It’s been said there’s no greater marketing tool than word-of-mouth, but Simon Spiers and the Pool By Design team take that mantra a step further. When it comes to pools, they’re masters of design and craftsmanship with more than 40 years of experience in the field. The extra step? They bring their business home, committed to testing all their products first themselves.
“My staff and I ‘live’ the products, and I’m not aware of another pool company that can claim they have such firsthand experience of ownership and maintenance, especially not the sales team who are THE point of contact between the company and customer base. Since that’s the case, what is their motivation for product recommendations if not experience or testing? Profit. Salesmen are commissioned. They see what gives them the best commission,” Spiers explains.
With Pool By Design, homeowners can forge ahead with confidence, knowing their project won’t be a guinea pig for untested products, because the Pool By Design team understands the choice to install a pool is an investment in their home, their family and their lifestyle. Discerning homeowners can appreciate the seasoned expertise with which the team considers the needs and goals of the space and easily translate those into a comprehensive and functional design using only the highest quality products.
“I test everything before I put my name to it. If the manufacturer can’t supply a test unit, then I won’t hang my reputation or the satisfaction of my customers on them,” Spiers adds. “I only sell what meets my standards.”
Not only can Spiers personally attest to the products he sells, but he can also give potential customers a glimpse of the possibilities for their own space. Spiers and his wife Jo have built their home pool as a veritable showplace, where customers are invited to see for themselves the capabilities of all new pool installations or backyard renovations.
“My pool is an experiment into what we can actually build. It is an add-on to the original structure but is designed to flow seamlessly into the aesthetic and topography as if it’s been there from the start,” Spiers says. “I want them to see that pools would only be a stark, flat hole in the ground without such integration in design.”
While Florida maintains its position as the largest pool market in the country, the flat, open land provides little resistance in creating pools that provide continuity with the landscape. But, it’s the areas characterized by hills and sloping terrain, like those in the Charlotte area, that open the door to venturing outside the box. “Innovation comes from meeting and surmounting these challenges,” says Spiers. “The industry improves by demand and one-upmanship, and Pool By Design is at the pinnacle.”
One of the latest products to be tested in the Spiers family pool is a set of Hayward LED lights, which have proven a successful venture. The lights not only add ambiance, but they are also built to meet new safety and construction codes already adopted in California and Florida and quickly becoming the standard nationwide.
“We stay ahead of these things through our affiliation with a national pool industry association covering the USA and Canada and use that knowledge to keep our customers and our company far ahead of the curve,” explains Spiers. “As for the product, I’d been pretty anti-LED for many years, but living with and using these lights changed my mind, and now I love bringing customers over for a look-see.”
Spiers urges homeowners not to settle for second best and to be direct in questioning salesmen why they are promoting a particular product. “Don’t rely on second-hand information from a manufacturer website or promotional brochure,” he advises. “You can find that anywhere. Demand the information come from a first-hand source—the person who has lived with and maintained the product. If a salesman can’t do that, chances are he’s promoting based on profit instead of proven capabilities.”
Still, there’s the question of why. Why does Pool By Design go to all the effort instead of blindly suggesting products based on manufacturer recommendations? Simple; Spiers explains, “My business is an investment, and my relationship with my customers is paramount. I have a compassion for them and their needs, and they can rest assured their trust in me will not be displaced.”
And maybe, there’s even a fun side to all of it, too. A little mix of business and pleasure, if you will. To date, twenty-three children have learned to swim in their pool, and Spiers is overjoyed to admit that makes him very happy.u
Want to rediscover a world of opportunity in your backyard? Contact Pool by Design at 704-3DESIGN (704-333-7446) or visit www.poolbydesign.com.