THANK YOU for answering my 10-second survey.
And SURPRISE, this is NOT a sales pitch. I’m really just trying to get a sense of what’s happening out there.
Your feedback helps immensely.
Now if you ARE interested in help, well of course we are ALWAYS available for that. But you already knew that, right?
Thank you again for taking our 10-second survey.
Sincerely,
Brett Abbott
CEO and Chief Marketing Guru
Pool builder Marketing LLC
Not as busy as last year but very busy
We are still primarily word of mouth at this moment. While we are not getting many leads, we are closing on approximately 75% of legitimate leads. We are scheduled out a couple of months and have anticipated work for the fall and winter. I can tell that some builders are scrapping for work and slashing prices to generate cash flow, which will only prolong the inevitable for them without a change in business practice. There seems to be fewer leads but COVID lead generation was not realistic nor sustainable, in my opinion.
Our lead flow going back to the last quarter of 2022 have been inconsistent at best. The internet leads will come in maybe 5 to 7 on an average one weekend then nothing for two weeks. The pattern seems to repeat itself. At the start of the year we had a fair amount of cash leads converted to sales rather quickly than it dropped off until after the tax season ended. Walk in leads are next to none and we have an inviting facility with a large pool display area. Referral leads have been healthy at times but also inconsistent. We are challenged with Losing signed contracts to funding issues. Almost 30% of what we sell never makes it to dig. That is a scary number. About half of that percentage actually get funded but the customer turns the loan down due to the rates they face. Hope this info helps
Service and repair leads have dropped off from pre covid levels. I think its the mass influx of new pool companies getting less leads out there. With so many companies they have more free time to post on facebook or craigslist and get those lower quality leads we use to be able to convert. I use to go from 20 to 30 new service accounts each year to down to less than 10 for 2022 and maybe about the same for 2023. Customers are telling us they are getting sticker shock on service pricing what they use to pay.
I’m getting your emails , I am interested in the automation / drip ect . Need also someone to add pics to my site and update , on the backend , site is suppose to be user friendly ???
Sincerely ,
Duane Hilburn
We are very busy!
We are still receiving leads but also starting to see companies giving things away. I am not talking $5,000 but $20-$30,000 differences which even if a customer sees the value in your company that you have showed them, they that can’t justify spending $20-$30,000 more using you. It really is starting to look like it did in 08’-09’. I hope it’s not heading down this path and if it is, it doesn’t last but a short period.
I’m fairly concerned
Last year, the largest pool builder in Texas had 102 new pool permits in the City of Austin. Over half-way thorough this year, they have 23. The next largest builder in Austin pulled 33 permits in Austin and are at 6 mid-2023. In total, there were 1,158 pool permits issued in 2022 (in Austin) and, as of 6/1/23, there are 350 for 2023; which, if annualized, is almost a 40% drop in volume.
With the exception of a few small builders and those who specialize in urban lot-friendly pools, every builder is either down in pool quantity from last year or is not telling the truth.
That’s what I figured.