Are you a great salesperson?

What type of selling technique do you use to sell spas? If you are a consumer, how do you negotiate for the best overall price?

Every day, intentionally or not, you’re using fascination triggers to persuade people at work and home. Whether you’re pitching a new client, or inviting a friend to lunch, or lulling a cranky toddler to sleep, you’re using triggers to elicit a certain response.

Which triggers are you using to persuade and captivate?

You have seven potential fascination triggers: power, trust, mystique, prestige, vice, alarm, and lust. Each trigger leads to a different style of communication, and a different type of relationship. The more accurately you identify your personality triggers, and the more intelligently you hone them, the more influential your message becomes.

Through proprietary research of 1,059 people, with bite-sized video explanations, the F Score has been carefully designed over the course of six months to highlight which triggers you naturally apply.

In the battle to fascinate consumers, brands apply triggers, too. Volvo uses trust. Godiva uses lust. Fedex uses alarm. Apple Computers uses several triggers, most notably prestige and power. Triggers help companies sell products off shelves, persuade shareholders to invest, and convince key employees to stay.

But back to you. Take the F Score and learn which of the seven triggers you naturally apply in your own work and life.

Click here to take the brand personality test by Sally Hogshead.

Helpful Links

Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation
Videos: 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

Podcasts/Interviews

I get some of my best ideas while I am listening to podcasts. First of all, what is a podcast? A podcast is a free audio or video that can be subscribed through iTunes and played on your iPod/iPhone, computer, or mp3 device. A podcast can be about any subject and is usually in the form of education, entertainment or interview. There are thousands to choose from in many different interests and niches. These are great for two reasons: they are informative and they are free. I have found what works best for me is to listen to them as I drive to and from work each day, but you can easily incorporate them into your exercise program or leisure time.

For me, a podcast just gets my creative juices flowing. I listen to a lot of podcasts that have to do with sales and marketing. Often times I will be able to expound on an idea that is being discussed or it may send me off in a completely different direction, but the point is, to inspire creative thought and action. It works wonders and I highly suggest that you try it. Here are a few podcasts that I listen to regularly, give them a try. If they are not for you, just type in a quick search in the podcast directory and see what you like.

John Jantsch: Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
Small Business Trends Radio | Small Business Advice
Internet Marketing Podcast

(clicking the above links may open iTunes or ask you to install it)

Books

It takes me forever to read a book. I often start a book and then finish it up to a year later. Why does it take me so long to read it? I take a lot of notes while I am reading and then it begins to ignite ideas that I start working on and before I know it, I have put the book down and began creating something great. Even with all of the technology we have and the classes and workshops that cost us loads of money, a book is a tremendous value. For less than twenty bucks, you are awarded hundreds of pages filled with the author’s life’s work on a particular subject. That information is way more than you are going to get out of a 3-day workshop or seminar. Even if I don’t finish the book, I still got one amazing idea from reading it, which was well worth the measly $20.

Small business books I have read recently and recommend:

• Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love
• Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
• Rework

Other Advertisements

If I am in need of a effective idea for a sale, sometimes I will look to other companies to see what is working for them. If they had a great sales idea, there is nothing wrong with adapting it to fit my needs or simply “borrowing” it. I will look in department stores or skim through magazine ads or direct mail. It’s a good idea to keep a folder of advertisements that you have received in the mail or torn out of a magazine, so that you can use them as inspiration in the future. I will even do a quick search in Google for keywords or images that may be about a certain topic that I have been kicking around for a sale. Recently, I was looking on iStock.com, for an image for a direct mail piece I was putting together and as a result came up with an entire campaign and a bunch of signage for the store. If you are not familiar with iStock.com, it is an amazing resource for high quality photography, images, illustrations, and videos that are priced very competitively for you to license and use.

Take Action

The last thing I would suggest to inspire that million dollar idea is to simply do something that you love. Just being a part of something that takes you out of your element or provides you with a sense of being can result in creativity and inspiration. For some it may be rock climbing or free running, for others it may be painting or gardening. You just need to get to that place where your mind is set free to think and be inspired. Push yourself a little bit and the ideas will start to flow.

These are all exercises that I use on a regular basis to feed my creativity.

How do you come up with a great idea? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Tip #5: Quality and Price

This topic is easily the most debatable and misunderstood in the realm of the entire hot tub industry. Every spa dealer and every manufacturer is going to say that their brand stands much taller than their competition in quality and craftsmanship and is virtually superior in very possible way. That’s just the way it is; and honestly, don’t you want them to be excited about what they are selling? As for price, it can be very difficult to understand how much a spa should cost when you first begin your search. Pricing in the hot tub industry can be as elusive as the legendary Bigfoot or Chupacabra. While there is no magic bullet to find out how much a spa is worth, let’s take a closer look at some of the factors you may consider in finding your perfect spa.

Quality

Quality plays a large part in the cost and value of a hot tub. The first four posts of this series have really been all about quality and features that make one hot tub brand stand out from the other, so we won’t go into much detail about these topics again in this post. To find out more, simply click on any of these links: Comfort, Hot Tub Therapy, Filtration & Maintenance, and Energy-Efficiency.

Other measurements of quality may include accolades and awards such as a Consumers Digest Best Buy or SpaSearch.org Certification for manufacturers or certain models. Quality doesn’t end with the spa, if you are buying from a dealer, be sure it is someone you would like to do business with after the sale. You will likely buy your chemicals from them and want to call them should you need service or repair for your spa.

Warranty

The warranty of a hot tub is definitely a major selling point when considering a new hot tub versus a used one or even one brand over another. The warranty on a hot tub is considerably long for a luxury item, especially when compared to other products such as TVs, electronics, appliances, and automobiles. Some of the top spa manufacturers offer as long as a five year warranty on components, equipment, plumbing and even heaters. Many manufacturers offer a 10 year no-leak warranty and 7 year surface warranty for the shell. Ozonators, lights, stereos, and speakers generally have a one year warranty. The exterior of the spa can range from 1 to 3 years, maybe more for some brands. Factory spa covers should also include a warranty on the materials and workmanship for at least 1-2 years.

In most cases, a warranty is non-transferable from one spa owner to another, so do not fall victim to this wary practice of second-hand spas. However, a spa may have a limited warranty if sold as a used or refurbished spa through a dealership, but make sure to receive a document stating what the warranty length and limitations are before purchasing.

Note: Please understand that these warranty guidelines do not reflect any specific manufacturer and we cannot guarantee your spa will meet or exceed any of these generalizations.

Price

If you are like most people, you may be on the defensive when you step foot onto the showroom floor. As customers, we don’t enjoy feeling like we were sold something, but yet we love to buy. It doesn’t really matter what it is, it just feels good to make purchases. In some cases, a purchase may enhance our quality of life or increase our self-esteem, while others may be an impulse-buy while standing in the checkout line at your local grocery store. It just feels good to get what we want and purchasing a hot tub is no different. What is different is that a hot tub is actually more than just a purchase, it is an investment. You are investing your time, your family’s time, your health, and your well-being into this product. Educate yourself, so you can make the right choice.

New vs. Used Spas

It can be difficult to find pricing for new hot tubs, without consulting a dealer. Many dealers don’t even display prices in their stores. When the prices are displayed on spas, you may have the tendency just to quickly look at prices and hurry out of the store. Give the salesman a moment of your time to explain what makes this hot tub exceptional and to point out some of the key differences within their own line of spas and some of their competition. There are many enhancements and options even within one brand of spas that can increase or decrease the retail price accordingly. Also, be sure to ask the dealer what else is included in the purchase price – does it come with a cover, cover lift, steps, chemicals, delivery, set up, etc? It’s a good idea to visit at least a few of the dealerships in your area to help decide what features are important to you and also to gauge what price you are willing to spend. If you have questions about pricing or you want to make sure you are getting a good deal, please visit our forum and get feedback from others who are probably going through the same process as you.

When searching for a used spa, it is a lot easier to search by price and we offer free listings for both used and new hot tubs to help you find the best deal possible. When purchasing a used spa, you will most likely pay a cheaper price, but there are other considerations to factor into the cost such as moving the tub from one location to another, site preparation, electrical wiring and hookup, and possible repair expenses. You may find a used spa in your local classifieds, our find a spa page, or even from your local dealer. It is difficult to know how much to pay for a used spa, so do some research to see what is available in your area. You will likely spend more on a used hot tub from a dealer, but they may offer a limited warranty on a refurbished model. When dealing with private sellers here are a few ideas to consider: Is the spa in working condition? If so, you could wet-test it or at least make sure everything seems to be working. If possible, it is a good idea to hire a local hot tub service technician to give it a thorough inspection before you buy. A small service charge is a good investment before spending $1000s on a used hot tub, if you don’t know what problems to look for. Be sure to keep an eye out for cracks or bubbles in the spa shell and look at the equipment for visible leaks or problems.

Which hot tub is right for me?

That is really the question, isn’t it? There is no perfect hot tub, no perfect model or manufacturer. There are major brands that produce far more spas than some of the smaller brands and you will be fine if you stick with one of the top competitors. Finding the right spa is about what works for you, which may mean comfort, style, design, or ease-of-use. This is why we recommend looking at different brands, researching online, and talking to others about what they have found when searching for a spa. There are definitely things to look out for and factors to consider, which has been the goal of this series of posts and we hope that it has been helpful to you. If you found these posts helpful, please let us know in the comments section below.

If you missed the first part of this series you can find it here:

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part One: Comfort

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Two: Therapy

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Three: Filtration and Maintenance

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Four: Energy Efficiency

As always, we would love to learn from your thoughts and questions in the comments below…

This is the fourth post in the series “The Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa.” In this series we will discuss the most important considerations when choosing the hot tub that is perfect for you. Each day we will cover one of the top five tips with a new post and we encourage you to leave your comments, thoughts or opinions below.

Tip #4: Energy-Efficiency

There are many important factors pertaining to a hot tub’s energy-efficiency such as heat retention, insulation, filtration, design, and engineering. Several years ago, a spa cost a lot of money to operate each month, especially in colder climates. Over time, hot tubs have become more energy efficient in their design, construction, and performance in order to comply with certain energy standards, most notably, Title 20 established by the California Energy Commission (CEC). Not all hot tubs are made equally and not all are compliant with these energy standards, so be sure to ask your dealer or do some research on your own before making a purchase.

Heat Retention

The key to higher energy-efficiency and lower monthly operating costs is heat retention. Insulation is very important in keeping the heat inside your spa, as well as keeping the cold out. Spa manufacturers use different methods for insulating their spas, so it is a good idea to know what to look out for. These methods include: filling the entire cabinet with foam, insulating the underside of the shell, and insulating the inside of the cabinet. Some manufacturers also use a lower density foam, resulting in a less energy-efficient hot tub.

Your spa’s cover is an integral part of keeping the heat in your spa. As we all know, heat rises; just like in our homes, which is why we place vast amounts of insulation in our attics. It is the same for a hot tub. The cover is the last line of defense for heat retention. Make sure your spa includes an energy-efficient cover with a decent R-value (usually R-12 or more) and high-density foam. When the hot tub is not in use, you will want to make sure that the cover straps are latched and the cover fits snugly to minimize heat loss. Cover straps are also a great safety feature as well, to keep out children and unwanted visitors.

Filtration

We talked a lot about filtration in the previous section of this series, and it also plays a large part in heating the spa as well. Water needs to be able to flow easily through the filter in order for it to be heated and cleaned. If your filter cartridge is old, dirty, or simply clogged up, it is either time to clean it or replace it. In fact, if you own a spa and it is having trouble heating or keeping a consistently warm temperature, you may want to clean or replace the filter cartridge. This is one of the first things a spa service technician will check and you may save yourself a large diagnostic fee by looking at it first. If you think your filter may be the problem, remove the cartridge for a few hours and see if it makes a difference in the temperature. If so, clean the filter or replace it. For average hot tub use, a good rule of thumb is two replace your filter cartridge every two years.

Filtration cycles are normally set to four hours, twice per day; but these can be adjusted based on bather load and usage patterns. Just make sure to run the cycles enough to maintain clear, clean water. Also, running your filtration cycles during off-peak hours is always a good idea.

Pumps

When shopping for a spa, do not base the effectiveness of hydrotherapy or massage solely on the number of jets and the size of the pumps. Some hot tub manufacturers place a very large emphasis on the total jet count, while others tout the size of the pumps as a major selling point. The more jets it has, the more horsepower required from the pumps, and the higher your operating costs. A spa does not need hundreds of jets in order to provide a great massage, so watch out for this selling tactic. How many jets is too many? Well, I guess that is up to you. This is why wet-testing is important, along with researching the model(s) you are considering.

Let’s discuss pumps and horsepower for a minute. Do not be fooled by the brands or dealers that peddle high horsepower as a major selling point. In many cases, they are referring to the Brake Horsepower or BHP. Brake Horsepower (BHP) is the horsepower a pump motor achieves for a brief period upon start-up. It does not run at the full BHP the entire time, which would be overkill for most spas. This is a widely used tactic amongst the spa industry, so be sure to seek clarification if you have any questions about it.

Many spa models may include an independent circulation pump, which operates continuously to filter and heat the water. Circulation pumps use a smaller amount of electricity than jet pumps, so it will assist in lower monthly operating costs. They also run quieter than models that do not have circulation pumps, which may be nice if the spa is sitting outside of your bedroom or on a deck. These models usually cost more than models without circulation pumps and are available from many different manufacturers.

Following these simple guidelines when shopping for a hot tub will greatly increase your chances of purchasing a spa that will be long-lasting and one of the most energy-efficient models on the market today. And remember, always ask questions to your dealers or private sellers in order to make a fully-informed buying decision and wet-test when possible. In most cases, your spa’s operating costs should be able to average less than a dollar a day.

Tip: An energy-efficient thermal or floating spa blanket will help retain heat and reduce the amount of moisture building up on the inside of your spa cover, which can extend its life.

If you missed the first part of this series you can find it here:

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part One: Comfort

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Two: Therapy

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Three: Filtration and Maintenance

As always, we would love to learn from your thoughts and questions in the comments below…

Other Helpful links:
California’s Appliance Efficiency Program
Title 20, California Code of Regulations
Online Hot Tub Energy Calculator (We do not have any affiliation with this product or online tool)

Photo Attribution:

Tip #3: Filtration and Maintenance

Filtration

Most portable hot tubs and spas use a cartridge-type filtration system to ensure clear, sparkling water. In cartridge filter systems, water is drawn in to the center of the filter, catching small particles and debris on the filter’s surface, then the water is pushed back out through the filter back into the spa. When shopping for a hot tub, an important question to ask is, “How many square feet of filtration is offered in this particular spa?” The larger the filter’s surface area, the more debris that is able to be filtered out of the spa water. Some hot tubs will have one large filter, while others may have two or more smaller filters. The filters will need to be cleaned and replaced periodically, so you will want them to be easy to access and remove. Plus, you may want to get an idea of what the cost of replacement will be, especially if you do have to purchase multiple filters at one time.

Another key point of filtration and clean water is the spa’s automatic filtration cycle. The water in a hot tub needs to be filtered several times throughout the day. During a filtration cycle the jets will turn on for a specified amount of time and move water through the filter, as discussed in the previous paragraph. Many spas feature pre-programmed filter cycles or even customizable filter cycles to adapt to bather load and general spa use. This entails programming how many times your spa is filtered as well as how long each filter cycle runs. You can even set the time of day that it runs, so it doesn’t interrupt you when you are sleeping or spending quality time outside near the spa.

A circulation pump is another feature that assists with hot tub filtration. A circulation pump keeps a small amount of water moving throughout the spa’s filter system 24 hours a day. It helps prevent standing water from becoming stale and works in conjunction with the hot tub’s programmable filtration cycles to ensure fresh, clean water. A circulation pump is usually offered in premium spa models and also aids in energy-efficiency, which means a lower monthly bill.

Ozone Treatment

Ozonators are usually included or available as an option for most spas. Ozone has been around for many years and aids a hot tub by assisting with sanitization and reducing the amount of chemical maintenance required. Ozone is often a very misunderstood topic for spa buyers and sometimes even amongst those in the industry, which is why I would like to refer to a recent article from SpaRetailer, titled “Ozone Generators Demystified“:

“Ozone is created when oxygen molecules are split by a high-energy electrical discharge resulting in two individual oxygen atoms. Those individual oxygen atoms unite with remaining oxygen molecules to produce a three-atom molecule of ozone gas. The weak bond holding ozone’s third oxygen atom causes the molecule to be extremely unstable and thus, a very effective oxidizer.

An oxidation reaction occurs upon any collision between an ozone molecule and an inorganic or organic molecule or substance such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae, where the oxygen atom held by the weak bond splits off and only oxygen is left behind. So, ozone is actually a gas manufactured by the method described above, created inside a chamber, housed in various styles of containers.

There are two types of ozonators used in hot tubs. One style produces ozone using an ultraviolet light, which oxygen passes through, immediately separating the atoms. The second style produces ozone by a process called Corona Discharge, or CD. This is actually a chamber inside the container that creates little electrical charges to split the atoms. The CD method has an operating life of about five years while the ultraviolet style lasts about one year.”

To read more from this article click here.

Tip: When shopping for a hot tub don’t be afraid to ask, “Does this hot tub have an ozonator? What kind of ozonator is it?”

Spa Care and Weekly Maintenance

Weekly maintenance should only take a few minutes each week and is as easy as testing the water, adding chemicals, and periodically cleaning the filter cartridge. We have outlined an Easy to Follow Spa Care Program and there is much more information found in our Hot Tub Handbook.

If you missed the first part of this series you can find it here:

–>Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part One: Comfort.

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Two: Therapy

As always, we would love to learn from your thoughts and questions in the comments below…

This is the second post in the series “The Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa.”  In this series we discuss the most important considerations when choosing the hot tub that is perfect for you.  Each day we will cover one of the five tips with a new post and we encourage you to leave your comments, thoughts or opinions below.

Tip #2: Hot Tub Therapy

Heat & Buoyancy

One of the greatest benefits of owning or using a hot tub is therapy, commonly referred to as “hydrotherapy.”  Hydrotherapy consists of three main aspects: heat, buoyancy, and massage.  As the name “hot” tub suggests, heat is obviously a large component of the spa experience, but what makes the heat so pleasurable?  Soaking in hot water relieves muscle soreness and helps to loosen stiff joints, it also stimulates blood circulation, which brings an increase of oxygen and nutrients to aching muscles.  For back pain, arthritis or fibromyalgia, soaking in a hot tub can be a good way to provide heat to all parts of the body at once.  Buoyancy, or the ability to float in water, allows great stress relief by taking nearly 90% of your body’s weight off of your aching muscles and ligaments, allowing them time to heal and protecting them from further damage.

Massage Therapy

The third aspect of hydrotherapy is massage.  When you are looking to purchase a hot tub, you will find that each spa manufacturer may put a different spin on the healing effects of hydrotherapy and massage, which is why it is always a good idea to wet-test the spa and see if it targets the areas of your body that you are the most concerned with.  Jet placement and the types of jets are what is going to make the most difference in relieving aches and pains.  Each seat in the spa may have various types of jets in specific anatomical configurations, so that you can easily move from one seat to the next to enjoy relief in different areas of your body.  Seating configurations may have jets that target the muscles in your neck, shoulders, upper back, middle back, lower back, hands, knees, calves, thighs, and feet.  You should also be able to increase and decrease the amount of jet pressure through the use of built-in air valves, diverter valves, and different jet pump speeds.  If customization of jet pressure is an important factor to you, make sure that you are able to wet-test a few spas before purchase, in order to make sure that you are able to get the “right” amount of pressure for your massage.

Holistic Therapy

At the end of a stressful day, there are many factors that play an important role in healing.  Your hot tub is not limited only to physical therapy, it can also promote mental health, self-esteem, coordination, and endurance, enhancing your lifestyle and increasing well-being.  Many people find that owning a hot tub also provides them with a relaxing meeting place for family, friends, and loved-ones and allows more time for reconnection and conversation.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Use a Hot Tub?

For some, pain and joint stiffness is at its worst in the morning, so try a quick soak before you get ready for the day or after a workout.  For many others, muscles tire and soreness increases throughout the day, which makes enjoying the healing effects of a warm soak right before bed the best way to unwind at the end of a stressful day.

Promoting a Good Night’s Sleep

Who doesn’t want to sleep better at night?  There has been a lot of research done on this topic and we would like to point out a great post that has already been written on the subject by Olympic Hot Tub Company:

“Did you know that relaxing in a hot tub can help ease your body into a deeper sleep? The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), a non-profit organization promoting sleep education, advocacy, and research, has declared March 30th National Sleep Awareness Day. According to a recent poll by the NSF, approximately 132 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders more than one a night a week. This number is on the rise as evidenced by the growing number of sleep disorder centers across the nation (approximately 3,000 in the U.S. today).

Sleep researchers believe that many cases of insomnia can be traced to hectic, stressful lifestyles lived by basically healthy people. The results of sleep deprivation are varied and can include battered nerves, grogginess, lapses in memory, depression, and even erratic mood swings. Rather than reaching for over-the-counter sleeping aids, a simple solution to this dilemma may be relaxing in a hot tub before bedtime.

Studies suggest that immersion in hot water (such as a hot tub which has a constant temperature) before bedtime can ease the transition into a deeper, more restful sleep. This may be due to a temperature shift, since the body’s core internal thermostat drops after leaving the water, which signals the body that it’s time to sleep. Or, the sleep improvement may be related to hot water’s relaxing properties – the buoyancy of water reduces body weight by approximately 90%, relieving pressure on joints and muscles, creating the sensation of weightlessness. The hot, swirling water leaves you feeling both mentally and emotionally relaxed.

In addition, hot tub-induced sleep is a natural remedy, unlike alternative sleeping aids such as prescription drugs, over-the-counter remedies and alcohol – all of which can make you feel groggy and have other adverse side effects.”

Please check back tomorrow for Part Three of the “Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa” series.  If you missed the first part of this series you can find it here:

–>Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part One: Comfort.

As always, we would love to learn from your thoughts and questions in the comments below…

This is the first post in a series called “The Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa.”  In this series we will discuss the most important considerations when choosing the hot tub that is perfect for you.  Each day we will cover one of the five tips with a new post and we encourage you to leave your comments, thoughts and opinions.

Tip #1 Comfort

Hot tubs have come a long way since the old, round cedar tubs with very few jets and straight-back seating.  Today, most models contain seating that is ergonomically shaped to cradle your body and offer a much more comfortable and relaxing spa experience.  In most spas, each seat will offer a different type of massage and target different muscles or areas of the body.  Things to look out for – are the jets recessed or are they poking into your back?  Does the spa offer a barrier-free seating arrangement?

How many people can the spa fit comfortably?

If the spa you are considering is a larger sized tub, another consideration is the size of the footwell.  Most of the time it is just two people in the spa, but when you want to have friends over for a relaxing soak, you want to be comfortable and not bumping knees or playing footsie with your next-door neighbor, Tom.  The size of the footwell is something you may notice at first, but try to imagine how much room you will have if each seat is occupied; in larger spas, that may be 7 or 8 pairs of feet.

Take it for a test-drive.

When you are shopping for a hot tub you will probably hear this over and over again, it is extremely important to wet test the spa that you are considering to purchase.  Sitting in a dry spa may give you some idea of the comfort, but it is a much different experience when it is full of water and you are buoyant.  It is much like test-driving a car; you want to make sure it feels good on the road, has the right amount of power, and is comfortable to drive.  Most spa dealers will have hot tubs that you can wet test.  Some even have private areas or “mood rooms” to allow you take a test soak during normal store operating hours.  If not, most dealers will be happy to accommodate potential customers after hours.  If they are not willing to allow you to wet test a certain spa or similar model, then you may want to consider looking elsewhere.  Most private sellers ought to be able to accommodate a wet test as well, if the spa is in working condition.

A hot tub is a large purchase and you don’t want your first time using it to be the day after it is delivered and then you realize that it is not the perfect fit.  At that point, it will be too late and you will be stuck with it.

If this post has been helpful to you, please leave your comments below.  We would also love to hear any thoughts or other ideas that we may have missed.

Subscribe to our RSS feed, so you don’t miss tomorrow’s post or the rest of this series.

Click here to read part two of the series.

–> Top 5 Tips for Buying a Hot Tub or Spa – Part Two: Therapy

Once you’ve decided to sell your spa or hot tub, there are many places you can choose to begin advertising, but here are just a few reasons why theSpaSyndicate.com should be your first choice:

theSpaSyndicate.com

• Free to consumers and a very affordable monthly membership for dealers.
• Exposure. Qualified shoppers go to known brands with lots of inventory.
• Save time with qualified leads. theSpaSyndicate.com visitors are focused on shopping for spas, so your ad will be in front of serious buyers.
• Reach a local and national market.
• Reasonable cost, high value. theSpaSyndicate.com gives you options that allow you to place free ads that run, until it’s sold, feature ads and add up to 9 photos per spa.
• It’s really easy: enter your hot tub details, upload your photos, review and post your listing.
• Search engine leads. As more people turn to the Internet for shopping, your ad will more readily be at buyers’ fingertips.
• Ad features designed to sell.

Start an ad on theSpaSyndicate.com now

Other Online Sites

• Fewer reliable leads. Buyers are often looking for too-good-to-be-true deals, and sellers have to spend time screening these calls.
• A spa can take longer to sell if not as many serious buyers are calling about it.
• Spas often must be re-listed weekly or daily to get prominent placement on other online sources, so be prepared to spend time on advertising.
• Customer support and guided selling tools, like advertising tips, etc., are usually nonexistent.

Newspaper Ads or Traditional Media

• Limited exposure means it may take longer to sell a hot tub: only a fraction of newspaper readers are shopping for hot tubs.
• Newspaper sales are falling with more people turning to the Internet.
• Listing fees can add up if a hot tub doesn’t sell quickly.

Auction or Bidding Sites

• Bidders often expect to find better-than-average deals for a few reasons: They often live out of the area and “wet test” before they commit to buying. Buyers also typically factor in the extra expense of traveling to pick up the spa or paying shipping fees.
• Sellers who have never listed on a bidding site don’t have a buyer feedback record and may not be considered trustworthy.

Start an ad on theSpaSyndicate.com now

Welcome to The Spa Syndicate!

We are so happy to be able to bring you the very best website in the world for spas and hot tubs.  We have been working very hard over the last year to launch this site and are very excited to do so.  We have very high expectations for The Spa Syndicate and many goals that we hope to achieve as we move along.  Right now, you are able to search and sell hot tubs, read and write spa reviews, be an active member of our forum, find local hot tub dealers, and more.  That may seem like a lot of great stuff, but we will add more and more functionality as we go along and receive feedback from YOU, the wonderful people using this site.

What makes theSpaSyndicate.com different?

We are very active in the spa community and social networks and one topic that kept coming up was, “What is the best hot tub?”  Until now, there really has been no place for a typical spa shopper to go and find honest, unbiased information.  As you know, a hot tub is a major purchase and you definitely want to do your research before making the decision to buy.  If you go to a local dealer or private seller, of course they are going to tell you that their spa is the best, but where do you go for a truthful, objective opinion to figure out which hot tub is the best fit for you?  That is just one service we are proud to offer you by allowing registered users of the site to rate and review spas that they have owned or are familiar with.  This will help the thousands of people that are looking to purchase a new or used hot tub each year.

What you can expect from us.

We are committed to making this website the most useful resource out there for consumers, dealers, service technicians, and anyone else who may be interested in buying, selling, or finding information on hot tubs.  We offer many different ways to communicate with our team and with others such as Facebook, Twitter, our Forums, and we also encourage leaving comments on our Blog.  At The Spa Syndicate, we plan to keep moving forward and will continue to offer enhancements to the website to keep offering you the best we have to offer.  As our memberships and user base grow, the site will grow to meet your needs.  We always welcome feedback about what we are doing well or areas where we may need to improve.

So that is a little bit about us.  We are looking forward to helping you in any ways that we can and again, Welcome to The Spa Syndicate.

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