Scott Payne has a few tips for making pool customers brand ambassadors. He is a leading pool builder in Pennsylvania and says it is his personal priority that customers are satisfied with the final product.
His company Scott Payne Custom Pools has become a local landmark in Montgomeryville, which is about 40 minutes from Philadelphia and Allentown. The builder says word-of-mouth referrals are crucial to his clients when it comes to their backyard.
Recalibrating for Success
“Over the course of my career, I noticed the disconnect between some companies in the industry. Scott Payne Custom Pools was created to be different. It’s not easy to expect a client who has spent a lot of money to GC their project. We vertically aligned ourselves with landscapers, carpenters, and hardscapers. Payne said that they created a strong sub-base and most of the work is done in-house. Scott Payne Outdoors is our sister company. There are four full-time carpenters there. With a landscape architect on staff, we have landscaping, hardscape, and fencing all in-house. It’s an advantage and customers love it. Payne stated that they want to write only one check to one person.
A One-Stop Shop
Payne can handle all aspects of the backyard remodel. This is a one-stop solution for homeowners. Payne is responsible for all aspects of outdoor living, including the pool, landscaping, hardscaping and carpentry involved in building the various outdoor amenities that his clients want. Clients often ask, “Do you do everything?” Yes, ma’am. “Good, that’s exactly what we want,” stated Payne.
Payne stated that his customers look for a one-stop shop nine times out of ten when he is providing that service. Payne said, “I have a silly rule. It is that if someone asks me for something more than three times, I will explore it to see what it would be like to become fluent in it.” He also mentioned that Payne and his team do sports courts. We are now one of the largest distributors on the East Coast of Versa Court. We also do XGrass putting greens. Now we do Danver outdoor door cabinetry. It’s a great thing to be that person and have all of that money in your pocket. We are a Generac dealer, and we do generators. Why? They are often requested by people who have had bad experiences with their current contractor. It was a complaint. We were licensed. This year, we’ll be operating 50-60 generators. It’s logical. It’s already there. There is an electrician and a gas man.
How to Educate Yourself
Payne knew that he needed to be educated on how to build a pool in his local market to become a top poolbuilder. Payne had to make the effort to attend classes that would help him become a better pool builder. Payne said, “I made a commitment when I started my company to forget all I thought I knew.” He also mentioned that he learned things while working for a national builder with high volumes. Everyone had the same sentiment, and that is how it was done. They never considered whether it was right, wrong, or justifiable.
“I had a great relationship with Kevin Ruddy, Omega Constructions. He was also a member of Skip Phillips and Brian Van Bower . He was a great friend and kept telling me to go to a class.” Payne explained.
“I thought it was an oxymoron, because Genesis was not the company this was. It was not logical to do it my way, even though it would benefit me. However, it wouldn’t trickle down to my customers. Literally, I remember calling Kevin Ruddy the day I founded my company and saying, “hey, I’m ready,” added Payne.
“He connected me to the Genesis office. In October 2015, I took my first class in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a pool studio class that I took at a Master Pools Guild convention. It’s a nice hotel, and I didn’t have a laptop. My pool studio was done on a computer. My computer, keyboard, and mouse were all brought down to the desktop. It was my first day of class, and I was met with laughter and looks as I brought it down to the classroom. I then set it up at a table where everyone had their laptops, and that was it. I was hooked. And I am proud to say that my SWD was completed. Payne explained that 150 hours of education were completed across the country in two years.
On Educating Pool Customer
Payne stated that he was able to get that education because it is sometimes difficult to build pools in Pennsylvania. This education is often crucial when it comes to educating customers about the process of building a pool. Pennsylvania does not have consistent state, county and township regulations. Each township is subject to its own rules. In a 75-mile square area, we have built in 40 townships. Each township has its own rules and regulations. One person who works full-time handles permits. They speed up engineering and download and fill out forms. They do it all day.
Other than permitting concerns, building an above-ground swimming pool comes with restrictions. In the last ten years, stormwater management has been very common. Payne stated that it can cost customers anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 in every township, depending on the size of the devices.
Payne stated that while the pandemic caused a huge increase in outdoor living, rising costs are something he also has to contend with. There’s a sadness when it comes to price rises. To be honest, the base price pool was $59,000. We sold it every day. Pre-Covid, the base pool was $59,000. Today, the base price for that pool is $84,000. It’s the same margin and we are not making any more on that pool,” stated Payne. He said that it was his unfortunate duty to share the information about the current cost of pools.
He is also responsible for educating consumers about pool-building. The process is terrible. It’s almost like a hip replacement,” Payne explained. “The client tells me, ‘I don’t want to go into PT, I don’t want in a hospital but I want dance.’ So, I’m going in and I’m going to tear down your yard for six weeks, six month, maybe not six years. You’ll remember Scott Payne Custom Pools at that first party. Payne said, “That’s why we do this.”
Payne stated that the goal is to make every customer happy, even when things go wrong. “I was in business for about two years when I was called to do a job with Rachel. I was given her budget and her wishlist. She didn’t have the budget and her wish list. I apologize and tell her that you are more of a vinyl pool client then a gunite pool contractor. I stop listening to her and she gets angry. Payne said, “I went through this difficult divorce and want to build my children a swimming pool. You’re going to be that builder.”
“I imagined my mom struggling with me and my sister. I thought, okay, what do you think? I can stretch that budget. She said, “Yeah, it’s possible to stretch it.” I replied, “Okay, I’m willing to bend.” Payne said, “You stretch, I bend, and we’re going do this together.”
Payne’s first project had its ups and downs. One Payne is a costly lesson in doing right when it matters. Payne would receive a call from his customer a few weeks after he started construction. Payne explained that he believed it was related to the pool. “The toilets are clogged up and you have probably hit the sewer line.” I go through her yard and walk into the neighbor’s. Then I turn around and walk over to another yard. Guess what? The sewer line runs right through the middle. At seven feet deep, the sewer line leaves the basement. It is located under the pool. It was probably nicked by my excavator. Payne said that concrete seeped into the pipe because of Gunite.
“There is a Marriott just around the corner. I book them a room and call my excavator. Payne said that he asked Payne if he could bring the mini X to meet him at the job. Over the next five to six hours, he and I dug down the pool’s front side to locate the pipe. It’s broken.
“We found the break. Payne said, “Now I need to decide if I want to fix it or move it.” I do the right things. We go all the way to the bottom of the pool, and we demo the equipment that was there. It is connected, as you can see, like a question mark to one side of the lateral going three feet down. We dig the hole, plow it, do cleanouts, and then backfill it. We rebuilt the equipment which was now junk. We did all the plumbing again, and paid twice. In just 28 days, we tiled, coping, and put the deck up on the pool. I was charged $8,500 for this mistake, but it is a win. It set the expectation that we would do things right, and that money wasn’t the only thing that matters. It’s all about integrity.”
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Scott Payne Custom Pools believes a pool should be an extension of a home’s architecture and the environment that surrounds it. The goal is to enhance a family’s #outdoorliving style—a place to escape, entertain, and find serenity and joy. https://t.co/xMpKNGlQqJ #luxurypool pic.twitter.com/3q217IoOZ5
— Luxury Pools (@Luxurypoolsmag) May 18, 2019
