How many of the men out there have a remote control Helicopter or Car? How many of the women have spouses who have one?

Last weekend there was a new addition to my household: The SYMA S107 Gyro Metal Frame Coaxial 3 Channel Indoor Ready to Fly Helicopter. It reminds me of a Dragonfly -- one that has been hired by the FBI for a reconnaissance mission. It is quite fun.

It was sold before we ever walked into the store, so to be honest, the salesman didn't need any skills at all to convince us to part with our money. However, I thought his sales tactics were worth sharing with you:

• Not once was I addressed as a potential buyer. You notice how at the beginning of the email I didn't ask if any women had their own remote control vehicles? Apparently, toys of this nature only appeal to men...
• There was a lot of mumbo jumbo about batteries, charging, control, thrust, maneuverability and other such manly talk
• I did not get to try the toy out at the store. My "man" did.

Thank you, Phillip M. Perry, for publishing a very positive "Retail Forecast 2011" in Aqua Magazine. If you haven't had a chance to read the article yet, check it out at  

http://aquamagazine.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=2004&zoneid=21
 
I love it when the voice of our industry is shouting out positive numbers and headlines like "Economic recovery brings opportunities." I am DONE with doom and gloom, and I know you are too. It's time to move onwards and upwards.

According to the article, Retailers in almost every industry are expected to rebound with a projected 4.2% increase in sales. Reportedly, the "most important concern, though, is the low level of consumer confidence."

Well then, it seems to me that it is up to the Authority figures (Manufacturers, Retailers, Trade Magazines, etc) to ensure confidence is high and unchallenged. Admittedly, this may sound like something of a challenge, but luxury is always something people dream about and, if you can make your customer believe that luxury is attainable, they will love you for it. 

So, how can you increase consumer confidence in your business? There are a few DOs and DON'Ts that might help out:

DO give the impression that you are ready for business. When your customers come into your store, they need to see full shelves and smiling staff. Of course you have inventory concerns and staffing budgets, but you need to give the appearance that you expect business and are ready to provide for anything that may be requested.

Appearance is not always fact, but it goes a long way in comforting your customer. If you are restricting your inventory, make sure that all the product you have is at the front of your shelves and hangers, and not pushed all the way back leaving the space looking open and deserted. If you are short-staffed, make sure the few employees working are ready to greet customers as they come in, rather than playing around at the test station in the back. 

DO NOT give the impression that your business is struggling. Consumers are like wild animals, they can smell fear and will attack. You don't need to compromise your margins, but if a customer thinks they can push you against a wall because YOU need THEIR business, they will try. They can also smell desperation, and are likely to turn tail and run if they catch a whiff in your store.

DO promote your business. You don't have to spend a lot of money if you don't have it, but you do need to make sure that your customer base knows you are ready and waiting for their patronage. The more you can "show yourself," the more likely you are to have a full store. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars on expensive signage or advertisements, buy yourself a book on Guerrilla Marketing and find some cost effective and fun ways to promote your business.(Merry Wise has some great PR tips in a following article, which starts on page 20 of the issue. A digital copy can be found here:  http://www.aquamagazine.com/digitalissue/0211/)

DO NOT shy away from trying something new. This is a chance for new beginnings, and it is time you embraced change. Try out some new products, bring in some new display ideas, take a chance on a crazy marketing technique. Show off a bit. Get a little outrageous. Call attention to yourself. 

Give the consumer an undeniable reason to buy and they will buy. Create the impression that what you are offering is imperative to a happy, stress-free and well-rounded existence. Consumer confidence starts with you--if you don't have confidence in your business, why should they? 

I am sure you all read AQUA magazine faithfully. It is an incredibly well written industry publication, and I am not ashamed to admit that I am rather addicted to it.

The January issue has a fantastic article about eNewsletters. If you would like to read the whole thing, you can jump right on over to:

http://aquamagazine.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=1997&zoneid=34 

As you can tell, I myself am already a dedicated fan of writing emails to keep in touch with my customers. Reading that article was a great affirmation of my efforts.

For the most part, I agreed almost entirely with the article. However, I do think that it is important that everyone who is writing to a market conducts their own tests and trials, rather than accepting as gospel truth the word of ANY other authority. What works for me may not necessarily work for you. What works for Phillip E. Perry (the author) may not work for you.

For example, I 100% agree with point #1: Make it useful. If you don't have a purpose for connecting with your audience, don't waste their time. 

Point #2 I have a few alternative comments. "Make it Attractive" only works so far. First of all, with email programs like Constant Contact or any of the others mentioned in the article, there are pre-made templates you can use so that the writer can get away with having exactly NO design talent and still be able to send out a pretty, colorful email. In my experience, however, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I used to send out emails that looked more like print newsletters, with columns, and pictures, and the whole she-bang. Since I switched over to a plain design and just text, my statistics have skyrocketed! It really depends on your audience, I suppose.

The article also recommends you "Stay Newsy", Point #5, and that you shouldn't send out a newsletter more than twice a month. Again, I think it depends on what you have to say and who you are saying it to. For some markets, twice a month may be too much. In my case, I have found that the more often I write, the better reactions I get. You may be surprised to hear that I have THREE weekly letters that go out to three entirely different markets. I have found that my readers like what I am sending, and they are happy to hear from me more often. I have more than doubled my response rate since I increased my send-outs. (By the way, if this is NOT the case for you, and you think I email you way too often, you can opt out using the unsubscribe button at the bottom of this message. No hard feelings, I promise!)

The article is definitely a great read, and you should think long and hard about your connection and relationship with your clients. Find out what works for you, and do it!

I have been targeted by a lot of contests lately, and I have to tell you, I find it quite exciting. When I have a chance to win something...and it can really be just about anything...I all of a sudden have a strong and fervent desire to WIN!

I don't think I am alone. I may be one of the few who starts living my life according to the prize I am [not] guaranteed to win, but I think most people are fairly jazzed by the possibility of winning something. Especially if you can win something that you actually want, or need. 

It took a little while to sink in that this might be a great way to start increasing the excitement around my business, but eventually I decided to put it to the test. I am already running one contest (check out my Facebook page for details & to enter --http://www.facebook.com/liquidpoolcovers), and I have a real whopper of a contest coming up soon.

It turns out that it is almost as fun and exciting to host contests as it is to participate in them. Which leads me to a great idea for retailers:

Have a contest!

I am certain there are many things that you can give away as prizes, and when you start thinking about it, the ideas start pouring in. It is a great way to get your creative juices flowing! If you really think about it, you can almost always figure out a contest that is going to make sure your business comes out the biggest winner. 

For example, here are a few ideas that I came up with while writing this email:

• Coloring contest for kids! Every entry is a winner - 1 Ecosavr liquid pool cover fish per family (or 1 pool noodle, or 1 nerf football, etc.)
  • by getting kids involved in the fun of your store, they will want to come back more often, and encourage their parents to spend more money. Also, by getting customers to try a consumable product with a "free" one, they will likely get hooked and continue to buy it for future use.
• Like our Facebook Page - Every new "like" this week will be entered in a draw to win a FREE lunch!
  • A $10 - $20 coupon to a local deli will be well worth your investment if you are able to build a targeted audience on your Facebook page, where you can consistently market your great products and keep top-of-mind awareness
• Customer of the Month - every purchase of "X" product will get you entered to win a 1 month supply of "Y"
  • Recognition is a very powerful tool. Whoever wins customer of the month will feel like frequenting your store more often, because they feel special. You can encourage sales of a new product by highlighting a different qualifying purchase each month.

I need to tell you a little story, but first you need to know a background fact about Flexible Solutions:

We are a very pet friendly company. Our head office has 2 dogs who make sure we are always in high spirits and our Accounting Office has anywhere between 2 and 4 dogs and a cat! All of these pets are very friendly and usually very well behaved.

After hours, however, sometimes we like to have a little play time. At my office, we have one very large dog named Buckley, and one quite small guy named Finnigan. Every now and then we encourage a tug of war session between them (which is very humorous) or a game of tag.

During these times, they tend to forget their inside voices, and things can get a little bit loud.

The other day, about half an hour after we shut down for the evening we got a phone call. Now, technically, we were closed. But I am a bit of a keener, so I answered anyway. Never let a chance for customer service slip you by!

Just as I answered, however, a very exciting game of tag ensued and all of a sudden I was surrounded by very vocal dogs! I couldn't hear a word from the other end of the phone. Of course, I quickly ran into another office to take the call in a more appropriate environment. I was so embarrassed and incredibly apologetic!

Did the customer lose faith in us as a company? Did they hang up out of frustration? Am I forever branded as the “dog girl?” Not in the least! (Well, possibly the last one...)

In fact, my new customer loved it! We spent a good few minutes discussing our pets and furry friends and he kept telling me how much it meant to hear that we are a pet friendly company. It actually raised the bar for us!

This isn't the first time our office has attracted new business thanks to our “Floor Managers.” Multiple times each day passersby stop by the window to coo at Buckley and Finnigan and many come in when they otherwise wouldn't have.

Do I detect a sales tactic?

We are in a family industry, being part of the pool business, and many families out there include and are very much defined by their four-legged additions. Does your store attract families of all varieties? Have you ever considered welcoming pets into your premises?

Now, I definitely don't want you bringing in a kennel full of dogs and saying “Monique told me to!” But it just may be a strategic move to start promoting a “Bring your pet shopping” day, or have a store mascot come welcome visitors every now and then. You might just be able to encourage new shoppers into your store with a nice, wet kiss!

For all of you who will not get the chance to stop by our Head Office to meet Buckley and Finnigan, I have posted their pictures and job descriptions on our Facebook Page. You can meet them here: http://www.facebook.com/LiquidPoolCovers. You will have to “Like” our page first, but then just check out our Photo section. I warn you though, you may just fall in love!

If you bring your pets to work, share your pictures and stories on my Page too. Better yet, post them here! After all, they're part of the family, right?

I just finished reading an article about converting leads into customers.

Conversion is a word that is thrown around in the marketing world with abandon, and can actually make or
break a company. Unfortunately most of us don't have a clue what our conversion rates are, or even how to begin tracking them.

I must confess, if I were questioned about my conversion rates, I would stutter and stammer and try to
find a viable, intelligent sounding excuse.

Conversion is the process of turning a lead into a customer, or a warmer lead at the very least. There can
be many steps in converting a lead into a paying client and it is very important we don't lose track of our prospects somewhere in the sales funnel.

Where do you get your leads from?

When someone finds your website, what happens? Anyone on your site is a lead – cold, hot or otherwise.
You should have something in place to usher them forward to the next step in the sales process, whether or not you are personally involved yet. For example, perhaps you have an opt-in email list advertised on your website. Your conversion rate would then be calculated by how many people land on your site, and how many of those people opt-in to your email list.

The higher you can get this ratio the better.

Once you have their email address, make sure you utilize your list by creating constant contact with them,
and encouraging them to convert from a “reader” to a “buyer.” This is yet another conversion factor.

In each marketing piece that you create and send out, you must include a call to action. You must delicately,
but obviously, instruct your lead on how to act next. If you want to convert a lead, you have to help them along and guide them to the conversion.

We could all use new ideas on conversion tactics; please share your best and worst stories here!

I have recently been reading a lot about Tailgating – the age old tradition of hanging out in a parking lot, drinking, eating and having a gay old time. Generally enjoyed before and after a sporting event.

Tailgating is very popular, I hear, and I can completely understand why. The team spirit, the good friends and new friends, the food and beverages...a complete recipe for success!

It got me thinking: how can your average retailer capitalize on the Tailgating philosophy?

It actually wouldn't be very hard.

First, create a sporting event that will excite the masses. A Pool Noodle Jousting Tournament, for
example. Get a couple of bikes and helmets donated from your staff members, set up a fence, appoint a referee and set them loose!

Have a BBQ with proceeds going to a local charity, 50/50 draws for pool prizes, a school team selling
popcorn and hot chocolate and your local radio station to DJ the event. You can probably invite local businesses to pitch in with prizes and treats for the event.

Make sure everyone sets up their vehicles so that the true spirit of tailgating can be endorsed, with
the added benefit of creating a wind-shield for the festivities. Hand out 10% off cards and have specials on items that sell well in cooler weather. Have your staff all involved, casually talking up various products that you may have on display.

It would be a smash hit! I would go and I, regrettably, don't even own a pool!

I'm sure you can come up with more tailgating ideas, and when you have a parking lot party for your
store, I hope you share the results and the story with us!

Winter has hit North America, whether we choose to believe it or not.

For some, winter means snow days, skiing, hot chocolate and ice skating. For others, it means being forced to wear a windbreaker and full length pants. Whatever winter means to you, I think I can safely assume it means having to heat swimming pools in order to retain comfortable water temperatures.

Around the world, indoor pools are seeing a spike in traffic, and outdoor pools are closing their doors. If your residential clients have indoor pools, you have the year-round task of keeping their costs as low as possible and their effort levels similarly minimal. If you live in a part of the world where outdoor pools are still being used, you will be consistently called on to offer solutions to keeping the heat in the pool.

I have been reading articles lately that talk about the invigorating quality of cool pool water. Others suggest increasing the temperature of the water so it is almost spa-like, encouraging pool owners to throw the concept of winter in the face of Mother Nature.

I am sure your customers fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Pool owners would love the ability
to make use of their large investment year-round and, as their trusted adviser for everything pool related, it is up to you to supply them with the means to doing so.

What do you recommend?

Heat pumps and solar systems? Fantastic idea for any clients who retain a good deal of sunshine during the
day, and whose evenings are cool, but not freezing. Pair this solution with a liquid pool cover for best results, and Floridians and Californians will be ecstatic.

What about the folks up in Maine, or over in Montana? A solar system isn't going to do the trick for them,
I don't think. All of the big pool heater manufacturers — and many of the smaller ones — offer energy efficient heaters that will keep the water warm without heart-attack inducing energy bills. Again, using a pool cover is key so that the heat created is not immediately lost to the elements.

Indoor pools will probably experience increased condensation due to the much cooler outdoor temperature
and, rather than cranking up the indoor heat to compensate, you can suggest a good, energy efficient dehumidifier and, yes, again a liquid pool cover.

What else would you recommend? Share your advice here and help keep swimming pools open year-round!

Happy Thanksgiving, and warm wishes for the winter.

At the Pool | Spa | Patio Show in Las Vegas, I was frequently asked about my marketing efforts. It seems that many of you remember me from my emails, blogs, Tweets and Facebook page.

I can't tell you howGREAT that is! In fact, I kept getting asked if I was the owner of the company. That brought a few wry glances because from Grant Moonie (my boss!).

Nope. Certainly not. But I put myself out there forpeople to relate to. To connect with. I have become the "face" of Liquid Pool Covers because I try to be personal in a world where everything has become corporate mumbo jumbo and sales directives.

Although Ialways try to be professional and to represent Flexible Solutions well, I also make it a point to "be real." I am not perfect. You are not perfect. The people buying and using my products are not perfect.

Ihave said before that shoppers are beginning to demand a viable alternative to "face-to-face" time in stores because much of their decision-making-process is now done online. By offering a personality online that shoppers can relate to, I have provided an alternative. And I am remembered for it.

Unfortunately, old habits die hard. A lotof business owners are stuck in the mind-set that if you release any
material to the public, it better be perfect!

Are you Paralyzed by Perfection?

If you want to know why my marketing is so effective, I can tell you in one simple statement (channeling Nike all the way)

I just did it.

You don't have to agonize over getting ever word just right, and every message absolutely perfect. You just need to make a connection.Create a relationship. People will want to work with you if they feel like they know the real you, not the corporate front. Just start putting yourself out there, and you will have more followers that you know what to do with before you know it.

As many of you know, last week I was on a business trip in LAS VEGAS! The Pool | Spa | Patio Expo, of course.

I learned a lot, let me tell you. This is the 4^th year in a row that I have been there for the show and it is always enlightening, so to speak.

(A little aside before I get started, I went to see the Cirque de Soleil production of Viva Elvis. FANTASTIC! You are reading the words of a BIG Elvis fan, in case you didn't know. Love him. The next time you are in Vegas, make a point to see this show, it is well worth it!)

If you are into selling or marketing of anything at all, Vegas is one of the most exciting training grounds you will ever experience. And I am NOT talking about attending a conference. I am talking about honest to goodness, hands-on experience.

I mean, think about it...is there anywhere else in the world that you can experience such an extreme variety of sales and marketing techniques? Every street corner there are hawkers selling everything from Frozen Ice Cream to Sex. (Shocking, right!?)

It is quite warm there still, so every time we walked across the hotel-to-hotel walkways there were 5ish people selling water bottles. Fantastic idea!

The restaurants all have gift shops attached, each block with have the best and the cheapest of every product you can imagine, there is a show for every age group, gender and humor category so far discovered. Talk about diversification!

One morning we had breakfast at a particularly Rockin' venue and a few hours later we saw our server out passing out free drink tickets in a Hotel about 3 blocks down.

Think about it:

• how far would you be willing to market your business?

• Would you think to go right into the HOME OF YOUR COMPETITOR?

• Are you putting your business out there in a variety of medias, so that you can attract traffic from a variety of places / sources?

The next time your sales / marketing is waning, take a trip to Vegas. Bring a camera and a notebook and be prepared to think outside the box.

Did you happen to catch last week's episode of The Office? (It played on Oct 21, 2010)

If you are a fan and haven't watched it yet, stop reading this email and refer back to it when you have watched the episode — spoiler alert!

For those of you who watched it, or those of you who will never watch it, here is a very brief recap:

Michael, Jim and Dwight are outsold by a GREAT salesman and they a) try to “steal” his techniques and then, when they fail utterly, b) “steal” him from his current
employer.

I am a TV talker on the best of days and watching particular episode I was loudly involved.

Dissecting this show will, without a doubt, make you a better sales person. So, lets dissect.

1. Jim & Dwight have a meeting with a client and they see their most fierce competitor in the waiting room. They get psyched out and call in Michael. Dwight tries
   to antagonize and threaten the competitor; Jim is embarrassed.
   Michael is embarrassing. In the meeting, before even listening to
   the client, Micheal offers to sell at price to retain his loyalty.

What NOT to do:

• don't harrass or threaten your competition. It makes it obvious to everyone that they are a threat to you, and that is NOT the reputation you want to build for
  yourself

• don't let your competition get under your skin. Watch, learn and adapt.

• DON'T ever give away your whole margin unless it's going to REALLY pay off. A whole year's worth of product at cost is NOT a healthy decision for your company. You need
  a better plan of action for customer loyalty. Back to the drawing
  board, folks.

2. Micheal, Jim and Dwight decide to trick the competing salesman, Danny, into revealing his sales tricks so that they can steal them.

What is WRONG with this situation?

• If you have to trick your competitor into revealing their sales secrets, you could probably better spend your time and energy on getting some REAL sales
  coaching. Learn how to sell your own products better, rather than
  copying what others are doing.

• Sales should never be about “tricks”. Sell honestly and your customers will recognize your integrity and stick with you.

3. When Micheal, Jim and Dwight learn ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about salesmanship from their sad little ruse, Micheal offers Danny a job.

What can you LEARN from this?

• actually, this is the first SMART thing Micheal did all episode (even considering he finally learned how to ride a bike without training wheels). There is a popular
  cliché, “Can't beat 'em, join 'em”. I strongly suggest taking
  this with a grain of salt, but if there is a great employee out
  there, why not ask them to join your team? Ironically, Micheal had
  to conduct some pretty impressive and HONEST sales speak to get
  Danny to agree. If only he was this REAL when trying to gain
  clients.

4. Jim, Dwight and the rest of the Dunder Mifflin sales staff get furious at Micheal for hiring someone who is going to steal their sales.

What BEHAVIOUR should be left behind in Grade School?

• If you think there is someone on your TEAM who is a great sales person, try learning from them rather than viewing them as a threat. Friendly competition encourages us
  all to improve ourselves and our skill sets.

Oh boy. One of my favorite things about being in the sales industry is that there are always people doing really stupid things that you can learn from and NOT do.

Being great at salesmanship is very important, but it is almost as important to be selling products you believe in, stand behind and, of course, make money on. Don't go
giving away your margins, for goodness sakes!

Happy selling!

Last week I emphasized the importance of personalizing your business, online and offline. One of the quickest and easiest ways to garner a feeling of trust from your customers is to offer up a piece of yourself for the taking. If you let them see you as a person, not a
corporation, they will begin to realize that you are not much different from them, and will become more comfortable with you.

I got some great comments back, and I want to thank everyone who offered up their opinions. One thing that seemed to be very important to you is to distinguish between what part the Internet has to play versus what your retail business is responsible for.

Many of you understand that the first step in just about any buying process these days is to hop on to Google.com. Some comments, however, indicated that it is really the “human
aspect” that is important to your customers.

I will whole-heartedly agree that your loyal customers would probably take your opinion and help over the Internet's every day of the week and twice on Sunday. YOU are what they are buying; the products and services are merely take-aways.

I will also firmly attest that it is much more lucrative to KEEP a customer than it is to GAIN new ones. New customers are much more expensive, when you really get down to it. Business 101.

But.

Does that mean you don't care about getting new customers? Of course not!

Unfortunately, it is no longer the norm for people to walk into 10 different stores to make their decision based on personality. Instead, most shoppers (who are your potential new clients) will start online, and only end up in your store if they like what they have seen by searching Google.

So that brings me back to my #1 point from last week: “Your products, your services, your staff...all online. The real question is how true is all this information?” And, following that, how enticing is that information, on your behalf?

Are you monitoring your online presence through tools such as Google Alerts or SocialOomph (Twitter Alerts)? Do you know what people are saying about you?

Are you even online for people to find you? Are you listed in Google Places, MerchantCircle, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs and all the other places your clients are searching?

If a local customer search for a service you offer, will your business show up? If yes, will it be a good enough result to make them drive over to your store to meet you in person, or at least pick up the phone to talk to you?

These are all very important questions you need to be asking yourself. If “no” comes up any more frequently than once or twice, you may need to think of ways to make sure your personality makes it online.

PS: If you need help with any of the online options mentioned in this email, I want to suggest checking out PoolInfoSite.com. I am NOT affiliated with this site, nor am I getting any kickback from it. I did, however, sit in on a webinar about it a few days ago, and I sincerely believe it will be the saving
grace of many a Pool Company over the next few years. Again, I am not a member or an affiliate, but if I were you, I would give it a look over and take the possibility of membership very seriously.

One of the lessons that is repeatedly emphasized by all of the Sales trainers and Marketing masters out there is the importance of personalizing your business.

As the world started to convert more and more time to online interactions 2 things happened:

1) everything became easier to get / learn / "know". The Internet can educate people on just about every subject, creating an environment that will sometimes help you, and sometimes bring you great distress. Your products, your services, your staff...all online. The real question is how true is all this information?

I will elaborate on point number 1 next week, but right now I want to focus on the 2nd thing that the Internet Revolution as done to human life:

2) people began to lose touch in a very literal sense. I know every retailer out there has had at least one moment (and probably a great deal more!) where they have cursed online shopping carts and everything they represent.

As people began to spend a huge portion of their lives online, the physical element of a hand shake disappeared and symbols began to replace a warm smile. :-)

But now...people want the personal back. I am tired of not knowing anything real about anyone / anything online, aren't you? Also, the reality is that we can't always trust what we read online.

So these days, even though the global community is certainly NOT moving offline, people are demanding more personal interactions. Social media, you've all heard of it.

People are demanding personalization; they want to get to know YOU before the decide to trust YOU. This is true both online and offline.

If you look around your business today, what can you pick out that screams your name, your personality, YOU?

The next time you get your hair cut, look around the salon and ask yourself why you have chosen to go there. Stylist are notorious for being incredibly personal and you know what? Even the people who complain about chatty Kathy's tend to be loyal customers for years, sometimes for life. My Grandma has been going to the same stylist my entire life, even after she moved an hour away. Why? Because she knows and trusts her.

That trust has to start somewhere, and that is by personalizing your business and offering pieces of yourself for the world to see. Online that might mean a profile picture and an great bio. Possibly presenting your company in a way that feels natural, instead of "corporate." In your store it might mean a welcome sign that you wrote on poster board or an "I recommend" product section.

What are some other ways you can personalize your business?

By now, your store is set up to capitalize on all sorts of Niche Products, right? Green products, new products, safety products...you've got it covered!

There is one final niche that I am going to talk about that you may not have considered marketing for and that may encompass any of the previous three ideas.

Current events.

Now, I realize that I am stretching it a bit here, to say that current events could possibly be a “niche product”, but hear me out.

You maybe aren't going to exactly sell current events, but you sure can use current events to sell any niche
products you have on your shelves right now.

Let's delve into it a bit, shall we?

First of all, people, by nature, love gossip. Whether you are male or female or willing to admit it or not, people love Hot Gossip. Current events serve as a popular and socially acceptable form of gossip. You can consider them on a local, national or even global scale and, if the topic is hot enough, it will be spread with gusto — just like high school kiss 'n tell.

So how can you capitalize on current events? Well, you have to keep aware of what is going on around you, first and foremost.

If you can do that, you are well on your way to being THE place people go to talk about the newest trends while they fill their baskets.

Start a “Did You Know” flier that you can print out on your company printer and tuck into customer bags as they pass through your tills. Make sure your staff knows what's up that week and encourage them to verbalize the Hot Topic to customers as they browse.

Did you know this was the warmest weather Example Town has ever had at this time of year? In all of history!? You might want to grab one of our fun float umbrellas and some extra sun tan lotion!

Did you see the front page in the Example Times the other day? Frogs are becoming endangered so quickly scientists are saying that a new species disappears every day!? Its so sad; I'm glad Critter Skimmers are one of our biggest sellers! Have you got one for your pool yet?

Did you know my daughter told me that over 50% of her graduating class has you shop at a plus size store for their grad dresses!? I have a feeling we are going to be selling a lot of water weights this year!

Be creative. Play on the social conscious. Play on emotions. Make people feel like the HAVE to get what you are selling, or else the news is going to be about them! Solve the problems they don't even know they have. Because we are talking about current
events, I have to tell you that this kind of “Niche” is greatly enhance by social media networking.

if you are focusing on Heat Pumps because your state just hiked up the price of gas, your store will become famous if you can use a few strategic headlines thrown out to your Twitter followers, your Facebook fans and your Blog readers.

Get on Craigslist and post a group discussion if you don't have a blog. Or use the Events section to announce your special training session on “Reducing Water Born Diseases in 3 simple steps.”

If you really don't do online marketing, you can use signage instead. Do it Guerrilla style to keep your expenses under control by getting your employees to decorate a poster board with a Headline like “Do you know how to save neighborhood pets from drowning in your pool, while your on vacation? Ask us about the Pet Ramp!

Be creative, but stayed informed!

Have you ever noticed that, when you are watching television, you quite often really despise commercial
breaks? Have you ever noticed that, some days, the commercials actually seem to call out your name and get you really excited?

This is my experience, if you care to hear about it. Let's say I am watching an evening sitcom like, The Office. Love the show, hate the commercials. They get really loud and I always feel like they are the same old, same old.

On the other hand, when I am relaxing on a Sunday watching my favorite Home and Garden shows, I find myself
getting rather excited when certain commercials come on. Sometimes I am even motivated enough to hop off the couch, run the the nearest hardware store and buy that Have-To-Have-It item I just saw on T.V.

Why the difference? Target markets. The Office has a extremely diverse viewership so all the companies selling products that appeal to the masses (Cars, Fast Food, Furniture, etc.) advertise here and sell to everyone.

However an HGTV program about Home Renovations has a much more targetable audience. So the commercials they play on that channel cater to the views “Hot” buttons more efficiently.

Why am I telling you this? Because you need to find your own method of targeting the “hot” buttons for all the customers that come in your store. Profiling has its benefits, let me tell you!

Let's talk about New Products for a moment. The commercials I get most excited about are ones I haven't seen before that promote a product that is new (or at least new to me) and exciting. New is “Hot.”

Push your customers buttons by featuring new products so that, as soon as they walk in your store, they get excited and ready to buy. Signage, displays and strategically placing your products will create a buzz in your store, helping you capitalize on a “hot” product.

The two most important things to keep in mind are,

1. Cater to your audience. Make sure that what you are honing in on is something that will make them
   vibrate with excitement, not something that they see everyday that appeals to the masses. You are serving pool owners. Make a splash!

2. Keep it exciting. Don't let them channel surf during commercials, capture their attention and hold it!

There are probably enough new products out there at any given time to allow you to be strategic. Everybody
is going to make sure they buy their staples, so focusing in on an old standby may be a great reminder, but probably won't act as an up-sell. However, highlighting a cool new toy, or Spa Fragrance or adorable little pool cover fish may just encourage some add-on sales that will bring some very welcome extra income.

In my last post, I talked about focusing on Green products and capitalizing on their “hot” reputation.

When you think of the pool industry in the media right now, what is the first thing that you can think ofthat is being talked about?

For me, it is without a doubt safety. All types of media outlets are ranting and raving about the VGB andchildren drowning and harmful chemicals in pool water. Sounds prettysevere, don't you think?

But, you can use even these negative outlooks to your advantage.

Pool safety has become somewhat notorious lately, and I think it started mainly with the VirginiaGraeme-Baker tragedy. With the introduction of the VGB Act pool usershave all of a sudden decided to sit up and take notice. Safety hasalways been a concern, of course, but now it is a worthy publicissue. Something to talk about that is, dare I say it, politicallycharged?

So, how to play this to your advantage without sounding completely heartless and capitalistic?

Social Consciousness. Everyone wants to feel like they are doing the “right thing”, the sociallyacceptable thing. Not to mention the safe thing. Hot topic or not,people want a safe swimming pool. Think back to that last mom you hadin your store who was looking at a new product. What was the firstthing she asked? “Is it safe? I have kids.” Safety first!

If you care about your bottom line, you are going to ensure that your customers are getting the safestproducts available, if for no other reason than simply to protectyour own behind. But if you care about your customers, which I knowyou do, that you are going to want to sell them the safest productsavailable because they are the best.

You may have specific safety products: fences, safety covers, alarms, etc.

But that doesn't mean you can't attribute “safety” to many other products you carry. Talk it up!If you sell Ecosavr and Heatsavr you can show your customers that themanufacturer offers over 20 years of proven safety tests. I am sureyou can find many other manufacturers who have similar data. Offerit. Or at least talk about it!

You need to be careful that by showing one products as “safe” you aren't implying that another is“unsafe”, unless of course you purposely don't carry that productbecause it is not proven to be safe. But that doesn't mean you can'teducate your clientele on the benefits of product lines that mightincrease the safety of their pool areas.

When a new product comes in, make sure you advertise why your customers should be buying it, and it may justbe a great idea to highlight in big, bold lettering its safetyfeatures.

To sum it all up: play up safety. It is a BIG BIG BIG BIG selling feature.

You may not keep up on Paris Hilton's daily life, but I would be astonished if there is a single person left in North America who does not know who she is. She has made the term “hot,” hot.

I would like to discuss “Niche” marketing with you. Paris Hilton is a Niche entertainer. She has found a way to capitalize on her targeted market. I want to help you capitalize on your targeted market with Niche products.

We are going to start with the Green Niche: green technology, green products, green marketing, green selling!!!

Why is Green so “hot”?

Financially green products tend to save money by way of reducing consumption of costly resources like energy and water.

This in turn appeals to Environmentalists who want to conserve those very same resources. Socially, this is a respectable goal.

Green solutions are also becoming a Legally hot Topic. Governments are legislating green initiatives left, right and center. This may be to exude a progressive persona to the global environment, or simply to save depleting resources. It doesn't really matter why, so long as it is “hot”.

So how can you capitalize on this “hot” trend?

Well, for starters, you can talk about all the Green products you carry and services you offer. Make sure that all your employees know and understand why each product line is environmentally friendly and that they can compare the efficiencies of various products / services.

Try living green, at least within your company. Invest in re-usable bags (which can be personalized with your logo and / or company information to increase your marketing efforts at the same time!) Do you have a coffee
station? Offer to donate the grinds upon request for fertilizer in your customers gardens. Advertise yourself as a recycling facility for customers who don't have a neighborhood pickup.

You can also “Feature” green products with designated displays, galleries, and signage. Better yet, you can organize a “GREEN SECTION” within your store.

Why not start teaching it? Offer seminars and educational sessions about the importance of going green. This will give you the opportunity to focus on specific product lines; I recommend emphasizing how it will benefit the
consumer, of course. Perhaps you can have a “Green Day” every week, or a “Green Week” every month.

You can offer digital materials comparing product lines. Get your employees to wear green; bring in green cupcakes, blow up some green balloons. You get the picture.

Let the Green begin!