Aloha Pools & Spas Deep Dive Podcast
The Art of Pool Sales — A Conversation with Renee Arnold
Hosted by John Watts & Brad Cook | Guest: Renee Arnold, Sales
Brad: Today we have longtime sales veteran Renee Arnold joining us. Renee works out of the Cape Girardeau area, covering down into the Bootheel of Missouri, up into the St. Louis market, and over into Illinois. She’s been with Aloha since October of 2008 — which means she’s been here longer than most.
How It All Started
Brad: Renee, you want to tell everyone how we first met?
Renee: I was working as a marketing rep for River Radio and came out to do a live remote at the Scott City store. While I was there, a client of mine came in wanting to buy a pool — and the salesperson on the floor wasn’t being very helpful. So I got on the phone with Brad and walked the customer through the buying process myself.
Brad: And I basically tried to hire her on the spot. We had people coming in the door and nobody really selling to them. It was painful to watch as a salesperson yourself — you just want to jump in and help.
Renee: He said, “We’re doing these customers a disservice by not having the right people here.” And the rest is history. I’ve moved four times with this company since then.
Brad: Renee went from selling furniture to radio airtime to pools. And honestly, if you know how to sell, the industry almost doesn’t matter. The relationship is the product. That’s also why I don’t think AI will ever fully replace a great salesperson — it can do a lot, but it can’t replicate genuine human connection.
What Makes a Great Pool Salesperson
Renee: I actually started in the credit office at a furniture company, and when I saw what the salespeople were making, I knew I had to get out on the floor. Back then it was a pretty male-dominated environment — three guys who told me they’d take half my sales if I wanted their help. So I learned quickly how to do it on my own.
Brad: And that quality — genuinely wanting to help people — is something that’s really hard to teach. You either have it or you don’t. Renee’s been our top salesperson for a reason.
Renee: I’ve been through hundreds of sales trainings over the years, and every single one teaches you something. But what you’re really learning is how to listen. The first thing a customer tells you they want is usually not actually what they want. You have to ask questions and guide them toward what’s going to make them happy long-term.
The thing I never want to hear from a customer is “I wish I would have.” That’s my biggest fear. If someone leaves and later realizes they could have had something they didn’t even know was available — that’s on us, not them. And it costs you referrals. One happy customer can bring you ten more through their family, friends, and neighbors.
John: There’s actually a stat that 86% of car buyers end up in a different vehicle than what they came in for. I’d bet it’s the same with pools. People have an idea, but they don’t always know what’s possible until someone helps them get there.
Renee: Exactly. And a big mistake inexperienced salespeople make is selling based on what they can personally afford. You can’t do that. The person sitting across from you may have a completely different budget, and you have to let the conversation reveal that rather than assuming.
Product Knowledge Is Everything
Renee: When I started, I knew nothing about pools. I didn’t understand hydraulics until around 2015 — and I sat through that training three times before it clicked. Product knowledge isn’t something that happens overnight.
I remember early on, a woman called asking for a “pool stick.” I started listing off dive sticks and pool poles before I realized she was asking about a billiard cue — because at the time we also sold pool tables. It was a good lesson: don’t assume you know what the customer means until you ask.
Brad: And for anyone wondering — hydraulics in the pool world refers to water flow, pipe sizing, and the friction created by your plumbing system. Not the bouncy kind.
Renee: The deeper your product knowledge, the better you can serve people. If someone tells you they want to play volleyball in their pool but you put them in a diving pool with no shallow end, you’ve failed them. If someone wants an automatic cover on a curved pool, you need to know there are limitations — and workarounds — that AI isn’t going to tell them about.
AI as a Sales Tool
Renee: The biggest change I’ve seen in the last few months is AI, and I know people are tired of hearing about it — but hear me out. I’ve been using it to help customers visualize their pools, and it’s been a game changer.
At a recent home show, a customer took a picture of their backyard and we used AI to place a pool right into the image — specific dimensions, brick coping, concrete patio, the whole thing. It came out about 85% accurate. Accurate enough that the customer could actually see it. She said, “I don’t like the way that sticks out from the house,” so we flipped it, moved the tanning ledge, and she immediately said, “Oh, I like that so much better.”
We used to sketch things out on paper. Then we had Pool Studio, which is more like a cartoon rendering. This is a whole different level.
Brad: The key is being specific with your prompts — tell it what not to change just as much as what you want. Don’t change the structure of the house, don’t change the colors, don’t alter the layout. Garbage in, garbage out.
Renee: That’s exactly right. And you have to know the limitations. AI will happily show you a 33-foot-wide pool with an automatic cover — but automatic covers max out at 24 feet wide because the leading edge starts to bow. It’ll put a $300,000 pool in front of a $200,000 house without blinking. That’s where the salesperson steps in and keeps things realistic.
Brad: We’d love to eventually have a tool on our website where customers can upload a photo of their backyard and get a realistic visualization based on our actual body of work — something that gives them a ballpark before they even call us. We’re working on it.
How Pools Have Changed
Renee: When I started, if you wanted corner stairs, a tanning ledge, or a bench in a vinyl liner pool, you had to buy gunite. That’s not the case anymore. We can customize a vinyl liner pool in ways that just weren’t possible before. I honestly can’t remember the last time I sold two pools that were exactly alike.
Pool automation has also come a long way. You can now control your lights, heater, slide, and pump from your phone — which is genuinely useful for things like turning on your heater on the way home from vacation. Variable speed pumps are programmable, so in markets where electricity rates vary throughout the day, you can schedule your filter to run during off-peak hours and save real money.
The technology keeps growing. Swim jets, underwater treadmills, water therapy setups — there’s a lot available that people don’t even know to ask about. That’s exactly why understanding what someone actually wants to do with their pool matters so much.
Advice for Anyone Thinking About a Pool
Brad: What’s your advice to someone just starting the process?
Renee: Honestly, the responsibility is more on us than on you. We’re the ones who need to ask the right questions — how many people are in your family, what do you see yourselves doing out there, what does your vision look like? The more you share, the better we can help.
If you’ve been on Pinterest and you’ve got 30 photos saved, bring them. Send them to me. Let’s look at your vision together and figure out what’s achievable within your budget. I’d rather have that conversation up front than hear “I wish I would have” six months after you’re swimming.
And do your research. Watch the videos on our YouTube channel, read the blogs, come to a pool school session. The more you understand going in, the smoother the whole experience will be.
Reach Renee Directly
Have questions or ready to start the conversation? Reach Renee at renee@alohapoolsusa.com
Have a question you’d like us to cover on the podcast? Drop it in the comments below. Find us on YouTube and all the socials — and as always, dive safely.
