Covering new ground; though a recent Pool & Spa News survey suggests cover sales remain strong, there's still room for improvement, especially in helping builders create innovative designs without sacrificing safety

Pool & Spa News, August 20, 2004 by Shabnam Mogharabi

A decade ago, when Lou Downes built new pools, his customers were generally families whose kids were 10 or 12 years old. Today, thanks in part to the proliferation of easy-to-use safety covers, his clientele includes families with toddlers and grandparents of small children.

"The difference between 10 years ago and today is that we've allowed a different segment of the market to own a pool and be comfortable with it," says the president of Downes Swimming Pool Co. in Wheeling, Ill. "You're getting them into pools earlier. So the next time they move, they want to buy a pool. It's good for the industry."

Downes installs mesh covers on each of the 40 or so pools he builds annually. Roughly half of those projects also get an automatic cover. Still, he is in the minority. Only a handful of builders install safety products on a consistent basis. The greater portion (45 percent) sell few covers, if any, on the pools they install, according to a recent survey commissioned by Pool & Spa News.

The reasons seem to be varied. The survey, conducted by Readex Inc. of Stillwater, Minn., indicates that a negative stigma still is associated with talking about pool safety. In addition, builders often don't want to compromise their intricate design to accommodate parallel-tracked devices.

Consistent sales

Considered an aftermarket product for many years, covers now are more prevalent as part of builders' new-construction bids. Pool-building companies report that sales of covers with first-time projects are up as much as 15 percent.

Though more than half the builders surveyed saw sales of pool covers remain constant over the past five years, an additional 45 percent experienced a slight or significant sales increase in this same period. In fact, certain product categories such as automatic covers are more poised for growth than others, according to manufacturers.

Covers still haven't become widespread, though. Nearly half the builders surveyed installed covers on fewer than one out of 20 pools they sold last year. Some of this data could be affected by the fact that more than half the respondents are located in the South, highlighting the impact of geography on cover sales.

"We don't get a lot of cover requests because of the weather," says J.R. Richard, CEO of Richard's Total Backyard Solutions in Houston. "In the South, the covers only stay on a couple of months. The automatic covers are easy to deal with, but they're quite a bit more expensive. We typically mention child guard fences when we talk about safety."

Weather concerns are something builders in colder parts of the country recognize. "We've seen an increase in cover sales," says Steve Chandler, president of Custom Pools Inc. in Boise, Idaho. "But when I talk to builders from the South, they just don't get involved in cover sales as much as we do."

Chandler's company is a rarity, installing some sort of safety cover on 95 percent of the pools it builds annually. Among the survey respondents, only 5 percent install a higher percentage of covers on their projects.

Perfect pitch

Many builders wait for the customer to ask for a pool cover. They don't include the product in sales presentations or promote it through literature very often.

"There's still this stigma that you could jeopardize the sale if you bring up the safety aspect," says one automatic safety cover manufacturer. "I think a lot of builders only offer the cover when it's specifically asked for by the homeowner. They don't push it."

This attitude may not be the most profitable approach, the survey indicates. While respondents report that 55 percent of their customers request pool covets, an additional 45 percent purchase the device as a result of hearing a sales pitch. This suggests that a persuasive presentation could convince a homeowner to purchase a cover.

For a company that offers pool maintenance service, cover sales can translate into long-term income. "Some people don't have a service department, so they're not as interested in selling covers," says David Thill, vice president in charge of sales at Master Pools by Beauty Pools in Buffalo, N.Y.

"We open and close more than 1,000 pools each year in our service department," he adds. "Plus, a cover will last about 15 years or so, and then customers have to buy a new one. So aftermarket sales become a source [of revenue]."

Builders say there are many benefits to promote during sales presentations. Energy and chemical savings, long-term life for the pool, and aesthetic qualities help sway prospects. But the best selling point also is the most obvious: safety. Nearly 80 percent of builders surveyed say it is a dominant factor affecting their customers' decisions to buy covers.

"We're safety-oriented, and we're not afraid to approach the alternatives, to up-sell in many areas," says John Romano, chairman of All-American Custom Pools & Spas in Norwalk, Conn. "When we do sell, we push it from the maintenance aspect or the chemical savings because that's a value-added [incentive] for people who don't have children or other safety issues to worry about."