November 27

What are the little piles of money you are leaving on your business ‘table’?

I have a delightful swimming pool at the rear of my cottage.  Being of the belief that I know something about chemicals and how bad they are for us – I have a pool that is fresh water, super low chlorine – and sparking clean.  I use a combination of low level silver and copper to keep it sparkling and safe – and add a cup of chlorine once a week just for insurance.

This week I was cleaning the filter box on the pool pump, and as I was removing the cover it snapped off.  Hmmm.  Bugger.  Then I realized that I wanted to increase the power of the pump anyway – so this was a great time to get a new pump – with more POWER!

Straight to my home office,  onto the web.  Hmmm.  Not many pool shops in Townsville have SEO – or at least not optimised to pool pumps.  Will try the Townsville Yellow Pages.

Picked an advert that was reasonable, and dialed the number.   A woman answered who sounded so ill that I thought she was going to expire right then.  She did not know much about pumps, and cut me off as she was trying to transfer me.  I hope she is ok.

I dialed the next number.  Spoke with a man who may have been the owner.  He seemed to know about pumps, suggested a model.  I suggested a bigger one, he said ok, included installation in the price – and we had a deal for it to be installed the next day.  Excellent.

Here is where the question about little piles of cash just sitting on the table – cash just waiting to be scooped up.  What else did I need if I needed a new pump?

If I had been asked right there and then what else I needed  -I would have remembered that I am low on chlorine [liquid sodium hyperchlorite].  I only use a little – but I am running out.  And my pool scooper net is pretty ratty.  And if he had asked if I had a Barracuda/Auto Cleaner thing – because he had a ‘combination deal’ when people buy a pump – there is a good chance I would say yes.

Today the technician came and installed the pump.  It is great.  An Onga.  Did he have a checklist to go over as he went through my pool yard?  Nope.  Did he notice that my resuscitation sign is very faded and needs replacing under the new legislation?  Nope.

He did tell me that every 12 months it is a good idea to get some seals on the pump replaced – or it will start to leak and corrode.  Great.  Did he offer to put a reminder into his system to contact me in 11 months to book in a service?  Nope.  Would I have done it?  Yep.

Did he give me a water test bottle or even a bucket with the pool shop name on it, and offer me free water testing instore, or information about pool service offers that their business does?  Nope.  Just an invoice and a CD-ROM from Onga about pool pumps.

I am not complaining about the service.  It was good.  I am saying that this business left a lot of (my)  money on the table.   Perhaps something will come in the mail, thanking me for doing business with them, perhaps a little gift, and even a discount offer for my next purchase to encourage me to engage them as my ‘pool shop’.

What nice little piles of cash are you leaving sitting on your business tables?  How much difference to your business would it make if every third person bought just one more item at each visit?

Have a great weekend

James

Ps not a surprise in this case – but was I asked how I came to choose this pool shop?  You know the answer.  And you know that if you dont know the source of each lead for a new customer that comes to you – then you are still in ‘marketing  kindergarten’.


Tags

Marketing, Profit, Townsville, Yellow pages


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