Inground pool cost is the elephant in the pool.

Almost one half of the most popular swimming pool related search term have to do with swimming pool price or pool remodel price.  This is what swimming pool customers most care about and this is the elephant in the pool for almost every project.  

Top 5 swimming pool price related customer search terms, according to Swimming Pool Quotes search results. (1) cost of inground pool (2) cost of fiberglass pools  (3) inground pool cost  (4) cost to build pool  (5) cost of an inground pool.

According to Karyn Greenstreet, Small Business Coach and Self Employment Expert it is important to have a pricing strategy.  You probably already know the average prices in your area.  Are your swimming pool prices in line?  If your swimming pool prices are higher or lower make sure you can justify the difference.   For a quick overview of pricing strategies check out this article.

Before discussing actual prices with a prospective customer establish that the prospective customer is genuinely interested in your services and expertise and a real swimming pool prospect by asking them

(1) details about their site (so you can understand installation requirements/resttictions and

(2) details about their project (so you can start to map the price based on what the customer wants. It might be helpful to explain that you can provide a range of pools with a range of prices depending on the shape, size and features that interest the customer.  It might be best to get the ‘kitchen sink’ wish list from the pool customer so you can get back to them with an itemize estimate where they can add or subtract as they want.

If a customer requires pool pricing before the initial meeting but after you decide that they are a genuine prospect it is best to emphasize that every pool and every dig is different and that once you understand details about their swimming pool project, you can provide them with real value rather than a guess.  If you must talk about pool pricing before you get an opportunity to understand their needs and their yard, talk in terms of least expensive / average price ranges.

Before your meeting, look up the location on Google maps ahead of time (aerial view) so that you know what the property looks like and what pool will fit even before you reach the backyard. This will start the meeting off on the right foot.   Show up with a plan to discuss pools from basic/ least expensive to features and expensive pools so that that the customer can really understand how much any pool costs and how much swimming pool extras can cost.

What are some of the methods that you use to effectively handle this question?