Have you ever seen a snow globe before? Its a small globe the size of your fist with a Christmas scene encased in water. Shake it or turn it upside down and flakes of snow will appear.
Unfortunately some peoples hot tubs can turn into snow globes without the proper care or attention. New or Used they can all suffer from the same condition, and let me tell you it's a bugger to reverse. I have several clients who are often linked because of this condition. And the worst thing is, most of them feel like its the Spa Solution that caused it in the first place. Some are too kind to say anything and just end up not using the product. Others will call, which I'm happy about because its the only way we can help.
First of all, Spa Solution does not cause the snow globe effect. Spa solution bonds well will water, but does not bond well with other matter such as soap or fragrance oils. Let me explain a little further.
The snowflakes second of all are not particles of dead skin that were lodged somewhere and came out. That would be really gross, but also impossible. They are one of 2 things, either water mold or solids that happen because of soap or oil. Let me explain
Old and new hot tubs if not cleaned and purged properly can contain hidden pockets of old water or scum. They can hide in the motor, the hose joints, the jets and anywhere where the water does not flow fast and consistant. They also can hide in your water hose if its left out in the sun, and used to refil the tub. Incidently what happens is this can enter your tub and cause a snow globe. Its hard to kill and I suggest you check out my website on how to remedy this.
The next cause could be from oil and soap. How do they enter your tub? Well remember the day you invited all your cousins to come sit in the tub one night? They all had nice shorts on that were laundered with regular soap and probably not rinsed thouroughly. This comes out in hot water and does not mix well with Spa Solution. Or you remember the one time you decided to have a romantic nite and mix some lavneder in your water? Again, most of these fragrances are oil based and will not mix well with Spa Solution.
So 3 reasons for the snow globe effect, and if chemical shock won't kill what's there then the only solution is emptying and cleaning your tub over and over till its virtually eliminated. One of my clients had to do this 8 times.
He's finally beaten the snow globe.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Repeat Customer?
"Hi is this the place that sells that hot tub crap?"
I get calls on my cel phone all the time. This one I had to write about. I asked the caller to repeat themselves and yup sure enough, I heard it right the first time.
"Well maam, if you mean Spa Solution, then yes I do sell the product" The lady on the other end was clearly agitated by something so I was on high alert. An angry customer? Who knows, but I have an idea I would find out real quick.
"Yeah, the slimy crap you put in your hot tub so you never have to check it", she exclaimed.
Every part of me screamed out to educate her on the how the product works and how it's actually untrue that you "never have to check it", and that you need to rotate your filters, and that you need to purge it if you're a first time user etc etc. I had a feeling I would not get past the first few words of that, so I simply responded,
"Yeah I got that stuff"
Hey that felt kinda fun, I'm used to a lot longer sales pitch so maybe this was going to be a quick sale
"Well I need some and can you deliver" she asked, I replied, "certainly, I will have a bottle out to you tomorrow"
The following day I stopped by, rang the door bell, and out came a young lady no taller than a garden gnome, with a visa card in her hand. She had the cheque written out, shoved it in my hand and with hardly a thanks closed the door after grabbing her bottle. To date my quickest transaction.
I hope she put it in her hot tub and not on her pancakes.......
I get calls on my cel phone all the time. This one I had to write about. I asked the caller to repeat themselves and yup sure enough, I heard it right the first time.
"Well maam, if you mean Spa Solution, then yes I do sell the product" The lady on the other end was clearly agitated by something so I was on high alert. An angry customer? Who knows, but I have an idea I would find out real quick.
"Yeah, the slimy crap you put in your hot tub so you never have to check it", she exclaimed.
Every part of me screamed out to educate her on the how the product works and how it's actually untrue that you "never have to check it", and that you need to rotate your filters, and that you need to purge it if you're a first time user etc etc. I had a feeling I would not get past the first few words of that, so I simply responded,
"Yeah I got that stuff"
Hey that felt kinda fun, I'm used to a lot longer sales pitch so maybe this was going to be a quick sale
"Well I need some and can you deliver" she asked, I replied, "certainly, I will have a bottle out to you tomorrow"
The following day I stopped by, rang the door bell, and out came a young lady no taller than a garden gnome, with a visa card in her hand. She had the cheque written out, shoved it in my hand and with hardly a thanks closed the door after grabbing her bottle. To date my quickest transaction.
I hope she put it in her hot tub and not on her pancakes.......
Evan The Mayor Uses It
I told a little lie to you dear reader.
In my last blog I told you I had made no sales from the ladies show. That's not quite true. I ended up making one sale, ironicly to an old man who happens to be the mayor of our town.
That is also a half tuth. We call him the mayor cuz he's popular, everyone knows his name and where he lives, plus the "mayor" always seems a little larger than life. In many cases its a derogratory term meant to poke fun at someone, and although I do intent to do that, it's done with a touch of respect. I happen to like this old man. He touches a part of my heart and through the years has touched a few more I'm sure.
"Herbert" is well past his eighties and has lived in our town for over 400 years. He owns a home that still boasts an interior worthy of the "Brady Bunch", a 70's TV Sitcom about family life. Now don't laugh becasue Herbert is happy in this atmosphere. In fact, to him it was his last and final interior redecorating project so to him it's up to date and stylish. The carpets although threadbare in well travelled spots are oranange shag, the curtain's paisly, the furniture velour and brown, and each hallway or wall has that funky plasdtic orange glass with the swirls in it. Oh the horror! But it was home for him and his small wife "Doris". It was comfy, and warm, and also home to his recentley purchased "Softub" conveniently plunked on his top sun deck beside the shoe rack, potatoes and the 6 boxes of broken electronics he would one day get around to repairing.
Herb bought the tub because his hip is bad. He's suffered a lot in his later years, his profession had him standing all day long, and because he did'nt believe in retirement, he did this well into the 70's. But over the years gravity trumps mind and he spent less and less time at work. He thought his 50 year old apprentice son was still a little young to take over, but he realized it was inevitable and so he spent more and more time in the 70's shack. He has a recliner that dates back even further than TV itself, but I'm sure its comfy and fits him just fine. How do I know all this?
Herb was at the ladies show, being dragged along by his beloved, killing some time on a Friday night. He recognized me immediately, I was busy exercising option #2, so it was'nt tough to spot me. He plunked himself on my stool, took a heavy sigh, and watched me pedal my wares. I believe he was content to spend the night. He looked comfy, and because he was the mayor, everyone knew him and tipped their hat. Well, as it turned out Herb bought a Hotub for his hip, and he lamented on how he could not use it bcuase the chemicals made his skin itch so much. He proceeded to show me all the spots where it itched but I had to cut him off after he got to areas that shouldnt be discussed or shown at a womens expos. I promised Herb a visit in the upcoming days.
A few days later I collected my wits and made the house call. I was directed up the back steps and led through the back door to find Herb in his easy chair, and his wife Doris dutifully doing dishes by hand. I must say it was a peaceful picture and the smile on Herb's face confirmed my thoughts. We spent about a half an hour talking about the features and benefits of the product. Herb was "itching" to get back in the tub, (pun intended) so we poured the product in and I gave him some specific instructions to purge, drain, clean and refill! he did this obediently. 7 days later he called with a couple of questions to confirm he had done the right thing. I asked how it all turned out and his words were "Marty I'm so happy I don't itch and my hip feels so wonderful"
Nothing like a happy mayor
In my last blog I told you I had made no sales from the ladies show. That's not quite true. I ended up making one sale, ironicly to an old man who happens to be the mayor of our town.
That is also a half tuth. We call him the mayor cuz he's popular, everyone knows his name and where he lives, plus the "mayor" always seems a little larger than life. In many cases its a derogratory term meant to poke fun at someone, and although I do intent to do that, it's done with a touch of respect. I happen to like this old man. He touches a part of my heart and through the years has touched a few more I'm sure.
"Herbert" is well past his eighties and has lived in our town for over 400 years. He owns a home that still boasts an interior worthy of the "Brady Bunch", a 70's TV Sitcom about family life. Now don't laugh becasue Herbert is happy in this atmosphere. In fact, to him it was his last and final interior redecorating project so to him it's up to date and stylish. The carpets although threadbare in well travelled spots are oranange shag, the curtain's paisly, the furniture velour and brown, and each hallway or wall has that funky plasdtic orange glass with the swirls in it. Oh the horror! But it was home for him and his small wife "Doris". It was comfy, and warm, and also home to his recentley purchased "Softub" conveniently plunked on his top sun deck beside the shoe rack, potatoes and the 6 boxes of broken electronics he would one day get around to repairing.
Herb bought the tub because his hip is bad. He's suffered a lot in his later years, his profession had him standing all day long, and because he did'nt believe in retirement, he did this well into the 70's. But over the years gravity trumps mind and he spent less and less time at work. He thought his 50 year old apprentice son was still a little young to take over, but he realized it was inevitable and so he spent more and more time in the 70's shack. He has a recliner that dates back even further than TV itself, but I'm sure its comfy and fits him just fine. How do I know all this?
Herb was at the ladies show, being dragged along by his beloved, killing some time on a Friday night. He recognized me immediately, I was busy exercising option #2, so it was'nt tough to spot me. He plunked himself on my stool, took a heavy sigh, and watched me pedal my wares. I believe he was content to spend the night. He looked comfy, and because he was the mayor, everyone knew him and tipped their hat. Well, as it turned out Herb bought a Hotub for his hip, and he lamented on how he could not use it bcuase the chemicals made his skin itch so much. He proceeded to show me all the spots where it itched but I had to cut him off after he got to areas that shouldnt be discussed or shown at a womens expos. I promised Herb a visit in the upcoming days.
A few days later I collected my wits and made the house call. I was directed up the back steps and led through the back door to find Herb in his easy chair, and his wife Doris dutifully doing dishes by hand. I must say it was a peaceful picture and the smile on Herb's face confirmed my thoughts. We spent about a half an hour talking about the features and benefits of the product. Herb was "itching" to get back in the tub, (pun intended) so we poured the product in and I gave him some specific instructions to purge, drain, clean and refill! he did this obediently. 7 days later he called with a couple of questions to confirm he had done the right thing. I asked how it all turned out and his words were "Marty I'm so happy I don't itch and my hip feels so wonderful"
Nothing like a happy mayor
I Like Women
I like women.
Now before I come across sounding like a creep let me explain myself. I don't lurk behind trees, I don't own binoculers, I don't send creepy messages, and I don't troll the dark areas of the internet. That's just not me...and it's not that I hate guys, heck I am one and proud of it! I like to belch, I like hockey, I like tools, and I don't mind going to car shows. But on the whole I've always been able to communicate with the female species much better than their physically superior counterparts. Perhaps chalk it up to being predominantly raised by my mom who know. It was that way in school and its the same now. I won't go into all the details and the physcology of it all, it just is what it is.
I got a phone call a few months ago asking if I wanted to participate in a "home show" with my "Natural Hot Tub Solution". The target audience was women, and all the product and booths were geared towards that market! I gave it some thought and signed up for an 8x8 and voila, I was in! Now I've done these shows in the past with varied results. I'm not big on them, and in some ways shy by nature so I did enter with a hint of trepidation. The date drew nearer and felt myself growing less confident every day. I had good inventory, decent knowledge, a nice display in mind, gift baskets, chocolates, all ingredients garunteed to bring success! What I lacked in self confidence I certainly had in all the other stuff! Friends and family garunteed success. I verbally agreed, but inwardly thought they were all of their rockers.....this wouldnt be as easy as other thought.
I was way too early for booth set up, in fact i had to be one of the first. I'm just like that, hate last minute stuff. I want to be prepared. It did help my confidence some however, and I was more than prepared. The booth was laid out very nice. I was prepared to show my wares and even pre-purchased 100 plastic bags for sales, (I ended up selling not a single bottle) and chocolates, (I ran out of them).
The night of the show, and I was ready. New pressed yellow shirt, yup yellow,.....I'm a big dude and black would be intimidating...see? I know this stuff. Now there are several different views as how to work these shows. Option 1 is to simply stand back and let the people insepct your wares and dive on them the minute you see a pulse. Option 2 is to stand in the aisle and wave them to your booth like your directing traffic, and option 3 is to just be yourself and have some fun. Unfortunatley it took me 90% of the show to discover option number.
I was ashamed of myself. For the good part of 2 nights I danced around like an idiot looking like a cheaper version of Jerry Springer, if thats at all possible, or some stadium hot dog vendor yelling in the stands, "Spa Solution!, get yer Spa Solution right here". Not one sale, and when one person did finally come to see what all the hubub was about they promptly left becuase I tripped all over myself trying to get my speech out. "Yes, the solution is great for your tub when you mix it into your skin, but first you need to purge yourself for 7 days...." Oh dear.....I was self imploding. And those poor teen girls who just stopped by to enter the draw or have a chocolate to only have some guy leap off his stool and launch himself at them and ask "hey, do your parents own a hot tub"? What a disaster, and all my own fault. Seems I know "jack all" about women....
In the end though, I'm thankful for some good advice handed to me for free before the end of the show. Someone told me, "settle down, be natural, you're trying way to hard!" This turned out to be good advice. A few deep breaths and I began to settle into my own skin. I got into the groove and got on a lot better. Back into my comfort zone, I started to show some progress. Still no sales, but I've learned over time that that is a building a process.
I wasn't dissapointed, and I in the end I got to talk to a lot of women
Now before I come across sounding like a creep let me explain myself. I don't lurk behind trees, I don't own binoculers, I don't send creepy messages, and I don't troll the dark areas of the internet. That's just not me...and it's not that I hate guys, heck I am one and proud of it! I like to belch, I like hockey, I like tools, and I don't mind going to car shows. But on the whole I've always been able to communicate with the female species much better than their physically superior counterparts. Perhaps chalk it up to being predominantly raised by my mom who know. It was that way in school and its the same now. I won't go into all the details and the physcology of it all, it just is what it is.
I got a phone call a few months ago asking if I wanted to participate in a "home show" with my "Natural Hot Tub Solution". The target audience was women, and all the product and booths were geared towards that market! I gave it some thought and signed up for an 8x8 and voila, I was in! Now I've done these shows in the past with varied results. I'm not big on them, and in some ways shy by nature so I did enter with a hint of trepidation. The date drew nearer and felt myself growing less confident every day. I had good inventory, decent knowledge, a nice display in mind, gift baskets, chocolates, all ingredients garunteed to bring success! What I lacked in self confidence I certainly had in all the other stuff! Friends and family garunteed success. I verbally agreed, but inwardly thought they were all of their rockers.....this wouldnt be as easy as other thought.
I was way too early for booth set up, in fact i had to be one of the first. I'm just like that, hate last minute stuff. I want to be prepared. It did help my confidence some however, and I was more than prepared. The booth was laid out very nice. I was prepared to show my wares and even pre-purchased 100 plastic bags for sales, (I ended up selling not a single bottle) and chocolates, (I ran out of them).
The night of the show, and I was ready. New pressed yellow shirt, yup yellow,.....I'm a big dude and black would be intimidating...see? I know this stuff. Now there are several different views as how to work these shows. Option 1 is to simply stand back and let the people insepct your wares and dive on them the minute you see a pulse. Option 2 is to stand in the aisle and wave them to your booth like your directing traffic, and option 3 is to just be yourself and have some fun. Unfortunatley it took me 90% of the show to discover option number.
I was ashamed of myself. For the good part of 2 nights I danced around like an idiot looking like a cheaper version of Jerry Springer, if thats at all possible, or some stadium hot dog vendor yelling in the stands, "Spa Solution!, get yer Spa Solution right here". Not one sale, and when one person did finally come to see what all the hubub was about they promptly left becuase I tripped all over myself trying to get my speech out. "Yes, the solution is great for your tub when you mix it into your skin, but first you need to purge yourself for 7 days...." Oh dear.....I was self imploding. And those poor teen girls who just stopped by to enter the draw or have a chocolate to only have some guy leap off his stool and launch himself at them and ask "hey, do your parents own a hot tub"? What a disaster, and all my own fault. Seems I know "jack all" about women....
In the end though, I'm thankful for some good advice handed to me for free before the end of the show. Someone told me, "settle down, be natural, you're trying way to hard!" This turned out to be good advice. A few deep breaths and I began to settle into my own skin. I got into the groove and got on a lot better. Back into my comfort zone, I started to show some progress. Still no sales, but I've learned over time that that is a building a process.
I wasn't dissapointed, and I in the end I got to talk to a lot of women
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