How to Have A Successful Sales Attitude

Why do people buy and how can you use that knowledge to actively create more sales? Focus on the factors you can control, like your attitude.

Look back to your college days to your first day of Microeconomics 1010. Day one, lesson one, first words out of your professor’s mouth:  “Why do people buy things?”

Do you remember the answer? The technical term your professor probably taught you was “utility.” That jargon roughly translates to “it makes them feel good.” For one reason or another, every purchase you (and, more importantly, your customers) make is because for some reason it, simply, gives a sense of satisfaction.

When your customer walks through the doors of your showroom to look at the spas you have for sale, they already have in their mind why they would like to buy a hot tub. Maybe they are excited about your product, maybe they like the benefits that they believe a hot tub can bring them, or maybe they like the idea of how people will view their purchase of a spa. Whatever their reason is, remember that it’s based on emotions. Emotions are fickle, so if you want your customers to stay positive and focused on the satisfaction that a hot tub will bring them, then you need to be equally positive and focused!

1. Harness the power of your body. A good attitude starts with first convincing yourself that you have a good attitude. Ever heard the phrase “fake it ’til you make it?” If you want to have a good sales attitude, then show it all day long with the power of your body.
• Smile
• Maintain a good, upright posture
• Elevate your eyes
• Walk with confidence
2. Check your inner conversation. The average human has 40,000 thoughts every day. What portion of those thoughts are working against you and your good sales attitude?
• Focus on what you want to happen rather than what you don’t want to happen. Remember that your thoughts become your actions — if you want to have a good sales attitude then you need to maintain positive sales thoughts.
• Think of ways you can serve your customer rather than ways you can personally benefit from the sale. This more positive line of thinking will resonate with your customer and will keep you feeling positive about your relationship with them.
3. Prepare, prepare, and prepare. If you want to be a confident, positive salesperson then you need to know your product inside and out.
• Know your products and the benefits of your product and you will have answers for any common objections or questions a customer may have.
• Preparation allows you to act naturally and comfortably with your customers because you are not worried about what you might say next.
4. Be authentic. Salesmen get a bad rap because they are known for being fake and manipulative. So don’t be one of those salespeople. Customers know this and won’t stick around if they think you might be being shady.
• Customers know who really cares about them and their needs and they will be much more inclined to give you their business if you genuinely care. So care.
• Be your unique, genuine self. It’s not hard to tell when someone is putting up a facade. If you are genuine and honest with your customer, they won’t feel like you’re trying to hide something.
• The greatest benefit of authenticity is that you will be living your life with self-confidence, high values and integrity.

What do you think? What are the most important attitude traits a salesperson can have?

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12 Steps to Setting Goals

Time and time again you’ve seen some motivational speaker in a suit that’s just a little too big and a tie that’s just a little too colorful standing on some dusty stage somewhere telling you to set goals. Set goals if you want to be successful. Set goals if you want to be happy with your life. Set goals if you want to be a better salesman/husband/golfer/negotiator. Set goals if you’re already a successful, happy salesman-husband-golfer — for goodness sake, just set goals.

Tie and suit aside, you know that motivational speaker is probably right. After admitting that if you want to see objective success and admitting that in order to reach that success you need to have some idea of where you want to go and how to get there, DON’T pick up a pen. Don’t. Not yet! First consider our 12-step system for setting achievable goals:

1. Develop an intense, burning desire. If you only kind of want to accomplish something, then you’re not ready to turn this into a goal. Yet. Think about what this goal will really mean to you — in the short run and in the long run. Think about the other doors it will open up for you. Think about how it will feel to finally accomplish this goal. Found your burning desire? Good. It’s time to move on to step 2.
2. Believe you can accomplish it. If you’re setting a goal that you believe is too far out of reach, then chances are you’re going to give up before you reach it. Don’t sell yourself short, always push yourself, but don’t be unrealistic. Let’s face it, no one is able to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks. You can’t quadruple your sales by the weekend. Make sure the goal is something you know you can really, truly achieve, and then believe that you can achieve it. If you think a goal is going to be too difficult for you then set a goal that is halfway to the “big” goal. After you achieve that first half you will have the confidence you need to continue on to accomplish the big one.
3. Write it down. Make yourself accountable and make this goal tangible by writing it down. You can wish and think about your goal as hard and long as you want, but whim-whams and whimsies are easier to forgo than a goal you actually write down where you can see it. Yes, this makes it real. Yes, that’s a good thing.
4. Make a list. Remember that burning desire you found in step 1? Write it down. If along the path of achieving your goal things get tough and you start to wonder if the steps to achieving your goal are worth it, you will need to remember your intense, burning desire. So make a list of all the ways that you will benefit from achieving your goal and review that list often.
5. Know where you stand. Analyze your starting point. If you don’t know where you are then you won’t know what it will take to get where you are going. Remember that being honest with yourself with where you need to begin will make your goal more achievable.
6. Set a deadline. If your goal is only an “eventually, sometime, maybe” goal then you are classifying it as an unimportant. Why would you put time and devotion into something that isn’t important enough for you to have a hard deadline for accomplishing it? Set it, mean it and meet it.
7. Know what you’ll face. It’s time to get honest again. Make a list of the obstacles that stand between you and your goal. Write how you will overcome each one as it arises. Anticipate and plan for them now so when you face them you know what to do to conquer them.
8. Missing something? Identify any additional information or tools you will need to accomplish your goal. Write down what it will take to acquire that information or those tools.
9. Know who you know. Make a list of all the people whose help and cooperation you will require in order to achieve your goal.
10. Make a plan. Now, from the notes and lists you’ve written in the previous steps, write down a plan detailing exactly what it will take to accomplish your goal, what progression of steps you will have to take, what tools you will need along the way, and whose assistance or cooperation you will need when. Write down details of what you want, when you want it, why you want it, and where you are starting from. The more detailed and focused you can be during this step, the easier it will be to take each progressive step along the way to accomplishing your goal.
11. Eyes on the prize. Visualization is a strong tool. Visualize yourself accomplishing each of the steps to achieving your goal and visualize what it will look like and feel like when you are in that final stretch and crossing the finish line. If you have a hard time with visualization (or think it’s silly new-age hullabaloo), then set aside time every morning read your plan from step 10. Remember what you want, what it will take to get there, and how it will feel to get it.
12. Never give up. Make a decision in advance (and write it down) that you will never, never give up. You can and will achieve your goal!

What do you think is the most important step in setting and achieving a goal? What sorts of goals do you think merit this kind of concentration? Let us know by contacting us below!

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Why Should You Sell Hot Tubs?

Are you considering adding hot tubs to your current business? Or are you starting a company from scratch and wondering if hot tub sales are a good idea? Here are a few reasons why hot tub sales may be a good idea for you.

Why sell hot tubs?

Customers for life. If you decide to sell hot tubs, then most of your hot tub sales will likely come from couples and families. This means two things:

1. Sell more of other products. Families and couples are large consumers of other products. If you are selling other products in your show room, for example barbecues or patio furniture, then as long as your customers’ buying experience goes well they will most likely be back to buy your other products.
2. Get in the family. With a large purchase like a hot tub, a consumer would rather go with a brand and retailer that they are comfortable and familiar with already. As long as you choose the right hot tub to sell (learn more about choosing the right hot tub supplier here), chances are your current customers’ family and friends will come to you when they are ready to buy

High margins. Hot tubs have generally good margins for a high-ticket item. Remember, hot tubs are a luxury item. When people are seeking a high-quality hot tub, they are expecting to pay some good money for it. If you have a customer willing to buy and you stock a high-quality hot tub brand, then as long as you have a confident, well-informed and well-trained sales people, you are going to make a good profit.


What makes you want to sell hot tubs? Let us know by contacting us below!

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How to Pick a Hot Tub Supplier

Hot tub manufacturing is a competitive industry, so when you are in the process of choosing who will supply your hot tubs there are a few things you should consider:

1. Find something that tells a story. Most manufactures offer basically the same product manufactured basically the same way. Usually the only difference is in the aesthetics. If you want to be a successful dealer, don’t sell the same old “blah” that everyone else is selling. Find a spa brand that stands out. Look for something different that allows a selling story with selling features that are difficult to shop against. Remember, anything that makes you go “aha” will make your customer go “aha” too. Look for unique features like:
• Frame structure
• Protection under the spa
• Covers that come with the spa
• Insulation and energy-efficiency rating
• Cost to operate per month
2. History of the company. Make sure you aren’t buying hot tubs from some tiny start-up business with a 3-spa-a-year volume because, unless they are very lucky, chances are they aren’t going to stick around very long. You want to make sure the hot tub supplier you end up going with has been around long enough to know the hot tub industry and is going to stick around long enough to support your parts and warranties through the life of your customers’ spas.
3. Look online. This is one of the most important steps in deciding which hot tub dealer to go with. Not only are you seeing what kind of presence they have online (which is one of the most important tools in marketing today), but you can also online reviews which will give you great insight into customer service, quality of support, and general customer feedback.
4. Get referrals. It would be a great one-stop-shop if you could have a quick conversation with a manufacturer, trust and love everything they have to say, and sign the papers right then and there, but that’s not enough. If you want to make a great decision about which hot tubs to display in your showroom, don’t just look from answers from the manufacturers, make sure you get referrals.
• Talk to current dealers
• Talk to past dealers
• Talk to customers
5. They want more than numbers. Find a supplier that realizes their goal is more than getting an order from you and making sure it ships. They know that being a good hot tub supplier means:
• Support. A good hot tub supplier will provide a strong level of support to you and your customers after a product is delivered to your showroom
• Relationships. A good hot tub supplier knows you’re not just a “Dealer ID Number;” they continue to build a relationship with you and your staff after their product hits your showroom.
• Care for needs. A good hot tub supplier will take care of your needs from a manufacturing and dealer level. This means they will produce quality tubs that you will be proud to sell and they will provide you support to help you be successful
6. Backyard bliss. A good supplier will know that in order for you to be successful, it takes more than selling the tub and plopping it in your customer’s backyard. After the hot tub is delivered, it needs to work — and not just for a few days; we mean it really needs to work. If a customer not only walks away from your showroom happy about their purchase, but are still happy with their purchase after they’ve been using the tub for a year, then you know you’ve made the right decision about which hot tub supplier to use.

What do you think makes a successful hot tub supplier? What do you look for when you’re deciding what kind of tub to sell? Let us know by contacting us below!

***Look for our special feature article later this month about Bullfrog Spas and why they are a great choice as a hot tub supplier.

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Tips on Starting a Hot Tub Store

Are you interested in starting a hot tub company from scratch? Here are some things you need to know before you begin!

1. It doesn’t come quickly. Like almost any company, there is no “build it and they will come” philosophy with hot tub sales. You will need to develop your company with the following aspects if you want to be successful:
• A strong location
• Good advertising
• Great commissioned salespeople
• A fantastic product (read more about choosing the right hot tub supplier)
2. Be self-energizing and self-motivated. If you want to be a successful business owner you will need to feel comfortable taking things into your own hands and making something of it. Here are some quick tips on how to be self-motivated:
• Set goals and set them high. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself! (For more tips on setting goals, read our 12 Steps to Setting Goals)
• Take risks. Step out of your comfort zone and try new strategies. Brainstorm and don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
  
• Be energetic and maintain that energy even during the difficult times. When you are energized, your employees will be energized which will also fuel your customers.
• Believe you can succeed. The mind is a powerful tool. If you act as though you are certain success will come to you then you are much more likely to succeed.
3. Be willing to work long business weeks. We will be the first to admit that hot tub sales aren’t a walk in the park. Remember, there’s no “build it and they will come” philosophy, and there’s no guarantee that the customers who do walk through your doors are going to purchase a spa. Being a successful hot tub business owner means a lot of hard work and dedication. It means you need to be committed to your store and your salespeople’s success. You will almost certainly have some 60-hour weeks, but if you are working those long hours then you can be sure that you will see success.
4. Be goal-oriented. We have mentioned it before, but we can’t say it enough: set goals. If you do not have goals then you don’t have anything to shoot for and your progress will be slow and unfocused. Set goals that stretch you and your sales team and you’ll find yourself achieving more than you thought was possible.
5. Have an eye for detail. As the owner of your new hot tub store, the burden lies on you to make sure things are running smoothly and that you’re earning the best margins possible. It means that you are solely responsible for making sure that when a customer enters your store, even the smallest details are covered to make sure their experience is as good as possible. This means you need to either have or develop an eye for detail. Complacency can turn into poor customer service which will poorly effect your business.
6. No shoe-string budgets. You must be properly funded. You already know the risks of starting a new small business — if you want to drastically increase your odds, then make sure you are properly funded. If you want to severely decrease your probability of success, then start your business investing as little money as possible.
7. Size matters. Don’t get the biggest store in town. It is better to have a line outside a small store than to have an empty big store. Remember, your overhead is proportional to the size of the store and if you traffic outgrows your current location you can always move into a bigger building.

What do you think is the most important thing to know before starting a hot tub company? Let us know by contacting us below!