Maximising the potential of swimming pool cleaner sales…
Switched-on swimming pool businesses will look to maximise the spend value of every customer contact. Strategically timed e-shots and newsletters present ideal marketing windows but equally, every home installation or service visit is a platform to promote. Current thinking is there has never been a better time to go for add-on sales such as swimming pool cleaners. “There’s no doubt that cleanliness and sanitising is at the forefront of all our minds right now,” points outs Plastica’s Will Dando. “Keeping a swimming pool clean is always of paramount importance to our health too,” he adds. Daniel Phillips of Lighthouse Pools underlines the opportunities: “The pool cleaner market is not always pushed to its full potential. The trade sometimes see the cleaners as a threat to their service income, in fact they should be using it to help with the routine cleanliness of a pool,” he advises. “If you have a customer with a service contract they think that they don’t need to touch the pool at all and in actual fact a cleaner will go a long way to ensuring that a clean pool stays clean,” Daniel adds.
Certikin’s Bruce Coppuck agrees: “With the increase in demand for home leisure combined with an appetite for labour saving devices, the automatic pool cleaner is becoming a must-have pool accessory.” Certikin has a 30-year association with Maytronics and have jointly grown the brand. Bruce points out: “Dolphin by Maytronics, which have dominated the pool market for more than 30 years, are innovators of the electronic robot cleaner with a wealth of worldwide pool knowledge and pool profiles, so always have the right cleaner range for the market they are selling in. “We also have our in-house support and repair teams which is something not offered elsewhere,” Bruce points out. “The most on-trend products are machines that come with Wi- Fi and Bluetooth connectivity so that they can be linked to a smart device,” Bruce continues. “Despite the fact that 90% of all dirt lies on the floor of the pool, cleaners that will clean the walls too are seen as a benefit,” he adds
STRONG SALES
Certikin monitor sales and confirm the strongest selling periods traditionally hover around April and May and then peak in June which reflects outdoor pools opening after Easter. But a well-priced winter promotion can prevent stock gathering dust on showroom shelves. Says Bruce: “Sales are generally prompted either because old machines are being replaced or people just deciding they need a quicker solution to clean a pool. “The key is to understand the customers’ needs and pool profile and be prepared to sell which ever machine is best suited.” Daniel Phillips and his Lighthouse Pools team.
SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC
Zodiac Alpha pool cleaners have a geared sweeping brush on the front of the unit. The new Zodiac Alpha pool cleaners have a geared sweeping brush on the front of the unit which brushes the pool walls everything the cleaner is put into the pool. This disturbs minute algae build up before it can take hold and puts it into suspension for the filter to catch. It looks like the cleaner basket is empty but what you have done is agitate the algae spores allowing the chlorine to get to them and the filtration system to collect them. This makes the service engineer’s job more effective when they backwash the filter
CLEANING TO THE MAX
Pool cleaning is easy and efficient with the cordless, rechargeable Water Tech Pool Blaster Max available from Golden Coast. The Pool Blaster Max ensures deep cleaning in any sized pool, spa or hot tub thanks to its high- capacity filter capable of holding large amounts of dirt and debris. The battery-operated pump can run for up to an hour on a single charge and can be ready to go after just 4 hours recharge time. The Pool Blaster Max has a unique wall-mounting feature for grab-and-go convenience, and it can be attached to most standard pool poles for extended reach.
Pools team fly the Zodiac flag for the UK pool market. Says Daniel: “Zodiac cleaners really are a pools best friend because they are designed to work hard, look good and be easy to use for more info. “The main season for pool cleaners is in the spring after a pool has been opened up, and before the home owner wants to stand outside vacuuming their pool. “That’s when the Zodiac range of cleaners really come into their own. The robot can be dropped into the pool switched on and left to do its job. The owner then comes back a few hours later to a spotlessly clean pool. “Make sure you choose a good reliable brand, Robot cleaners are not cheap and your customers will not thank you for choosing a machine that has to be returned to the shop to be repaired every other week. The Zodiac Alpha range of cleaners now have four years warranty, this is backed by a great team of engineers in Plymouth available to answer technical questions Robot cleaners that can be pre-set to function at certain times during the day are very popular to customers. The ability to control the direction of the cleaner whilst in the pool is also a useful feature if the pool has a complicated layout with specific areas that collect dirt.
PROTECTED TRADE
Bosta’s Norsup cleaner is exclusive to pool installers as it is not found online. This means installers trust the product and can offer the extended warranty to their customers. Bosta’s Ben Blackburn confirms: “Pool owners are excited to automate the cleaning process and the automatic robot pool cleaners are ideal to achieve this.”
“Fully automated robot pool cleaners are the most popular form of pool cleaning,” stresses Ben Blackburn. “They keep the pool surfaces clean and reduce the frequency of scheduled pool maintenance visits. Cleaners that have the ability to scrub the floor, walls and waterline are the most popular models as they give complete cleaning
