Esthetics is important too
Safety covers can also be sold as way of beautifying the backyard. They can give the swimming pool area an attractive look as well as a clean and organized appearance when the pool is not being used.
Simmons finds it easy to entice pool owners about the idea of installing a safety cover simply by explaining their virtues and how their backyard will look great when the pool is closed. Having a custom-fit pool cover that will make the pool area safer and more attractive are huge selling features.
“Selling beauty is key to our safety cover sales,” adds Simons. “In areas where swimming pools are closed and covered up to eight months of the year, homeowners want the pool area to look nice during that time. ‘Tarp-type’ winter covers aren’t particularly attractive as they become a basin of leaves and water, which makes the area appear untidy.”
Brown agrees and says Pioneer Family Pools has noticed an increase in safety cover sales with esthetics being the key reason.
“This is due to the fact swimming pools are open only five months of the year in most parts of Canada,” he explains. “Therefore, an increasing number of pool owners are interested in safety covers because they will be looking at the closed pool in their backyard for many months and they want it to look as attractive as possible.
“In fact, the more people see their neighbour’s backyard with an attractive safety cover, the more requests for safety covers we receive.”
Further, some safety cover manufacturers provide a wide selection of custom fabric colours, which allows the homeowner to select one that will complement their backyard décor.
“There is a definite trend towards homeowners customizing the colour of their safety covers to co-ordinate with their home and backyard,” says Newton. “For instance, we started offering black safety covers when they were popular a few years ago, but now I am often suggesting tan and/or grey fabrics because they co-ordinate nicely with a lot of the stone-finished water features that are being built on today’s pools.”
The Internet has also changed the way safety covers are being sold. By having a before/after portfolio showing swimming pools equipped with various coloured safety covers not only helps retailers up-sell colour options but also allow the homeowner to envision how their backyard will appear. Further, offering safety covers with unique colours also gives retailers a discussion point and helps to distinguish them from the competition.
“The Internet has worked really well for us in selling safety cover colour options,” says Nicolas White of Cascade Pools in Lake Oswego, Ore. “After seeing photos of pools with the new colour options available, consumers then come to us inquiring about them. We recommend grey and tan the most not only because they co-ordinate well in the backyard but also because they hold up better to ultraviolet (UV) light, don’t show dirt and generally look better in most backyards.
“Also, charging the customer an extra 10 per cent for these custom colours is generally not an issue—they just want a colour that makes their backyard look good.”
Finally, add it into the contract
Most pool professionals use a contract when building, renovating or servicing a swimming pool. These contracts should always have a line allowing customers to accept or decline the addition of a safety cover. This not only makes it seem normal to include a safety cover with every pool but also gives the pool professional some liability protection—similar to the extra coverage offered on a car rental agreement. And, just as rental agencies require clients to initial the line showing extra coverage has been declined, the same should be done for safety covers.
Including this line item can also help to increase safety cover sales as it makes it easier to initiate a discussion with the homeowner about their benefits, whether the pool professional is there for a new pool installation, existing pool renovation, or simply a service call.
Pioneer Family Pools, for example, employs this method and incorporates a standard, lock-in vinyl winter cover into every pool installation contract.
“If a customer doesn’t want to spend the extra money on a safety cover at the time their new pool is installed, we completely understand,” says Brown. “However, we remind them several months after they have paid for their pool and give them a final chance to upgrade to a safety cover by offering a special deal if they do so within the first year.
“Should the client purchase a safety cover, we credit them the cost of the standard vinyl cover, which was included in the original contract. This makes it easier for the homeowner to upgrade (typically an additional $1,500 investment) months after their original purchase.”
Mike Preuit is the national sales manager for Plastimayd LLC’s CoverLogix® brand of safety covers. He started with the Oregon City, Ore.-based company in 1998 in inside sales and customer service and has been working as the company’s western region outside sales manager for 12 years. He can be reached via e-mail at mikep@coverlogix.com.
