Best Pricing for a 2015 Bullfrog A8

[av8r]

That is a perfect explanation.  I always get full price on a single tub special order.  When I buy tubs I get them by the truckload which saves me money which I will pass along to the consumers.

It's interesting that our dealer was able to discount, on single, special orders, 3 different tub models at 3 different times in the last 3 months.  The next closest dealer offered the very same prices without haggling.

38% discount or better on all 3 tubs.

There's a *ton* of markup on these.  You just have to find a dealer who isn't trying to hit a home run on every sale.

[Hottubguy]

If the dealer truly understands his costs of doing business an ordered tub has a lower cost to the dealer than one that has sat on the floor for months. 

That is a perfect explanation.  I always get full price on a single tub special order.  When I buy tubs I get them by the truckload which saves me money which I will pass along to the consumers.

It's interesting that our dealer was able to discount, on single, special orders, 3 different tub models at 3 different times in the last 3 months.  The next closest dealer offered the very same prices without haggling.

38% discount or better on all 3 tubs.

There's a *ton* of markup on these.  You just have to find a dealer who isn't trying to hit a home run on every sale.

What do you mean by 38% discount?  Off MSRP or off some inflated starting number they give you?  I price my tubs aggressively but yeah I'm in this to make money so I'm not giving these things away. There isn't as much money in hot tub sales as you would think. If all I sold was hot tubs I'd have to raise my prices to account for my expenses. That's why so many dealers have to diversify into other things like pools, patio furniture or what not

[amy2421]

Our Jacuzzi "MSRP" was $19995 (CDN) and we paid about $12400 so that equates to a 38% discount, if you believe the MSRP which seems to be a moving target.

[av8r]

What do you mean by 38% discount?  Off MSRP or off some inflated starting number they give you?  I price my tubs aggressively but yeah I'm in this to make money so I'm not giving these things away. There isn't as much money in hot tub sales as you would think. If all I sold was hot tubs I'd have to raise my prices to account for my expenses. That's why so many dealers have to diversify into other things like pools, patio furniture or what not

MSRP which as Amy pointed out differs from one dealer to another and Bullfrog corporate was not willing to quote an actual hard number either.  Of the 4 dealers I spoke with, the MSRP on our tub only differed by a few hundred dollars.

[Hottubguy]

What do you mean by 38% discount?  Off MSRP or off some inflated starting number they give you?  I price my tubs aggressively but yeah I'm in this to make money so I'm not giving these things away. There isn't as much money in hot tub sales as you would think. If all I sold was hot tubs I'd have to raise my prices to account for my expenses. That's why so many dealers have to diversify into other things like pools, patio furniture or what not

MSRP which as Amy pointed out differs from one dealer to another and Bullfrog corporate was not willing to quote an actual hard number either.  Of the 4 dealers I spoke with, the MSRP on our tub only differed by a few hundred dollars.

MSRP doesn't really mean much. For some manufacturers it's legitimate but most are asinine prices.

[av8r]

What do you mean by 38% discount?  Off MSRP or off some inflated starting number they give you?  I price my tubs aggressively but yeah I'm in this to make money so I'm not giving these things away. There isn't as much money in hot tub sales as you would think. If all I sold was hot tubs I'd have to raise my prices to account for my expenses. That's why so many dealers have to diversify into other things like pools, patio furniture or what not

MSRP which as Amy pointed out differs from one dealer to another and Bullfrog corporate was not willing to quote an actual hard number either.  Of the 4 dealers I spoke with, the MSRP on our tub only differed by a few hundred dollars.

MSRP doesn't really mean much. For some manufacturers it's legitimate but most are asinine prices.

That's part of the problem.  Since the manufacturer won't disclose prices it encourages dealers to do whatever they want with prices which puts the consumer on the defense.  RV dealers used to do this all the time and I'm sure some still do.  All it does it breed an environment of contempt towards the dealers.  Really dumb business model.

[d00nut]

I think the business model will change soon enough.  It just takes one manufacturer to get brave enough to start doing it, then the others will follow suit. 

To your earlier comment av8r, this is not a high volume business.  And in low volume businesses, you have to make margin to provide service, or even stay in business.  Please do not assume that a dealer is ripping you off if you aren't buying it for cost.  For goodness sake, if I could provide service, pay the staff, and put food on my family's table while giving Bullfrog A8's away at 9k, 10k, or whatever you consumers think is "fair,"  I totally would!  I just simply can't. 

I don't try to hit a home run with every sale... which I think in your terms means... "screwing over the customer."  What I do try to do is make sure I make the margin I need to to keep the doors open, while making sure I remain competitive with the market.

I think your comments breed more contempt towards dealers than the manufacturers long-standing, and admittedly out-dated business model.

[av8r]

I think the business model will change soon enough.  It just takes one manufacturer to get brave enough to start doing it, then the others will follow suit. 

To your earlier comment av8r, this is not a high volume business.  And in low volume businesses, you have to make margin to provide service, or even stay in business.  Please do not assume that a dealer is ripping you off if you aren't buying it for cost.  For goodness sake, if I could provide service, pay the staff, and put food on my family's table while giving Bullfrog A8's away at 9k, 10k, or whatever you consumers think is "fair,"  I totally would!  I just simply can't. 

I don't try to hit a home run with every sale... which I think in your terms means... "screwing over the customer."  What I do try to do is make sure I make the margin I need to to keep the doors open, while making sure I remain competitive with the market.

I think your comments breed more contempt towards dealers than the manufacturers long-standing, and admittedly out-dated business model.

Your points are valid.  My experiences with this, while limited, were similar regardless of what brand the dealer carried.  Obfuscated information on MSRP, little discounting offered, many knew little about the details of the product they were selling or gave incorrect information even while they professed to have been a dealer of that brand for decades.  Today's consumer has access to so much information that many approach a large purchase like a vehicle or Spa by researching online, in forums like this one and by calling not only the dealers, but the manufacturer of the product.  While I realize not all consumers will research at the same level, the expectation by the dealer should be to prepare for them like they will.  Your point that these are low volume businesses only further supports this as when you get the opportunity to speak with a potential customer, you want to be the guy or gal who blows them away with your knowledge of the product, support, etc.  If you're not that person, someone else may be and is likely to get the sale.  This is how you remove pricing from the equation...or at least diminish its priority in the discussion.

Hitting a home run doesn't mean you screwed anyone.  If you're a dealer you should be able to determine the range of pricing you're able to live with and sell within that range.  Some sales will be home runs and some will be less.  The factors that determine the range will be different for each dealer, hence the ability for some to discount more.

I've found that if you look, you can find a dealer, no matter the product, who will work with you and find a price that allows them to sell a unit, make a profit and gain a new customer.  Since we bought our tub I have referred 4 people to our dealer, who is tiny and in the middle of nowhere.  2 of those people have bought tubs from him.  All 4 had never heard of BullFrog until I spoke to them.  Sometimes, you have to look beyond 1 sale to see the bigger picture.  My dealer recognized this and reaped the rewards.

When we were camping, I found a dealer that sold the brand of fifth wheel we liked and who offered to give us a deal.  Every dealer says that, right?  When we were ready to buy a year later I called around to the locals (including Campingworld a HUGE volume dealer) and got pricing. I went in to negotiate (cash, no trade) and found most dealers unwilling to discount much.  I called the dealer a few hours away who I had met and they offered an ordered unit for more than $5000 less than the locals.  Even the Campingworld guys said there is "no way I could buy it for that"  Well...we did buy it and subsequently bought 5 other campers from that same dealer over a 10 year period.  We also referred dozens of people there, many of whom bought campers and remain customers.  I'm sure some of those people also referred friends to the dealer...you get the idea.

Point is, there is always someone who will work with you.  Finding them might be a challenge, but they are out there.