One advantage to the seasonal nature of the pool and spa industry is the fact that you have plenty of time to review your previous year of business and plan for the next. By performing a complete, honest assessment of your business, you can determine how you can improve, what’s working, what’s not, if there are services you should add or remove, and much more. Begin your pool or spa company’s assessment by asking questions such as:
Did I Reach My Goal for the Year?
Whether your goal was to build more pools, sell more spas, or gain more customers, determining if your yearly goal was met is a great place to start. From here, you can investigate why you did or did not reach your goal. If you started the year without a goal, use last year’s results to determine a good goal for next year.
What Were My Most and Least Lucrative Products or Services?
This is another important question that can help you determine whether you need to push a service more, take the focus off of a product line, or even discontinue offering something. If your big money maker is selling spas and servicing pools is hurting your ability to do that, consider making a change. Review your finances along with the time spent on each project or transaction so you can determine a value for every aspect of your business.
What Are the Big Trends for Next Year?
After you’ve completely assessed your business’s performance for the previous year, you can begin planning for the future. If your assessment revealed that your pool company is poised for growth, a great place to start is to consider the latest pool and spa trends – are you currently offering them? If not, is it possible for you to begin offering them without disrupting your other services or products? Answer these questions and your company will be ready for a great next year.