General > General info Somewhat hot tub related
Hot tub industry - careers
Brewman:
--- Quote ---HymBaw could also give you some interesting personal insights into what it takes to be successful in the hot tub industry. I haven't seen him around here lately though....
--- End quote ---
(snicker)
I KNEW you were going to say something about that!
I'd have been dissapointed if you hadn't, forcing me to.
LtDan:
--- Quote ---HymBaw could also give you some interesting personal insights into what it takes to be successful in the hot tub industry. I haven't seen him around here lately though....
--- End quote ---
Ouch! Wheres the love? ;D
MostlyLurkingGal:
LtDan....thank you for changing your avitar.....that last one kinda grossed me out ;D
D.P. Roberts:
--- Quote ---Do you mind working weekends?
--- End quote ---
I work evenings and weekends all the time anyway. I don't mind the job, I just have no chance of ever earning a decent income, or any opportunities for advancement, or any possibility of ever being my own boss. I seem to spend most of my free time on hot tub forums anyway, so it seems like something to look into.
It just seems like there are a lot of salespeople and dealers here. For those of you in the business- do you think that most salespeople are planning on making careers (such as becoming dealers) out of what they're doing, or are they basically just happy doing what they're doing, & they move on to something else?
Or, to look at it the other way, are most dealers people who rise up from the ranks of sales or service people & eventually start their own business? Or, are they people from other areas (i.e. "small business" people) who decide to start a hot tub dealership?
For example, for most franchises (like fast food) your experience with that particular business is almost irrelevant- if you have the business skills, the willingness to sign the loan papers, and a good location, they will teach you how to run the business. You can make subs for years and years, but you'll never own a Subway until you can help get the cash.
Alternately, there are some companies where a proprietorship/dealership is more of a promotion. You work your way through the ranks, and eventually earn your own dealership- working your way through the ranks and knowing all the ins and outs of the business are more important than your financial status or outside experience.
Those are oversimplifications, but I'm just wondering how this business works - there aren't any books on it, and I can't find anything on the internet either. Any help or advice of any nature would be greatly appreciated.
ndabunka:
As I understand it, there is a SIGNIFICANT difference between "being a spa salesman" and OWNING your own Hot Tub business. It seems that like any other retail, you MUST generate volume in order to be successful. Selling only 3 or 4 tubs a month would not support your own storefront (not even a cheap one) but a single salesman selling 3-4 tubs could likely make enough to keep at it ($3 to $5K/month depending on the split with the owner of the business). If you want to run your own storefront for a reasonable company, it will take about $80K to get started and then require anywhere from 6 to 10 tubs (minimium) to stay afloat. Location is also VERY important as you need visability to the public for a successful shop (IMHO) and therefore, rent will also be more than a warehouse somewhere in an industrial complex. Reading other posters it appears that the sucessfull guys do sell between 10 and 20 tubs a month on average and they therefore probably do bring in a healthy income (even without owning the company) but they do have a number of factors in their favor (time in business, size of business, support staff for not just sales but repairs as well) and often even have off-season (is there such a thing) things in their shops like fireplaces, patio furniture, etc
By the way - I do not sell tubs nor do I own a dealership. I "had" investigated it pretty deeply a couple of years back. I have managed (and even owned) my own retail storefronts in the past (Computers) so much of the details were VERY similar for the two industries. Both use floorplanning, both have local competition, both "could" be considered simple "commodities" and therefore price competition could be a factor in your area. #1 thing you MUST do BEFORE entering into the business it to first understand your own local market, local competitors, etc to determine if there is any opening for the product you want to rep for. If are the "major" retailers already have sufficent representation, you may not have any "good" options. Nobody wants to have to sell a Phoenix or SunBelt Spa as their PRIMARY spa (for a number of reasons).
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