Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: hottublover on June 08, 2005, 03:07:00 pm
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Hi guys,
I'm new here, but not to the hot tub industry. I've
been consulting to the industry for some years.
I'm working with a large hot tub manufacturer and
am writing a special report for them called, "Dirty
Dealer Tricks."
I know that you guys are the pros and have "seen it
all" in terms of dirty tricks dealers use to get people
to buy their hot tubs.
Could I get your help?
Would you take a moment and list the TOP 3 dirty tricks
you've seen dealers do to get people to buy a hot tub.
Plus, I think this will be a great resource for people
who visit this forum.
Thanks
Hot Tub Lover
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The biggest gripe I have are the vagabonds who set up on the side of the road promoting "factory direct pricing" or taking "$6000 off on overstocked spas." They really get under my skin.
Terminator
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My personal favorite is holding their head under water until they say yes.
or
Hiring a privite investigator to dig up dirt on a customer, and then using that dirt as blackmail until they buy.
or
Just being a proffessional and letting the customer buy the spa on their own terms, when they are ready. I have a small mom and pop operation that prides on comfort levels of the customer. I always have that water trick to fall back on. ;)
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I think a big thing to me is vastly exaggerated Horse Power numbers that have nothing to do with water flow. warranty's that state lifetime guarantee without pointing that in most states that means 7 years or not really explaining that the warranty is pro rated .
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Just in rebuttle: What spa manufacturer would want a report written on the top 20 dirtiest tricks you can use to sell a spa?
I would imagine that all the dealers on this board would take offense to someone claiming that are sales tactics are touted as such "Dirty". IMO or is this manufacturer using this report to learn what other spa manufacturers are claiming or doing to boost their sales???
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How about the 'Buy the spa now for $7000 and in four years get $5000 back if you fill in all the paper work exactly right and send it in on exactly the right day(usually a full moon on a Wednesday in a month that ends in R but does not start with S, O, N or D)
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One of the worst dirty tricks is to post on a web board or two as somebody interested in learning some inside info on the tub industry.
Not many fall for it any more though...
;)
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One of the worst dirty tricks is to post on a web board or two as somebody interested in learning some inside info on the tub industry.
Not many fall for it any more though...
;)
only the slower ones .....opps
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One of the worst dirty tricks is to post on a web board or two as somebody interested in learning some inside info on the tub industry.
Not many fall for it any more though...
;)
I follow what your saying Chas, hence the old head under water and blackmail routine ;)
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Oh man don't get me started. I am shopping for a new tub and I'm currenty in the thick of the dealer's dirty tricks.
1) Dealer "A" offered to sell me factory balanced spa water to fill my tub for $3.99 a gal.
2) Dealer "B" made a pass at my wife. Kept telling her about the size of his "Master Blaster"
3) Dealer "C" would only allow us to do a wet test if he joined us and suits were "optional"
4) Dealer "D"'s tubs were filled with cheap, yummy vodka.
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Asking me what "dirty" tricks other dealers used to try to get me to buy their spa so that he could then use them on future customers.
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Isn't cheap yummy vodka an oxymoron?
Brewman
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4) Dealer "D"'s tubs were filled with cheap, yummy vodka
Yummy vodka which dealer had cheap yummy vodka in their hot tubs, and which ones had suits optional!? cause all the dealers I went to just wanted me to buy their hot tubs, and by the way, each and every one of the hot tub dealers I went to and yes I will mention them Bullfrog, Hot Springs, Caldera and Coleman were very very good dealers with super products and never ever ever used any dirty tatics to get me to buy a tub..I choose the Coleman for theraputic reasons
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Dealer "E" adds a fan and tin foil, and........
Oh, never mind.
Brewman
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The lies. No need to lie. Just about every dealer I visited wanted to tell me that their spa was THE BEST in the industry. Everybody here knows that THE BEST spa is the one that fits you best.
No posted prices. This leads the consumer to believe that the price is to be negotiated or that everyone gets a different price based on your haggling skills.
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#10 We have 15 horsepower
#9 We have 87 jets
#8 Our warranty is Forever
#7 We are the only one that does this
#6 We designed and developed this exclusive feature
#5 Everything is included
#4 We guarantee what you don't know
#3 Let me let you in on our secret special exclusive
#2 All Service is FREE
#1 The Sale Ends Today
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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The lies. No need to lie. Just about every dealer I visited wanted to tell me that their spa was THE BEST in the industry. Everybody here knows that THE BEST spa is the one that fits you best.
Not sure I'd go so far as to say a salesman is lying when they claim they are selling the best. That's just part of selling- you have to believe in what you sell.
Besides, try proving them wrong.
Brewman
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To answer your question....
I am a consultant to the industry.
I am writing a report for a major spa manufacturer.
I am not a spa salesperson.
I would like to know what tricks are used by spas
salespeople to close deals.
I am not posing to be anyone else than who I am.
And...I know that the smartest spa people hang out
on this board...so I'm just trying to get some honest
feedback from the people who know.
Nothing more.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do
appreciate it very much.
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And...I know that the smartest spa people hang out
on this board...so I'm just trying to get some honest
feedback from the people who know.
Now, he is kissing our a**.
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I think that's the dirty trick called "deny, divert, praise, restate" popularized by Bill Clinton. ;)
To answer your question....
I am a consultant to the industry.
I am writing a report for a major spa manufacturer.
I am not a spa salesperson.
I would like to know what tricks are used by spas
salespeople to close deals.
I am not posing to be anyone else than who I am.
And...I know that the smartest spa people hang out
on this board...so I'm just trying to get some honest
feedback from the people who know.
Nothing more.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do
appreciate it very much.
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I guess you are going to have to go to your manufacturers dealers personaly to find out what "dirty tricks" they use. The vast majority of us are professional sales people. If you think sales people in general use dirty tricks, then you already know what we do. My favorite dirty trick is...
Feature...
Benefit....
Graber....
Hmmm, where'd I get that from.......Hey Zig whatcha been up to lately?!
To answer your question....
I am a consultant to the industry.
I am writing a report for a major spa manufacturer.
I am not a spa salesperson.
I would like to know what tricks are used by spas
salespeople to close deals.
I am not posing to be anyone else than who I am.
And...I know that the smartest spa people hang out
on this board...so I'm just trying to get some honest
feedback from the people who know.
Nothing more.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do
appreciate it very much.
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I greatly respect the folks who regularly take their time to help people here, and I just don't see them digging up dirt for you. Why would you come to a board - populated with dealers and consumers who freely give of their time - and try to collect info which could very well make other dealers look bad?
If you will simply spend some of your own time reading posts here and on other boards, there are occasionally customers who pop up from time to time and report first-hand accounts of problems they encountered during the shopping and/or buying process.
Whether those problems were simple communications breakdowns or unrealistic expectations on the part of one of the parties involved will be up to you to decide.
But since you weren't there at the time these events happened, you might want to consider that the same people who couldn't keep their communication straight are now the ones telling you about the problems...
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WHY does this sound like the...
(http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/113508.1020.A.jpg)
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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I'm not in the spa business but I'm offended by this message. Most of the dealers here are honest and professional and don't need to pull "Dirty Tricks" to make a sell. Maybe you should hit the Fairgrounds or Spa Road shows.
To answer your question....
I am a consultant to the industry.
I am writing a report for a major spa manufacturer.
I am not a spa salesperson.
I would like to know what tricks are used by spas
salespeople to close deals.
I am not posing to be anyone else than who I am.
And...I know that the smartest spa people hang out
on this board...so I'm just trying to get some honest
feedback from the people who know.
Nothing more.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I do
appreciate it very much.
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I've stayed out of this one, but our post originator appears to be from the Houston, TX area.
FWIW.
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I've stayed out of this one, but our post originator appears to be from the Houston, TX area.
FWIW.
May we ask what manufacturer you are consulting for??? Sunbelt Spas corporate is in Houston???
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You can be a consultant and live anywhere you want. Trust me on that one.
Usually, you are close to the home base of a company, but you do not need to be especially if you are doing accounting consulting or computer/IT consulting.
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You can be a consultant and live anywhere you want. Trust me on that one.
Usually, you are close to the home base of a company, but you do not need to be especially if you are doing accounting consulting or computer/IT consulting.
Aint that that truth. I'm in the IT industry, and we're knee deep in consultants, few of which are from around here.
Brewman
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Huh...So this "major" spa manufacturer wants to know all the "tricks" on closing deals eh?
I suggest hottublover that if you have scanned this far down in the thread that you go back up a few and re-read the post from Chas.
Nothing better for our industry than a report on DEALERS DIRTY TRICKS! Why don't you add a section on "spa lung, entrapment, drowning in a spa and legionnaires disease while you're at it! ::)
Steve
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I've stayed out of this one, but our post originator appears to be from the Houston, TX area.
FWIW.
Wow Bill can you see us too!
What am I wearing? LOL
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Wow Bill can you see us too!
What am I wearing? LOL
Well, its a long way to North Dakota, but for some reason today I can't see past Millwaukee, WI. You aren't on the road are you?
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Pool and Spa show advertized as having 17 dealers competing for your business. You pay five bucks to get in and there is only one spa manufacturer represented, and one dealer selling them, and his store is sixty miles away.
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Truthfully, as a consumer I have not seen any dirty tricks. Consider this fourm, populated by people who are interested in the subject and who care enough to offer their time and advice to those seeking help. Does this look like fertile ground for learning about dirty tricks?
When I was shopping for my spa I went to several dealers and while each offered his arguments to differentiate his offerings, not one of them said a bad word about their competitors. Sort of like here. Opinions, arguments, features, benefits, all that - but dirty tricks - no.
I think if you are looking for dirty tricks you should look at terrorist activities, or perhaps Congress.
Regards,
Bill
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It would be our two illustrious spa companies pulling the safest hottubs in the industry with an absolute bogus ETL claim. ;)
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Then one time the Artic Salesman got me in a headlock and started giving me nuggies. Christ, was that humiliating....
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...... I remember, one time, at spa training camp ....
Come on, what manufacturer in their right mind would author or pay to have someone author a book like this. Hmmm, sounds kinda like that guy @ h***n spas in disguise once again.
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Whew!
I knew my subject title would evoke a response but
I'm sorry that the topic has touched such a nerve.
No problem...I understand.
My question was more for hot tob shoppers than
hot tub sales people. Again, I understand how
my question might offend some of you.
I apologize.
But I was asking the question in sincerity because I
really am doing a project for a spa manufacturer.
Thanks all the same.
P.S. I have been able to assimilate a lot of great info
from previous posts. Thanks gusy.
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how about pretending to be an international spa company ,but really you operate off of a chicken farm,where all the chickens have run away.but he forgot to clean up all the chicken s#!^.Compile that with alot of Bull$#!^ and your are in business! 8)
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Well Hottublover,
I think that this thread in of itself shows how many people are learly of Hot Tub Sales Folks.
Buying a hot tub is a luxary item, and for most of us a fairly significant amount of $. If you take the time and read through the years of info here, you will see/read what people have expereinced.
For the most part, it appears to me that you'll see similliar practices with hot tubs as in any industry:
- Overly assertive sales people and pressure for the sale
- Bait and switch on the tubs and products
- No standard pricing (with a new car i can look up the MSRP and Invoice prices and have a window to negotiate with the dealer based on thier individual costs).
- Fuzzy information: Foam vs TP, Cd vs UV Ozinators, 24 hour circ pump vs staged pumps,
Read. It's all here, you just need to see what's actually being said. Yove got several years and hundreds of instances. to work with. It's a gold mine.
You could also go in to Dealers as a customer and see for yourself.
But then again, you should know that. After all you're a "consultant" .
I will be more than happy to summarize this website and it's contents complete with graphs and charts for you. ...for a fee. You see. I'm a consultant too. :o
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hottublover,
did you appear at a spa manufacturers conference this past winter?
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Newbies now come so very well versed in the nuances and differences of our industry, they must have been shopping for a long time to know so much. ;D
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Here is a dealer dirty trick for your research books, you go in and pretend to be a shopper and show an interest in buying a spa and to try to pretend to be a consumer, but you're really there wasting someone else's time by letting them try to sell you on there product line while all the time you are trying to keep from laughing at what the sales person is saying. Then when they come to the trial close you put forth some good reasons why you are going to have to wait.
When they ask for your information, you give them some outrageous name and a dead letter address and bogus phone number, you collect all the printed material you can and you leave, laughing all the way to your car. ;D
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Here is a dealer dirty trick for your research books, you go in and pretend to be a shopper and show an interest in buying a spa and to try to pretend to be a consumer, but you're really there wasting someone else's time by letting them try to sell you on there product line while all the time you are trying to keep from laughing at what the sales person is saying. Then when they come to the trial close you put forth some good reasons why you are going to have to wait.
When they ask for your information, you give them some outrageous name and a dead letter address and bogus phone number, you collect all the printed material you can and you leave, laughing all the way to your car. ;D
Amen Brother 8)
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Newbies now come so very well versed in the nuances and differences of our industry, they must have been shopping for a long time to know so much. ;D
Huh J_McD. Perhaps I read your comment the wrong way, but, as someone who has a newbie tag under thier handle, I'm a bit put off by that comment. I wouldn't be too quick discredit someone's opinon and/or experience simply based on the time they've had a "registered" name in this particuliar site. :)
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another newbie here! 8)
True story: Went into the biggest spa dealer in Bloomington, salesperson "latched" on to me. Told me that the dimension 1 was the only spa that would fit through the door to bring it inside my home. Gave me WAY more tech BS info than I wanted- didnt even notice my boredom. I started walking away, saw another tub (islander), and inquired. Oh, that one WOULD fit through the door as well. Gave me a price- $3,000 cheaper than the first. I liked it- wanted wet test. Ooops. He made a mistake on the price. Now it was @ $500.00 MORE than the first spa. I walked out and never looked back.
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I walked out and never looked back
A smart consumer knows that their most effective power lies in their feet. :)
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legionnaires disease while you're at it! ::)
Steve
I was going to join the French Foreign Legion until I heard they had a disease.
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Drewman, didn't mean to offend you, just smoking you out. Come on how many people have a friend, that has a neighbor who has an artic that is a year and a half old, that gives endorsements.
That would be like someone hitting the lottery, oh and by the way somebody does win the lotter every day, but come on what are the odds?
Come on now, don't be offended, meet me on the back page and we'll have a beer with spaman. Any one else carr to join us, we can count our money and other stuff we get here.
I heard both Stuart and Chas got cars but they can't tell anyone. Bill threatened to take the keys back if Stuart didn't come back. ;D ;D