How to Achive Success in Your Pool Service Company

Our business success is often based on our skill level, how well we clean and maintain a pool, and how we deal with people. You are running a swimming pool "service" company, so that places you in the hospitality category in all respects. 

A good way of visualizing this is to put yourself at the hotel check-in counter. How would you talk to the people in line? How good are you at solving problems for them? All of this comes into play when you run your pool service business, and developing good people skills is essential.

Treating your customers how you want to be treated extends beyond just the pool service company. It all boils down to relationships. How you want to be treated and how you treat others. Being successful means that customers will refer you to friends and family. One way to gauge your success is by looking at a pie chart of how you land new customers. If over 50% of that is referrals, you are winning.

 

People skills are essential because you are running a service business and are providing specific “work” in return for payment. You are not selling a product; the product is you and the service you provide. So, you will make mistakes, and customers will get mad. You will need to develop good people skills.

 

Good, solid business skills are essential. You are in business to make money and not just out there “spinning your wheels.” So, it would be best if you learned how to draw up a business plan that includes charging enough per pool so that you turn a profit. Service prices vary from region to region, so it is up to you to set the best price for your area.

 

In some cases, your people skills need to be better than your pool cleaning skills. Anyone can learn to clean a pool, but not everyone can handle customers.

 

Getting your finances in order is a fantastic way to get your business finances in order. A great resource I used successfully was the Dave Ramsey plan to become Debt Free myself. Learning how to run your finances is critical; you must manage your finances to manage your business finances.

 

Be an honest person. Being a person of Integrity takes a lot of effort. I was never taught the value of being open as a youngster, so I had to learn it as an adult. If you lie to your customers and they find out, your reputation will be damaged. And in the service business, your reputation is everything.

 

How we speak to other people is a reflection of our character. If you constantly use foul language in your conversation, your customers might lose respect for you—many, like myself, form opinions based on how you talk and carry yourself. Foul language is offensive to many people, and you won’t even know sometimes that you offended them as they are unlikely to say anything.

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What Makes a Swimming Pool Product "Good?"

Several factors contribute to making a swimming pool product "good." These factors generally revolve around the product's effectiveness, durability, safety, ease of use, and overall value. Here are some key considerations:

Performance and Effectiveness:

If a product doesn’t do what it intends, it is not a good product. Many products fall somewhere into a range of effectiveness. For example, if you pay $1,600 for the Polaris Alpha IQ you would expect it to leave your pool spotless. And, it does just that. It is one of the most effective robotic pool cleaners on the market today. The primary criterion is how well the product performs its intended function. This could include water cleaning, maintenance, or enhancing the swimming experience for pool products.

Durability and Quality:

If a product costs $130.00, you expect it to hold up like a $130 product. PoolSkim is a good example of this. There really are no moving parts and it is just a molded piece of plastic. So, it will last for years and years.  A good pool product should be built to last. It should be made from durable materials that can withstand exposure to pool chemicals, UV rays, and weather conditions.

Ease of Use:

There is no doubt that consumers like easy. If you make something requiring more thought beyond opening the box and plugging it in, you are asking for trouble. A lot of negative reviews online are just user errors. That is why a grand instruction manual is a must. 

Value for Money:

It’s a no-brainer that pool industry products are expensive. It’s a niche market and very seasonal, so it makes sense the manufacturers would want to capture 12 months of profit in 6 months. So, there is a built-in price for that reason, and everything costs more in the pool industry. But we also want value for our money. The Riptide SL Vacuum System is an excellent example of value for the price. $1,800 later, you can clean pools twice as fast and sleep easy at night during a windstorm, knowing that the next day, you have the weapon of choice to clean the pool quickly and effectively. 

Customer Service: Riptide is again a great example of excellent customer service. If you have a problem, they will do everything they can to solve it. If you can’t get the product aftercare, you are hoping every day that the product will not fail. It’s critical to have excellent warranty service and customer support. The cheaper the product, the less support you will have. The more expensive, the better customer support. It is built into the pricing. If you purchase a Dolphin Liberty 200 Robotic Cleaner and have a problem, Maytronics, the parent company, will warranty it and repair it. If you buy a Robotic Pool Cleaner on Amazon, you are usually out of luck. But again, the price point will reflect that. 

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Riptide SL Pole Holder

The Riptide SL Cart Pole Holder allows you to hold any standard pool pole on the front of your Riptide SL Cart. Easy Installation, no drilling necessary; the pole holder will clamp directly onto the front of your Riptide cart.

This is a must-have accessory for your Riptide SL cart, allowing you to walk back to your service accounts with one hand free. It's convenient if you need to open a gate or otherwise have your hands free. I find that it also allows for easier balance when pulling the Riptide SL cart without one hand holding an 8 ft pole. 

To order: https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/pole-holder

Other Accessories:

The salt carrier simply clips onto the front of the cart and allows you to transport salt bags, chlorine jugs, or filter cartridges to and from the pool. No installation is required, it will simply clip onto the front of your cart. You will need to remove the salt carrier before loading your Riptide back into the transportation rack.

To order the Salt Carrier: https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/salt-carrier

Riptide has the solution to this with their New!  Handlebar Organizer and their Quart Bottle/Tab Holder.

HANDLEBAR ORGANIZER $ 80.00

https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/handlebar-organizer

The Handlebar Organizer can hold a leaf rake, brush, Taylor test kit, test strips, tools, and whatever else you wish to add to it. This will leave the bins open for chemicals and other pool tools. The organizer has opened up the possibilities with the Riptide SL cart, and you can bring some much-needed supplies back with you now to every stop. 

 

QUART BOTTLE/TAB HOLDER $30.00 each

https://www.riptidevac.com/collections/accessories/products/quart-bottle-tab-holder

You can add as many as 4 of the Quart Bottle Holders to the Riptide, which is a great way to bring back the industry-standard Quart Bottles and Spray Bottles to your stops. You can also transport up to 5 Tri-Chlor Tablets back with you in one of the holders. 

More about the Riptide SL:

The Riptide Pool Vacuum System made its debut in late 2016. Since then, it has gone through several transformations. The Riptide Circa 2021 is the finest version yet, and it is packed with so many updated features it should have been called the Riptide SL 2.0. Listen as David Sargent

President goes over some of the features for you in person. 

Here are some of the great updated features:

High Torque Motor (uses rare earth magnets) High Torque Motor- Our new High Torque motor utilizes rare earth magnets, making it the most powerful vacuum on the market

The cord -the new protective external layer –feels solid and durable.

Cord Clip – secures the cord to the cart so there are no more worries of it falling off and dragging on the ground.

Stainless steel end plates on the vacuum head

The cart is now e-coated before powder coating & the Transport Rack Is e-coated now, too - Electrostatic Coating- All of our powder-coated parts are now electrostatic coated (coating) and then powder coated over. This makes the finish of our components much more durable.

Extremely high-quality integrated steering knuckle -Integrated Stainless Steel Steering Knuckle. This allows you to hook any pole directly up to the Riptide vacuum without needing any adaptors while maneuvering in the water is effortless.

The SL model Riptides now includes a Diagnostic/Tool Kit with a battery load tester, the load tester is essential for quickly determining battery condition.

The bags now have a different ring color to differentiate different microns.

The bags (100 Micron and below) are double layers now, this feature is making the bags last much longer.

25 Micron Bag available (specialty dust bag) this bag can eliminate the need to system vac a pool with a dust problem.

The updated Riptide SL is the most durable vacuum system today. The shell is backed by a 10-year warranty, the added steel plates to the vacuum head sides, the stainless steel knuckle, and the new beefed-up cord make it designed to last! The cart and transport rack has been given a stronger paint job thanks to the new Electrostatic coating!

To learn more about the Riptide SL Cart and the accessories available: https://youtu.be/veo_WAxbTH4

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eBook: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/swimming-pool-care-ebook

Pool Guy on Real Estate Investing!

Real Estate is how we have been investing for the past 23 years. We don’t flip the houses but keep them and rent them out. I have been a landlord in Southern California since 2001, giving me over 23 years of experience. I have done everything from eviction and fighting with the city planning/code enforcement department to removing a dead body. Being a landlord takes some getting used to and you do need to have some people skills. 

Real estate offers many key benefits, and here are a few:

1) The tenants are paying off the mortgage for you.

2) You get a great tax write-off with rental real estate

3) Your assets will grow at the rate of inflation or above that rate.

4) It’s relatively safe, and you have a tangible physical asset

5) After 30 years or sooner, you will hold it debt-free

6) Rents go up at the rate of inflation.

7) You can draw equity money out when needed with a cash-out refi.

8) You can do a 1031 exchange for a larger property with zero tax implications.

9) Under the right conditions, your rentals can produce cash flow.

 

But you don’t have to do real estate. You can just invest in Roth IRAs, Mutual funds, Investment funds, and other investments of these types that take very little hands-on operation. We like real estate and the benefits of owning properties debt-free. The key is to find an investment you want and then to consistently put money into it year after year.

As the recent FTX failure showed I would avoid risky investments that promise high rates of return. You don’t need any crazy return on your investment. 8%-10% a year will make you a millionaire over 30 years in very safe investment funds. 

You also need to consider that as you get older, your body will start to break down. You can’t service and clean pools forever. One way to extend the life of your service business is what I call the Empire Building. Keep acquiring more and more collections and bring on an employee, and then keep adding pools and employees until you reach a level where you don’t need to be in the field every day. This could mean 150 pools, 300 pools, or 1,000 or more. 

Another option is working for a company in the industry after you call it quits on your route. Hayward, Pentair, Jandy, and Leslie are all looking to hire former pool pros. They pay well and you may find the work on the other side of the industry very rewarding. It is something to consider and a way to continue to earn a good income and save on the wear and tear of your body.

A good retirement calculator can be found here:

https://www.ramseysolutions.com/retirement/riq

Just enter your goal and what you already invest and in 2 minutes the site will let you know how you are doing. 

The bottom line is it is never too early or too late to start planning. Start today.

Visit my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/

eBook: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/swimming-pool-care-ebook

New Duo Vacuum System Bag by Clear Pool Products

The new Duo Vacuum System bag by Clear Pool Bags has the best of both worlds incorporated in one bag. You have a durable 250-micron outer layer with a 75-micron insert for the finer dirt. This allows you to vacuum faster but still remove the finer dirt effectively. 

Clear Pool Bags also makes four other vacuum system bags, including a 400-micron, 200-micron, 90-micron, and a Green Pool Bag.  

Order here: https://clearpoolproducts.com/

Some key features of the Duo Bag:

250 micron outer bag

75 Micron insert with Velcro

Bungee cord included

Zip tie included

Compatible with Riptide Vacuum System

Hammer-Head Vacuum System

Power Vac Vacuum System

Bottom Feeder Vacuum System

Made in Mexico

You can also buy in bulk and save even more money. To order in bulk:

http://bulkpoolbags.com/

These bags feature a universal design utilizing a bungee cord that can be sized for each vacuum system currently on the market. They will easily fit your Power Vac, Hammer-Head, Riptide, and Bottom Feeder. Simply fit the bag over your vacuum system and adjust the bungee cord to size and then zip tie it down. The bungee cord makes it easy to put the bag on and take it off and if it was sized correctly these bags will not blow off the top of the cleaner.

Use the 90 microns for sand and silt, leaves, and some dirt. The 200-micron is great for sand and silt, large leaf debris, rocks, and glass. The 400-micron is their heavy-duty bag and is great for everything, although it won’t pick up the finer sand and dirt. But the 400-micron bag is very long-lasting and great for those heavy debris pools. 

Also available from Clear Pool Products is the Quart Bottle Holder. If you have a Riptide, Power Vac or Hammer-Head this quart bottle holder would be the perfect accessory for you. 

https://clearpoolproducts.com/product/clear-pool-bottle-caddy?v=f24485ae434a

Visit my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/

eBook: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/swimming-pool-care-ebook