Leslie's Poolmart
CHATSWORTH, CA

Leslie's Poolmart is the largest swimming pool retailer in the world, with over 300 stores. Their challenge was to expand throughout the United States as quickly as possible.

Once again, we turned to research to understand how we could build the brand and learn how to successfully open new stores. Even though the chain had been open since the 1950's, they did not understand all of the critical factors involved in making a new store successful. By tearing apart and scrutinizing all the old research the company had already done, we determined the single most critical factor that would make a new Leslie's store successful. This permanently altered the way expansion was planned.

Leslie's also focused on customer service. We did everything in our power to build an ironclad relationship with our customers. Taking care of a pool is often costly, and mistakes can run up costs. Research revealed some interesting things. The bond we built was not unlike the bond between a doctor and patient – one built on knowledge and trust.

We also developed a web site to capture leads and provide 24-hour customer technical support. This site was developed in-house on virtually no budget! It's not fancy, but it is highly functional and was key to building the brand. The site aided in solidifying the bond between the consumer and Leslie's, as the knowledgeable source to maintain their prize possession.

At Leslie's, we were able to create new methods of capturing qualified leads, and conducted ongoing, highly targeted and segmented, direct mail campaigns. We also built a number of strategic alliances with builders and publishers, resulting in new customers and increased sales.