From Service To Sale
Choosing an approach to backyard sales can be tricky, especially when deciding who should initiate sales and who should close them.
PHTA Recognizes National Apprenticeship Week
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week Nov. 13-19. This year’s theme is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.”
Mallory Bjekich-Wachowski
In 2022, Mallory Bjekich-Wachowski started her company, Toolbox for Excellence, with fellow industry professional Jane Merritt, combining her pool industry background with her love of education. She also works at All Seasons Pools & Spas in Orland Park, Illinois, as a training and business development manager.
Starting a Safety Committee
Meeting on a regular basis, monthly or quarterly, a safety committee should stay up to date on what regulations might help create a safer workplace; discuss any injuries or incidents in the company; and recommend policies to help prevent further safety failures. The safety committee at Armond Aquatech Pools in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, comprises four people…
Service-Department Checkup
When a major storm bears down on the open sea, cargo ships can be vulnerable to major damage, sinking and possible fatalities. In such a dangerous scenario, the captain must put the safety of his vessel and crew above all else, even if that means cargo is jettisoned. On land, businesses go through similar struggles…
Thinking Differently, Part 4
Not following the payment structure I described in part three of this series can cause you big problems. Customers who deviate from this will cost you a lot of money, not only in not getting paid but also in attorneys’ fees. In your sales contract, add a binding arbitration clause. People argue this with me,…
Not Business as Usual
If you are a contractor, your world turned upside down in 2008 and 2009. The housing bubble burst; new construction dried up; unemployment went to 10 percent; and consumers stopped spending money. Unless you sold your business for millions before this happened, your company was affected. Most everyone has heard the definition of insanity: doing…
Thinking Differently, Part 1
What do you want from your life? Such a loaded question and not easy to answer. Most have a general idea within a few minutes; a more detailed definition is usually a week or so away. The problem with this question is the societal and self-imposed walls and limitations we put on ourselves. As young…