Hot Tubs in Newfoundland

[Q]

Hello board.

I'm a sales rep for a brand new spa dealership here in St. John's, Newfoundland. I was recommended this board by Hot Tub Man because I worked with him at the Bloor/Bathurst Blockbuster Video back in 2001-2002.

Hot tubs are to put it mildly, a novelty around these parts. Combine that with the hardships of starting a brand new business and it becomes a tough but not impossible   sell.

We've been open since October but the response leaves a bit to be desired. I would like to get some advice from anyone here that works for or owns a dealership on what you would do if you were in our situation.

Let me explain just a little bit about our store known as Bubba's Tubs.

1. We carry three lines of hot tubs. Softub, Nordic and Polar Spas.

2. Our marketing has consisted of radio ads including a live remote at a fishing derby on the 12th of February, newspaper ads, direct mailing to B&B owners and contractors throughout the province, trade shows are on the horizon, plus attempting to sell our product in co-operation with real estate agencies.

3. We also carry a line of home sauna.

4. Our store location is downtown but in the west end. Lots of vehicle traffic but little pedestrian.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Especially when it comes to sales. Thanks everyone, I plan on frequenting this board more often.

[wmccall]

Welcome!   Marketing to Bed and Breakfast owners sounds like a great idea.  Here in Ohio, there is a place called Hocking Hills that is a popular get away place. I've heard it said hot tubs outnumber the population there.

[hottubber]

Q,

 I am sure you will get alot of good advise here from the panel of spa gurus that are on this board daily. Good luck with your store, it may take a little while for your clients to realize what they are missing by not stopping in to see what you offer.
Welcome aboard...

[HotTubMan]

Quentin!

Glad to see you signed up. One of the first things I was told about spa shoppers when I got into the industry was that some buyers can take months if not years to decide. Although this is a little discouraging at the start, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Service what customers you have well, and you will get referrals.

Talk to many sales professionals and they will tell you that one of the biggest mistakes owners/sales people make is failing to test and measure store traffic and leads.

Are you collecting names and addresses of shoppers? This is important so that you can direct mail them when you have a sale. You can also use the information for follow up by phone.

While collecting the names and addresses, try to determine why they came to you, so you know where to spend marketing $. Did they come because they saw  the sign? Read the ad? Saw the ad? The manufacturer website? Refferal? etc.

Thats all I have time for right now, there are many other pros here that will also have good advice.

Jeff

[Q]

Wow. Great response to my post in just over an hour, maybe two? I can't keep track of time anymore. lol

B&B's are rampant throughout Newfoundland because of people looking for alternative sources of income since the fishery receeded in 1992. However, most of them seem to subsist on the customers they get and have very little left over for major purchases like a hot tub. We've mailed and called back and we've set aside those that are interested.

I see Jeff took time out of his hot tub and gaming schedule to respond.   One of the first things I try to do after greeting the customer is ask them casually how they heard about us. Some are radio, some are just driving by and seeing the sign, and others saw our ad in the paper. We've been getting good results out of our marketing but not the amount of sales that we've been hoping for. And yes, we've been gathering names and numbers of people that have dropped by the store. Some won't give us anything but dems da breaks.

Another factor I think that may be contributing to the slow start is the time of the year. I don't know if this is the case in other places but Newfoundlanders are CONVINCED that hot tubs are not for winter. The old wives tale of catching your death when wet and cold is ridiculous but nonetheless pervasive around here. Not only that but I don't think people are wanting to have their spa delivered and set up until the spring at the earliest anyway. Probably a good idea considering the psychotic amount of snow we've received lately.

Any and all advice is much appreciated. Consider us a case study if you will.  

Q

P. S. Any thoughts on the brands we carry?

[wmccall]

Q

P. S. Any thoughts on the brands we carry?

Well, Softtub make sense, it seems to be a common one dealers have along with higher priced lines.  I've never seen either a Polar or Nordic spa, I'd love to hear what you have to say, and as usual,. I'll check to see if they are in my area.  

[Q]

Being in the industry for a mere four months allows me only to tell you what I know about the tubs through what I've gathered from the manufacturers.

Nordic is a a lot of tub for not that much money. We currently have an Impulse and a Crown XL in the show room and they are great. The XL is VERY powerful. Their warranties are good and have a Permawood cabinet option that has a ten year warranty on that.

Polar looks great from what I've seen. We haven't officially stocked them yet because we're still getting ourselves situated. Nonetheless it has piqued the interest of a few customers by pictures alone and we have sent them information packages detailing the features and options.

I've done a search throughout the forum for Nordic and Polar with a mixed bag of results. Anyone else have any thoughts on these brands?

[Lori]

I would just like to add my Welcome!

Any friend of Jeff's is a friend here (or at least I think so)!!

[bulmer4nc]

Yes, Welcome!  

I know that Blockbuster!  My husband and I lived just south of Bloor and Bay (College and Bay) and I used to run Bloor all the time!

We live in North Carolina now - moved for work...

Who's your competition out there?  That may provide some marketing strategy??  

Regards -

Jodi

[matthewc]

I have a nordic Rendezvous 11, I have only had it for 5 months but so far so good. I live in the UK and in the price range it was the best tub I found. I don't have much experience of any other brands, but my advice would be to stock a range of different price and quality tubs so you can cater for all.

Good luck with the new venture.

Matt

[stuart]

Welcome,
This is one of the few places that saying your a friend of Jeffs won't get you kicked out!

[wetone]

Welcome Q,

We are in London, Ont. Just a scoot from Jeff's store.
Oct. is probably a slower month to open a store. We opened our store in Aug. 2001 and found good traffic but slower sales till march of 2003 when alot of the people came back to buy.
It takes time to become established and known in the area.

If your seeing good traffic from your marketing, a good number of people will be back.

I will PM you some marketing info that really helped us.

[Q]

Hey everyone.

bulmer4nc - I bet I served you a time or two at Blockbuster. I was the guy with the long hair and glasses. The hair's gone now though   The competition out this way is minimal I'm sure compared to what is available in your larger markets. Arctic, Bullfrog, and of course Aruba are our competitiors.

matthewc - Ahhhh. The Nordic Rendezvous II is a (pardon the newfinese) DEADLY b'y. Nordic truly has some of the best value from what I can see on the market. Plus they're canadian office people are super nice. And what you mentioned about offering the range of tubs is exactly what we are trying to do. We have tubs to fit any need, budget, or taste. Plus Sunlight Saunas! Anyone else out there sell saunas in addition to hot tubs in their store?

wetone - Thanks once again for the marketing info on the PM. It's good to know that the time of year is a good part of the reason why it's been a little slow at first. Makes me feel a little better about my sales ability.   That's what I've been feeling for a while but wasn't sure due to being new to the biz.