Hot Tub Forum
Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: East_TX_Spa on January 23, 2006, 11:54:09 am
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When ya'll were shopping for spas, what were some of the nicer showrooms like and what did you like about them?
I'm in the process of redesigning my store and am open to some input as to what the customer's like.
I've already got a beer and wine cooler and a cigar humidor. I have a large deck and a two-spa mood room. Got a 42-inch plasma TV, surround sound, and chimnea. Any other ideas?
Terminator
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That sounds real nice Term.
I'd make sure the changing area is just as nice (CLEAN).
Another thing I appreciate is an organized showroom. There is a D-1 dealer near me, and I get a head ache just walking into the place. The store itself is impossible to navigate. Tubs are cramed in willy-nilly amongst patio furniture, and grills. It's a mess. You can't walk around some of the tubs, or you get lead into a dead end. I'm getting P.Offed just thinking about it.
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One thing that was stressed at the recent dealer meeting I attended was to have pathways through the store, sort of like walking along a garden path. I can see where that would be aggravating to feel like your shopping at someone's garage sale.
Terminator
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oh yea....Tammy. ;)
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oh yea....Tammy. Â ;)
Just hired a new one named Hannah. She's 5'10, has dark hair, and her mom and dad own a 2006 Vanguard.
Holly recently moved to California. :(
Terminator
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I've already got a beer and wine cooler and a cigar humidor. Â I have a large deck and a two-spa mood room. Â Got a 42-inch plasma TV, surround sound, and chimnea. Â Any other ideas?
Terminator
That sounds like a nice place to watch the Super Bowl!
Don't forget the gun cabinet!! ;D ;D
drprwnap 8)
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Don't forget the gun cabinet!! Â ;D ;D
drprwnap  8)
Nah, we just leave them lying around so the kids will have something to do while the parents shop.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/DSC00936.jpg)
Terminator (Doin' it for the childrens)
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If anyone needs any ideas on showroom designs please visit our website at www.texashottubs.com and click the link Showroom. We were fortunate enough to win Showroom of the Year for Caldera Spas in 2004. We actually did a lot of the designing, painting, and lighting ourselves. We did a stamped concrete pathway for easy viewing of each spa. Colors are really important also when deciding on your showroom design. You want to make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible for the consumer. We also offer Popcorn, and refreshments to each customer that walks in the door. Customers like to eat and shop!
Hope it helps! :D
Laura
Texas Hot Tubs
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Hi Laura! Â How's the baby-making business coming?
The new website and the showroom pics are FANTASTIC!
I'm jealous.
Terminator
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My Arctic dealer serves customers the Pepsi or Coke of their choice. A bag of chips or pretzels too. It makes the customer feel like a king and it puts a smile on your face.
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Nah, we just leave them lying around so the kids will have something to do while the parents shop.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/DSC00936.jpg)
Terminator (Doin' it for the childrens)
Is the shark a .38 or .357?
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Is the shark a .38 or .357?
You'll love this: It's got a frickin' laser beam attached to it's head.
Terminator
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You'll love this: It's got a frickin' laser beam attached to it's head.
Terminator
I'm so excited I can't get up from my desk at the present moment.
Frickin lasers beams. I knew it.
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My dealer also sold patio furniture and gazebos. Some of the spas were displayed with the gazebos. The furniture and plants were arranged around the spas, with the umbrellas open. Brochures and color charts were on the tables for easy access. It just made for a nice place to sit and discuss a sale or to relax. I hate buying stuff where you are wisked off to some back room for the sale. This was nice because I could sit and admire the tub I was buying while placing the order.
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Here is a link to what I think is the nicest showroom in Columbus- http://www.allseasonsspas.net/gallery.html There is a link to a 360 degree view that is pretty nice. Many of the showrooms around here have a real warehouse appearance to them. This one looks very purpose built and while always shiny and clean has a look that it has been around awhile.
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My dealer sold both D-1 and Caldera. He had it arranged so that you could compare the similar models of each line. That way you didn't need to walk everywhere to compare. It is frustrating to look at the price range/style you are looking for and have it be next to something totally different. It kept me focused and able to make a good comparative decision.
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Here is a link to what I think is the nicest showroom in Columbus
WOW, that is a nice showroom. Crap, now I'm just depressed.....
Terminator
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There are five dealers in my town. One sells QCA spas and the place is pretty much a warehouse layout.
One dealer sells Sundance and they have a pretty professional layout with a very modern look.
Another dealer sells Hotspring and they have a very small indoor space that is sort of old and not modernized and they have an outdoor display that is pretty nice.
The Dimension I dealer also sells patio furniture, grills, sofas and furniture so they have only three spas on display sort of thrown in with the mix.
The last dealer has a Caldera shop in my town and a Hotspring shop about 30 minutes south. Also looks more like a warehouse layout except their floors are carpeted.
I would definitely say that Sundance has the best showroom in Cedar Rapids. I walked in the other day and I felt good about their display and their spas. Only drawback is the sales person is brand new and I knew more about spas than she did. Scary!!!
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If anyone needs any ideas on showroom designs please visit our website at www.texashottubs.com and click the link Showroom. Â We were fortunate enough to win Showroom of the Year for Caldera Spas in 2004. Â We actually did a lot of the designing, painting, and lighting ourselves. Â We did a stamped concrete pathway for easy viewing of each spa. Â Colors are really important also when deciding on your showroom design. Â You want to make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible for the consumer. Â We also offer Popcorn, and refreshments to each customer that walks in the door. Â Customers like to eat and shop!
Hope it helps! :D
Laura
Texas Hot Tubs
Beautiful showroom, I too am envious, I used to have a nice showroom till my boss decided to sell a bunch of other stuff, so now I am clutered with furniture and barbees which take up precious spa room, I have had to reduce my floor models to make room, I'm bitter & twisted about it as you can tell!
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If I were a former Royal Navy Chief and I had to sell Barbies, I'd be bitter and twisted, too!
Terminator
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I keep telling my chief " we need bigger guns and more of them", maybe this will convince him. lol
Nah, we just leave them lying around so the kids will have something to do while the parents shop.
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/EastTexasSpa/DSC00936.jpg)
Terminator (Doin' it for the childrens)
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Just tools of the trade, my friend. Every hot tub dealer has them.
Actually, those are just my 7 year old daughter's toys, for the most part.
Terminator
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If I were a former Royal Navy Chief and I had to sell Barbies, I'd be bitter and twisted, too!
Terminator
The way things are going we may as well bring in the new Barbie line :-[
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...In the Changing Room: plenty of hooks and/or shelves to hang clothes, towels, etc. while wet testing!!! >:(
Phil
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Thanks Chris & Guzz for the compliments! We are really trying to change the way spa shopping is perceived in the Houston Area. There are a lot of places that sell the tubs out of warehouses and have the spas displayed outside. So people are hesitant to even shop around for spas. We are definitely looking at changing that!!
Oh, and please don't be jealous or envious because I really can take no credit for the showroom design. My dad had a vision for the showroom a long time ago and has finally fullfilled his dreams. I think when you work really hard at something you can eventually acheive it! I know all of you have your own beautiful & unique showrooms as well.
Happy Selling in 06'!!
Your Friend,
Laura
Texas Hot Tubs
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A nice clean changing area thats not the bathroom is important. One dealer had slippers, robes and towels that was also great. Privacy was also a big plus. One dealer was in a strip mall with a bar next to it. Everyone that walked past watched us.
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I'd try to strike a for comfortable rather then high end posh. It maybe that the pictures posted for allseasonsspas don't do it justice, but it kind of has the "If you need to ask the price you can't afford it look to me". My experience with dealers that place too much emphasis on the shopping experience is that, a) there trying to sell the image rather then the product, and b) there is a substantial mark up for that image. As has already been pointed out I don't want to feel like I'm in some ones garage or a warehouse, but I don't want to feel like I some how stumbled into the Rolls Royce dealer either. But always remember that its the dealer that should sell the tub, not the show room, and from what I've read you already have that covered.
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Here is a link to what I think is the nicest showroom in Columbus- http://www.allseasonsspas.net/gallery.html  There is a link to a 360 degree view that is pretty nice.  Many of the showrooms around here have a real warehouse appearance to them. This one looks very purpose built and while always shiny and clean has a look that it has been around awhile.
showroom??? that looks more like the set up at the aqua show just better ;D very impressive.
in socal (the place, not me) everything is newer/bigger/better....yet my showroom is in a slightly older building. also, its not nearly the size of that one in the link. all in due time my freinds. everyone has to start somewhere, and grow. heres to a good '06 to the dealers, and good sales to the consumers.
300th post, right here, right now!! Â ;D
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All the shops I've been to in SoCal have been pretty small and while some were very nice (Mendo's) I would say most are pretty small, basic and not that impressive. I'm not complaining though as I wouldn't want to pay an exhorberant amount of money just to cover the overhead of a fancy showroom.
Term... the only things that would really matter to me probably dont matter to most people as I doubt I'm the target consumer... I would like a store to have a small area with toys, games, or a tv to help entertain the kids. I would also prefer that the store was semi kid friendly so that I could look around a bit without worrying that they will start a chemical explosion or something. Mendo had licorice and that was a big plus to keep the kids quiet. Another store had small bags of chips, cookies, etc. and also gave the kids balloons. Like I said this probably wouldn't matter to 95% of the consumers, but for me it made shopping more tolerable.
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I would also prefer that the store was semi kid friendly so that I could look around a bit without worrying that they will start a chemical explosion or something.
Brook - some how I think that term might actually enjoy a chemical explosion ;)
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showroom??? that looks more like the set up at the aqua show just better ;D very impressive.
in socal (the place, not me) everything is newer/bigger/better....yet my showroom is in a slightly older building. also, its not nearly the size of that one in the link. all in due time my freinds. everyone has to start somewhere, and grow. heres to a good '06 to the dealers, and good sales to the consumers.
300th post, right here, right now!! Â ;D
That's MJB 's showroom, he is on here occasionally.
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This is a link to my venting on changing rooms. Got a bunch of responses, more than I'd expected.
http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=wtb-hottub;action=display;num=1135464619;start=20
Jim
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Term, My dealer's showroom was beautiful and I still enjoy going there. What I really like is to look at the collections of great pictures from other customers.
First it gave me an indication that they have sold tons of tubs and if the customers are giving pictures to show, they must be happy. And it also gave me realistic ideas for my own tub. What if once a month you featured a customer and pictures of their set up on either some sort of board (still pics) or a slide show? Everyone likes to be a star. They might come in to see themselves "in lights" and talk to potential customers (and buy things, just because they are there). I know how valuable the opinion of a satisfied customer is to me when I am making a big purchase...Just a thought
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Bonibelle, I'm right there with you. Everyone that comes to my store and buys a spa, I take their picture and put it on the board. I have been uploading their pics to our website all week and I have a ton more to do. I also videotape testimonials and we're putting them up on our revamped website.
If ya'll want to see a rogue's gallery of some of our customers, go here and then click on the Photo Gallery button at the top:
http://www.ilovemyspa.com/index3.html
There's some pretty women and a couple of nice looking, rich single guys for the ladies. It's still a work in progress.
As to everyone else that's contributed, thank ya'll so much for your invaluable input. You've given me a lot of good ideas and I appreciate it. :)
Terminator
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That's MJB 's showroom, he is on here occasionally.
it is an impressive one....did he design it himself or have a pro do it? after seeing that, im feeling self conscious :-[ :o ;D not to mention feeling the need to totally revamp my showroom