifth contact. If you just follow up with them twice, you're still missing a large percentage of the sales that you could've gotten if only you had continued to contact them.

Spa and pool businesses should implement a follow-up marketing program using direct mail and telemarketing with each and every lead that expresses interest in a spa or pool. Software such as ACT and Goldmine make this process very easy to do by tracking all leads and alerting you when it's time to perform a pre-defined follow-up marketing task.

10 PARTNER WITH CHARITIES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

If you've ever sat on the board of a nonprofit organization, you'll notice that many of the other members are lawyers, CPAs, consultants, financial advisers and the like. Why? Because these professionals know that volunteering their time in not-for-profit causes is a great way to get free exposure and help others at the same time.

Here in Houston, we have the No. 1 single-store furniture retailer in the world. The owner triples his advertising investment through all the free publicity he gets from supporting charitable causes. As I said earlier, people want to do business with those they know, like and trust. If they know that you support a good cause, they like you.

When you choose this route, find a charity or nonprofit organization that focuses on a cause you really care about. Otherwise, you won't give it your all and you may even grow to hate it. Besides, the publicity shouldn't be your only motivation.

Besides the free publicity you can get from helping a charity, a board of directors can expose you to many high-powered professionals who network with a lot of other people. Whenever you meet someone, put them in a contact file and follow up with them on a friendly basis. Make sure that they know who you are and what you do.

I have found that as your network grows, so does your influence. And as your influence grows, so does your business. As you continue to get involved in good causes, good things will happen in your personal and professional life.

Frey is owner of www.SpaPoolSuccess.com and author of a marketing system called "Recession-Proof Your Spa and Pool Business." He's also senior editor of a free on line marketing newsletter.

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