Creating an effective retail strategy to support salt chlorine generators

by Samantha Ashenhurst | February 12, 2019 8:51 am

By John Bokor

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Pool professionals and consumers are embracing salt chlorine generators and reaping the benefits of this technology. These devices eliminate the handling of chemicals, allowing homeowners and other operators into add salt into the generator at the beginning of the season rather than put chlorine to the feeder weekly. They are also able to chlorinate water faster than traditional methods.

Despite these benefits, to best achieve long-term satisfaction with this product, consumers need to be educated on how the technology operates and work with retailers to develop a maintenance plan that works for them.

As such, more and more retailers are realizing this is not a product they can simply sell and walk away from. Rather, pool owners need to be provided with a well-organized salt-system maintenance program. This will ensure customer satisfaction and lead to an increase in profits for retail stores.

Selling ‘salt pools’

For retailers, the good news about salt chlorine generators is, in most cases, a consumer will walk into a store and already be interested in converting their pool into a ‘salt pool.’ What is unfortunate, however, is these customers are often misinformed about what a salt chlorine generator does and how it works, with many under the false impression that installing this technology is the only step that needs to be taken to maintain a clean, healthy pool.

“We find most consumers think a salt pool doesn’t use any chlorine,” says Kathi Belcourt, manager of Aqua Tech Pool, Spa & Bath in Winnipeg.

This misunderstanding stems from the fact that—unintentionally—pool professionals who sell salt chlorine generators do not always take the time to explain that, while these generators greatly reduce the amount of maintenance needed to sanitize the water, they do not eliminate the need to shock, oxidize, and ‘algae-cize’ the water to keep the chemistry balanced.

Dan Cosby, manager of Dartmouth Pools in New Bedford, Mass., agrees with Belcourt, saying initially, this misinformation made it difficult for many retailers to integrate salt chlorine generators into their business, but offering proper education has helped to alleviate this confusion.

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“We quickly learned our retail team needed to be on the same page and ensure the information provided was presented in a cohesive manner and used the same terms,” says Cosby.

For many consumers, the realization this technology would allow them to handle chemicals less, thus making the sanitization process safer and more convenient, was enough of a selling point.

“The success of salt chlorine generators comes from the fact people do not want to handle chlorine tablets and don’t want to deal with chlorine feeders and their fumes,” says Jonathan Schulhoff, manager of Arthur Edwards Pool and Spa Center in Millers Place, NY.

Once a consumer has the salt pool they desire, retailers should then educate them on how to get the most value out of their salt chlorine generator investment. This offers a significant opportunity for additional profits through a ‘salt support’ chemical maintenance program.

Selling support programs

Builders, retailers, and service professionals generally love to sell and install salt chlorine generators because these devices are highly profitable. What many do not realize, however, is these profits can continue after the sale, via the offering of salt support products and services to help keep water in balance. These special offerings provide higher profits than those of granular, liquid, or chlorine tabs, while simultaneously offering retailers a way to stand out from their competitors and, most importantly, make sure their customers remain happy with their pool.

Education

The first big hurdle: explaining to salt pool owners that their pool water is unique and they need a special maintenance program to protect their investment and prolong the life of the equipment.

“Many consumers with salt pools believe the system uses no chlorine or, even worse, that because they are using salt, they are going to save money on chemicals,” says Belcourt. “Our job is to explain how it all works: their salt pool requires special support products, and if they follow a program, they will enjoy the many benefits of having a salt chlorine generator on their pool for the long-term.”

Taking the time to explain the complexity of how these devices work and the ways in which they affect the make-up of the water—such as, why the device creates heat, how it changes the pH, why there might be an increase in corrosion and scale, and why they should not add phosphates to the water—can be difficult and time consuming.

Some consumers will want to know how and why the products are different, while others just want the basics. Regardless of the customer, retailers agree that it is important to keep these programs simple. That way, when a customer comes into the store, they are able to pick up their specialty products quickly, leaving them more time to browse for add-on items.

Provide salt-pool prescriptions

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Continuing to make the consumer feel good about their salt chlorine generator purchase is an important aspect of the ongoing relationship a specialty retailer has with their client.

That said, it is also important not to over-sell the value of this product. Retailers should continue to state the facts: salt chlorine generators will sanitize the pool, but the water still needs to be balanced. If this is not done, algae will develop. This can lead to corrosion and scale in the equipment (including the chlorine generator), which can make the generator less effective.

Fortunately, there are a range of products available that have been specially blended to work with salt chlorine generators. Similiar to the way specialty compound pharmacies blend vitamins and prescriptions to customize programs for consumers, aquatic retailers need to supply specialty products tailored to salt pools, while also keeping in mind how these pools are used and by whom.

“We decided to embrace salt chlorine generators with the realization that not only is this equipment profitable to sell, but the resulting salt-support chemical program is also highly profitable,” says Belcourt. “One of the greatest benefits we have seen from these installations is the incredible customer loyalty, resulting from the time spent discussing the science and chemistry of the product.”

Determining how to sell a salt-pool program varies from retailer to retailer, but most agree working with a salt-pool customer is different than working with those who own traditional pools.

“Once our staff was onboard about the way we explain how salt chlorine generators work, we then had to have a very specific, salt pool maintenance program for our customers,” says Cosby.

Getting started

There are several strategies retailers can use to successfully market and sell salt-support maintenance programs.

Create a section dedicated to salt pools

Retailers should always think about their potential customers. Specifically, it is important a shopper not feel overwhelmed when they enter a store. As such, many retailers opt to dedicate a special section of their shop to salt pools. Organizing a store in this manner helps streamline sales by making it easier for customers to find products.

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For example, Cosby has a section of his store dedicated to salt pools. He explains helping customers find the section and having everything in one place makes it easier to point out what the customer needs.

“We even find that customers sell to one another,” Cosby adds. “When one salt-pool customer sees another customer walking out the door with a salt-support product, they tend to ask the customer why they are purchasing the product.”

Add salt-support to the water testing software

Introducing products specific to salt pools into water testing software can be helpful to retailers, especially at the peak of the season.

“The best move we made was  incorporating the salt-support line of products into our water testing software,” says Cosby. “Something about the customer seeing a print-out with these products listed helped us to sell and discuss these items and the related maintenance program. We immediately saw our sales of salt support products increase dramatically.”

Schulhoff experienced similar success at Arthur Edwards Pool and Spa Center and emphasized the benefits of testing for borates in their laboratory.

“We use a spin-test and have included borates as one of the items to test on every water sample,” he says. “We use a borate-based salt-support product line for our customers with salt pools.”

Schulhoff explains customers will often ask about borates if their water test results show this level is low. Although his team does not always have time to explain how borates work, Schulhoff says curious customers often turn to Google for an explanation and soon learn why borates are helpful in maintaining water chemistry balance in salt pools.

“If we didn’t include borates as part of our test, our customers might think we were trying to sell them snake oil, so testing for borates has been a big win for us,” says Schulhoff.

Provide pool prescriptions

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When selling these plans, it is often beneficial to include a go-to salt-pool program that includes a start-up product. For example, retailers could offer a borate product designed to balance the pH, which tends to rise in water that is sanitized with a salt chlorine generator. Adding this product once at the beginning of the season is the first step in a fairly simple program.

Additionally, the plan should include a product to ensure the salt cell does not build up scale, as well as a ‘boost’ product for use in the summer when bather loads are high. Retailers should also be sure their salt-support program includes a chlorine-free shock, a scale preventer (without phosphates), and an algaecide that will not be broken down by the salt.

The program should be kept simple. Retailers might consider offering a colour-coded customized maintenance placard the customer can post in their pump room or on their refrigerator.

Back to school

In the busy season, those working in specialty pool and hot tub stores do not always have time to chat with customers about the details of their pool water; however, it is important retailers hire staff members who are willing to explain water chemistry and educate clients. Setting up a ‘pool school’ at the beginning of the season is a great way retailers can help the consumer understand what is happening with the water in salt pools and why it requires sanitization, oxidation, and ‘algae-ization.’

Conclusion

Many people prefer the safety and convenience of a salt chlorine generator and are willing to pay for its ease of use. Consumers need to be educated on how these generators work and should be provided with a simple salt-system maintenance program. Not only will a well-organized plan ensure customer satisfaction, it will also further establish customer loyalty and help create a long-term stream of profit. Further, salt-pool support products are a terrific tool for specialty retailers looking to stand out from big-box retailers and avoid competing on price.

[6]John ‘The Legend’ Bokor is the host of Haviland Pool and Spa Products’ “Legendary Pools and Spas,” a web series that promotes the fun of owning a pool or hot tub. He is also the company’s midwest regional sales manager and has more than 25 years of experience in the pool retail industry. Bokor, a certified pool operator (CPO), regularly speaks to professional dealers and pool owners within his territory about water chemistry and maintenance. He can be reached via e-mail at jbokor@havilandusa.com[7].

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