And the winner is … Entering awards competitions can be an ordeal for pool builders. Use these six tips to make a winning impression on the judges—and your customers

Pool & Spa News, July 23, 2004 by Shabnam Mogharabi

For the past four years, Memorial Day has been no holiday for Rich Tonti.

On the last Monday of May, while others relax at home, the sales and marketing director at Curcie Pools & Landscape receives an onslaught of voice messages and e-mails. The reason? A day earlier, the company's pools are featured as part of a 16-page supplement in the Sunday edition of the Orange County Register. That's where the local chapter of the National Spa & Pool Institute announces the winners of its annual awards competition.

"We get literally hundreds of leads and prospective clients as a result [of the awards]," says Tonti about the Anaheim, Calif.-based company. "It turns into dozens of projects. And it gives us built-in credibility with our customers."

In the awards arena, credibility is what it's all about. Winning a prize can boost employee morale and add to the resale value of your business. But most importantly, an award greatly enhances your reputation with customers and peers, and can add to your bottom line.

"The purpose of the awards is to show prospective customers the potential of a backyard," says Peter Cattano, president of Baldwin, N.Y.-based Paco Pools & Spas Ltd., who has served as a judge for NSPI's annual awards competition on several occasions. "They're a great sales tool."

However, with all the deadlines, photo requirements and entry fees, awards competitions can be a frustrating, costly experience if you're ill-prepared. To help you overcome the odds, check out the following six tips to make the 2004 season your time to shine.

1 Be an early bird.

The trick to winning awards is careful planning. Avoid a last-minute rush by contacting all the awards programs you want to enter and storing information about them in one place. Keep track of deadlines, entry fees and categories that you think you can win.

Some companies designate a staff member to be awards coordinator. It then becomes his or her job to oversee the company's participation in industry contests.

Prior to the deadline, there are steps you can take to ensure that things run smoothly. The following timeline will help your planning process:

6 to 9 months prior

* Decide which projects would make good entries

* Begin searching for a photographer

* Contact homeowners for permission to enter their pools

3 months prior

* Send a photographer to shoot and develop images

* Obtain application forms and pick your categories

* Create files for each project and submission

1 to 2 months prior

* Set aside funds for the application fees

* Review project images and select the ones you'd like to duplicate or enlarge

* Begin drafting descriptions of the projects

3 weeks prior

* Complete written descriptions

* Type up applications and attach photos

* Write entry fee checks

2 weeks prior

* Mail in your submissions

* Breathe a sigh of relief

Sometimes access to a property will be limited. In such cases, before you finish working on the project, let the owner in on your plans to submit the aquascape for an award and secure a time to return and take photographs. Keep in mind that you need permission from the homeowner to use the photographs. Some builders preempt this step by including a disclaimer in the building contract that allows the company to utilize images of the pool for advertising or contest purposes.

2 Develop a discerning eye.

Picking the right submission can be a daunting task. For example, Bruce Dunn, president of Mission Pools Inc. in Escondido, Calif., oversees 700 pool projects each year. "I don't see every swimming pool we build, so we have to go back to each of our designers on an annual basis ... and ask them if they think any of their projects are worthy of the entry fee," Dunn says.

Avoid entering more than one project with similar designs in the same category. To help you decide which projects to pick, seek the opinions of colleagues. Bring in your employees and let them vote on the projects that stand out.

Thinking like a judge also helps. "The judges are all award winners, so they know what they're looking for," says Dick Covert, executive director of Master Pools Guild, a Richmond, Va.-based builder association that also runs an annual awards competition.

"They put all the pictures in one category side by side. If one style or shape is excessively common, they don't stand out," Covert says. "What's important is how the project fits into the space it's in."

Most importantly, you must trust that your work is of superior quality. "I think you have to believe in the project enough to invest in it and enter it because if you win, it comes back several times over [in new leads]," says Matthew Gohlke, president of Gohlke Custom Pools in Denton, Texas, who has won 13 design awards, but not through mass entries.

3 Safety should always come first.

Make sure your pools meet ANSI/NSPI standards before submitting them for any honors. In fact, sound engineering is as important as creative design because certain aspects of a project may be closely examined.