sales process

When a capable low- to mid-range pool builder decides to make the transition to high-end custom work, says Kevin Fleming, everything changes: The entire focus of the work shifts, and so do all aspects of the company’s daily routines. To illustrate, he discusses the transformations taking place at his company – and his sense that things will never be the same now that they’re working to build pools worthy of being called ‘art.’

Unlocking the Future

No one ever said that change was easy. In our case, in fact, it's been a struggle every step of the way. But even though we're still in the middle the process, I can tell already that it's been worth it - and that the best is yet to come. Lipinski Pools, an offshoot of Lipinski Landscaping in Mt. Laurel, N.J., has worked with pools as part of the company's overall landscaping business for several years now. We started by acting as general contractors and farming out a lot of the work. Using that approach, we

At some point, designing most any watershape means committing the concept to paper. A good bird’s-eye-view plot plan might be enough for imaginative clients who can translate a two-dimensional schematic into a vision of their yard’s potential, observes Clint West, but that’s asking a lot. Instead – and where the budget makes it sensible – why not present your client with a full-color, three-dimensional rendering and use the power of the image to everyone’s benefit?

Rendering a Visual Assist

Long before the Bobcats show up, most watershape designers will have used some sort of two-dimensional artwork to excavate their customers' imaginations. Perhaps it starts with old photographs in a portfolio, but it almost always ends up with new drawings that encourage precise, detailed communication between designer and client in a way that can never be fully achieved with verbal descriptions or written proposals. If done with appropriate detail and skill, a drawing gives designer and client the opportunity to explore the