All posts by admin

Sales Training Books

By admin on

Books Sales Professionals might like to Read

While developing out new website for Sales Training Consultants, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a reading list for sales people wanting to develop their sales skills and knowledge. So, here it is, divided into various sub-categories for ease of use:

Selling Skills

* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know, Kevin Davis. New York: Random House, 1996. (ISBN 0-8129-2628-5)
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.
* SPIN Selling, Rackham, Neil. New York: McGraw Hill, 1988.
* Solution Selling by Michael T. Bosworth (Irwin Publishing, 1995).
* Samurai Selling: The Ancient Art of Service in Sales by Chuck Laughlin, Karen Sage and Marc Bockmon (St. Martin’s, 1993).
* The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople , by Stephan Schiffman (Adams Publishing, 1994).
* The AMA Handbook of Successful Selling, by Bob Kimball (NTC Publishing Group, 1993).
* The Selling Bible: For People in the Business of Selling, by John L. Lawton (Council Oaks Distribution, 1995)
* Closing Tactics, Andoni Lizardi
* Negotiate to Close, Gary Karass
* Ziglar on Selling, Zig Ziglar. Nashville, TN: Ziglar Corporation, 1991.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. ISBN: 0-7863-0738-2.
* Selling to VITO: the Very Important Top Officer, Anthony Parinello, Massachusetts, Bob Adams, 1994.
* Selling to the Top, David A. Peoples. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1994.
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* Strategic Selling, Stephen Heiman and Robert Miller.
* Conceptual Selling, Stephan Heiman and Robert Miller. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Selling the invisible, Harry Beckworth
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Business Acumen

* The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time, by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers (Doubleday, 1993).
* The Monster Under the Bed by Stan Davis & Jim Bodkin. (Simon and Schuster, 1994).
* Corporate Life Cycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do about It by Izak Adiches. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Little Black Book of Business Math, by Michael C. Thomsett. (New York: Anacom, 1988).
* The Art of War, by Sun-Tzu (Delacorte, 1989).
* The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt (North River Press, 1992).
* The E Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (Harper-Business, 1990).
* The Popcorn Report: The Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life by Faith Popcorn (Harper-Business, 1992).
* Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers by William G. Droms, (Reading MA: Addison Wesley, 1990).
* The Vital Difference: Unleashing the Powers of Sustained Corporate Success, by Frederick G. Harmon and Garry Jacobs, (AMACOM, 1985).
* What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, Mark H. McCormack, (Bantam Books, 1984).
* Zap, the Power of Empowerment by Jeff Cox.
* Marketing, by Robert D. Hisrich (Barron’s Educational Series, 1990).
* Multi-Level Marketing: The Definitive Guide to America’s Top MLM Companies (Summit Group, 1993).
* Relationship Marketing: Successful Strategies for the Age of the Customer, by Regis McKenna (Addison Wesley, 1993).
* How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Guy Kawasaki.
* The Ten-Day MBA : A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering the Skills Taught in America’s Top Business Schools @amazon.com
* The Complete MBA For Dummies @amazon.com
* Financial Statements : A Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports @amazon.com
* Business Planning : 25 Keys to a Sound Business Plan (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Tracking & Controlling Costs : 25 Keys to Cost Management (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Forecasting Budgets @amazon.com

Strategic Sales Planning

* The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals, Keith Ellis, Three Rivers Pr., 1998, ISBN: 060980166X.
* Achieving Individual and Team Goals, Terry R. Bacon, Thomas Doggett, International Learningwork, 1996, ISBN: 1577400135.
* The Agile Manager’s Guide to Goal-Setting and Achievement (The Agile Manager Series), Walter Wadsworth, Velocity Pub., 1998, ISBN: 0965919323.
* All About Goals and How to Achieve Them, Jack Ensign Addington, Devorss and Co (Txp), 1977, ISBN: 0875162371.
* 10 Minute Guide To Planning (10 Minute Guides), Edwin E. Bobrow, IDG Books Worldwide, 1997, ISBN: 0028618181.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. (ISBN 0-7863-0738-2)
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, by Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* First Things First, Steven Covey, Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
* Winning the Fight between You and Your Desk by Jeffrey J. Mayer (Harper Business, 1994)
* Strategic Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert.
* Conceptual Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Successful Large Account Management, by Robert Miller
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham. New York: McGraw Hill, 1989.
* Managing Major Accounts, Neil Rackham
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Power of Consultative Selling, Bryce Webster
* Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside Out, by Dave Ulrich and Dale Lake, (John Wiley and Sons, 1990).
* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In, Fisher and Uri.
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, by Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, by Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson, and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Customer Focus

* Discipline of Market Leaders, Treachy, Michael and Wiersema, (Addison Wesley, 1995)
* Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills , Karl Albrecht. Prentice Hall, 1987.
* Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
* Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service , Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1993. ISBN 0-688-12316-3.
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson & Hersch Wilson.
* One-to-One Marketing, Martha Rodgers and Don Peppers.
* The Customer Driven Company: Moving from Talk to Action , Richard C. Whiteley. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1991. ISBN 0-201-57090-4.
* Customer Centered Growth: 5 Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage, Dianne Hessen and Richard Whitely. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1996. ISBN: 0-201-47967-2.
* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know , Kevin Davis. New York, Random House, 1996. ISBN 0-8129-2628-5.
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
* Solution Selling, Michael T. Bosworth. Irwin Publishing, 1995.
* Customer Visits: Building a Better Market Focus , Edward F. McQuarrie, Sage Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 0761908838.
* Customer Focus: A Strategy for Success, Roger Langevin, Bill Christopher, Crisp Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 1560524855.
* The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market , Michael Treacy, Frederik D. Wiersema, Perseus Pr., 1997, ISBN: 0201407191.
* Implementing Quality With a Customer Focus , David N. Griffiths, Quality Resources, 1991, ISBN: 0873891104.

End User Effectiveness

* All Consumers Are Not Created Equal, Garth Hallberg. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. 320 pages.
* Real Time, Regis McKenna. Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
* Enterprise One to One, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. Currency Doubleday, 1997.
* Keeping the Edge, Dick Schaaf. Dutton, 1995.
* Customer-Centered Growth, Richard Whiteley and Diane Hessan. Addison-Wesley, 1996.
* Strategic Customer Alliances : How to Win, Manage, and Develop Key Accounts @amazon.com
* Key Accounts Are Different : Sales Solutions for Key Account Managers @amazon.com
* Account Management (Building Service Management Program) @amazon.com
* Successful Large Account Management by Tad Tuleja(Contributor), et al @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: The Route to Key Supplier Status by Peter Cheverton @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: Maximizing Profitability from Major Customers by John Rock @amazon.com

Negotiation Skills

* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1991).
* Getting Past No, Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1993)
* The Tao of Negotiation by Joel Edelman and Mary Beth Crain (Harper Business, 1993).
* How to Out-Negotiate Anyone (Even a Car Dealer) by Leo Reilly (Adams Publishing, 1993).
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham (McGraw Hill, 1989).
* The Complete Negotiator, Gerard Nierenberger, (Berley Books, 1986).
* The Negotiation Toolkit: How to Get Exactly What You Want in Any Business or Personal Situation @amazon.com
* Deal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any Size by Marc Diener @amazon.com
* The Power of Negotiating: Strategies for Success by Mike R. Stark @amazon.com
* The Shadow Negotiation: How Women Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success by Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams @amazon.com

Channel Partner Effectiveness

* The channel advantage, Lawrence Friedman and Timothy Furey
* Market-Based Management: Strategies for Growing Customer Value and Profitability, 2nd edition, (Prentice Hall, 2000) – Roger Best – Part III Tactical Marketing Strategies Chapter 9
* Make Your Dealers Your Partners Harvard Business Review, March-April 1996, pp. 89-96.
* Rethinking Distribution: Adaptive Channels Harvard Business Review, July-August 1996, pp. 112-120. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Sales Rep Navigator: How to Find the Perfect Sales Rep or Distributor for Your Business, @amazon.com
* How to Market Your Product Through Distributor sales Networks, @amazon.com
* Planning Telephone Sales: Handbook for Distributor Management, @amazon.com
* The Channel Advantage : Going to Market With Multiple Sales Channels to Reach More Customers, Sell More Products, Make More Profit @amazon.com
* Channel Champions: How leading companies build new strategies to serve customers @amazon.com

Computer Skills

* Lotus Notes for Dummies, @amazon.com
* PowerPoint for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Excel for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Word for Dummies @amazon.com

Distance Learning – A Fabulous Innovation in the Modern Educational Arena

By admin on

Technology has advanced to such an extent that students can now earn their desired degree program right from their very homes. Long lived the traditional mode of classroom education that has now given way to a much more advanced form of learning known as distance learning. The benefits of this modern form of learning are ample. Be it convenience, comfort or cost, distance learning is simply outstanding in every aspect. Be it the young aspirants or working personals, this modern education system is easy and flexible for all sorts of applicants.

As a matter of fact, it’s impossible for the traditional classroom teaching system to beat the online coursework flexibility. With the benefit of online study, people will be able to work throughout the day and study at night. Distance learning moreover does not compel students to attend regular classes. In fact, one can sit back at home and take classes via online. Moreover, you are not required to travel all the way to your campus to sort out queries related to your course. You can easily do it in the comfort of your home by sending emails or by accessing the chat discussion boards.ds.

The tests conducted by traditional classroom courses were mandatory and students had to come all the way to the campus to appear for the test. With online study, you are not required to take so much pain. Since it’s an online program, one can appear for the test anywhere no matter where he resides. Moreover, it’s accessibility that compels students to enroll for online study. Working professionals can easily make time for their concerned courses after working for long hectic hours.

The majority of students do not prefer to attend lectures. Moreover, hearing lectures for long stretched hours is an inefficient way of providing education where students tend to forget all they receive from their instructors. One has to carry either a notebook or a voice recorder to trap the information. Online study on the other hand allows an individual to read lectures, take part in forum discussions, clarify explanations, study comments and give periodical tests all through online. This helps them to retain information and they can take help at any time they wish.

Communication is another important factor in distance learning. In classrooms, when teachers ask questions, some students usually get nervous with the fear of coming up with incorrect answers. This often saps their confidence which is rather a negative aspect for a career enthusiast. On the other hand, distance learning can give you the opportunity to take time and think before giving the correct answer. Moreover, it becomes easy for you to communicate and even ask questions on your concerned course.

Prior to choosing an online study center, you must be careful. There are plenty of fake learning centers who come up with attractive course packages just in order to make money by illegal means. Therefore, your primary job is to make sure whether the online study center you are choosing is accredited worldwide. Once you have confirmed, you can then select your desired program and get going.

Can You Make Money From Selling Wholesale Clothes

By admin on

The simple answer is yes! There are many ways to sell clothing. You can sell them at a clothing store, gift shop or even a second hand store. One exceptionally popular and surefire way of selling clothing is online especially when one is trying to move boxes of wholesale clothes. It is actually a good way to earn money, given how a large number of people nowadays are increasingly using online resources to shop for a variety of things including clothing.

Why clothes?

As just about everyone knows, there is a huge market for clothing. And while it is a given that we all have our own styles and preferences when it comes to clothing, it cannot be denied that most of us would grab the chance to score great discounts on fashion apparel.

Some of the more popular clothing lines are manufactured by large companies. Many of these big name companies produce very attractive clothing that prompts people to splurge and not worry about the costs. For these large companies, making a profit is not a problem however, for a startup company or even a mid-sized one, there might be some challenges. In this case, the not-so large clothing company relies on a wholesale clothing manufacturer to provide high-quality clothing that can be sold at prices that appeal to target customers.

Defining wholesale fashion clothing

Now when you think of wholesale, what comes to mind? Store sales? You guessed right. Many companies that sell wholesale clothes have their own list of buzzwords. Just about everyone can say one time or another that they have seen a sign reading “BLOWOUT WHOLESALE” or “WHOLESALE LIQUIDATION.” So what does wholesale actually mean? You can explain it in a variety of ways but basically it is reselling new and/or used goods. A lot of times wholesalers or distributors buy in bulk and sell it for a higher price for what they bought it for resulting in profit. For example, at a larger corporate store like “XYZ Wholesalers” you can buy in bulk to save money; whereas if you were to buy the same quantity at a single family owned store, you most likely will pay more for the same item. This same concept applies to wholesale clothing. You can buy wholesale clothes from manufacturers in bulk at a discount and adjust prices accordingly to make profit.

Buying in bulk is really up to your sales or purchasing team. Managing relationships and purchases with manufacturers is how you get hold of these types of wholesale discounts. Also, many manufacturers and businesses may give rebates that you can take advantage of depending on the amount of buying that you do with them. This is seen not upfront but in the end and result in a rebate similar to a bonus for doing “X” amount of business or sales with them.

One thing is for sure, building relationships and buying from these smaller manufacturers instead of larger ones will help you get very good wholesale discounts and rebates. This is how you can make money selling wholesale clothing.

Retail Is The Way To Go With Teac Hi Fi Systems

By admin on

Today’s digital-age generation wants more clarity, better quality and high performance from any product that they buy and Teac Hi Fi systems is no exception.

Digital technology has peaked like never before and newer and recent of inventions make it possible to get an advanced version of the current electronic gadgets with thorough research and development. Teac Hi Fi systems is the fruit of these efforts.

How Does It Improve Quality?

Teac Hi Fi systems use digital transmission to enhance sound quality. Interference is completely eliminated which enables the user to receive a much higher quality of audio entertainment.

Leading retail stores know how to combine various media and technology to give the user the power to enjoy these electronic gadgets. Today Teac Hi Fi systems come with a host of other applications which allows the user to listen to this excellent sound quality using various means.

Excellent sound and acoustics combine to gives the user an option to listen to his favourite songs and shows through CDs, USB memory cards and many other optional add-ons.

New Age Retailers

New Age retail stores combine the latest in technology whether sound or picture and bring out the very best of what the electronic media has to offer. Whether the customer wants good quality audio or video, the retailers have an idea of how to enhance their pleasure. They know which technology will go well with which gadgets and instruments.

Retail stores house the latest in technology like LG LCD Plasma TV and Sony LCD TV. These are available in the newer versions. The 42 Plasma TV can be viewed with a variety of options and add on features that bring out the best sound and picture quality.

There is no end to the number of applications that can increase customer satisfaction whether it is due to the excellent quality and other incidentals or the price or discounts that are offered.

Along with their ‘bang-on’ tips and pointers they allow customers to know which type of electronics will suit them best.

They offer their services at unbelievable prices that can tempt even the most sceptical customer. With their years of experience and hands-on approach they are the best people to go to in times of crisis. When the customer is getting superb customer service along with great deals on the current Teac Hi Fi systems there is no loser in this transaction.

With retailers leading the entertainment goods industry and actually letting the manufacturers of these products establish themselves many a times they allow the producers to know which item will work in the market and which won’t. The entertainment goods industry has been bombarded with the latest in technologies and advanced versions of present electronic media. It is the retail industry which allows end users to enjoy this abundance whether it is the Teac Hi Fi systems in the audio category or the LCD versions in the video category.

Koi Pond – Liners Vs. Professional Construction

By admin on

Why is there so much talk about pond liners? Which ones are UV protected, or stronger, or last longer? I am by no means an expert on liner technology, nor have I ever used them in my 29 years of designing and building waterfalls. If you’re a “liner guy” disciple, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Oh no, here he goes.” To tell the truth, I have been minding by own business for over two decades, just watching, reading and listening to all the “experts.”

I’ve listened to how “pond liners are simple to install,” and “pond liners are inexpensive compared to concrete and steel,” and “pond liners are quick to install.” Or “pond liners last for 50 years,” “pond liners bring higher profits to pond construction and waterfall construction,” and “liners don’t contaminate the water with alkali as does concrete construction.” Yes, I’ve almost sold myself on listening to the facts of the “experts.” Well, not quite, due to a few facts of my own.

So, a pond liner is guaranteed for 40 to 50 years? I would have to agree with that, as long as you leave it in its box the whole time. Too bad a liner manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t include damage from gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats or mice. Or tree, plant and weed roots. Or from stretching and punctures in the liner due to heavy rocks and other sharp objects. Startling fact: a puncture only the size of a pin hole can cause a pond to lose one drip per second, or 5 gallons in just 24 hours. That’s a pin hole, not a hole made by a pair of buck teeth on a burrowing mammal.

Imagine along with me for a minute: You have spent $350 on a pond design and then $8,000 of your hard-earned money for a pond and waterfall. This water feature is impressive. They dug a big hole, piled up some dirt at one end, draped a large rubber liner over the whole thing, and placed giant boulders all around the fish pond and on the dirt mound. Smaller rocks fill in between the boulder and additional rocks cover the liner in the pond. Now, it’s two years later and you’ve just come home from a two-week vacation to find the pond half empty (or half full, if you’re a positive person).

There must be a leak! How did this happen? Where is it? No problem, you think, I remember the salesman’s pitch: “If you should ever get a leak, just clean off the area around the hole, dry it off, and using the directions enclosed in the patching kit, apply this patching material.” But there’s only one problem: Where is the leak? or leaks? How do I find them? And if I do find them, and I’m successful in patching them up, what’s to keep it from leaking again?

Okay, I’m going to snap my fingers and you’ll wake up: “Snap!” Surprise! That was only a mental exercise with a happy ending. It wasn’t real. Or was it? Yes, it was. The short story you just heard was true. One out of every eight projects we do involves replacing the leaky liner for an angry fish pond/leaky liner owner.

Why am I finally speaking up now, after all these years and waterfalls and fish ponds? Because I’m angry, too! Not at the “liner guy” who sells the pond liners, but at his disciples around the country who are bragging how much money they make in just one or two days. I’m not upset at the fact that they make in two days what takes me six to seven days to make in constructing my fish ponds of rebar and 3000 psi concrete.

My ire stems from having to charge $8,000 to replace a $6,000 liner pond that lasted only two years. (A pond liner with padding didn’t stop a tree root which traveled 25 feet to do its destructive work.) For only an additional 16% in cost, that client could still be enjoying his original pond, stress-free, for his lifetime and that of his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The main features touted by pond liner promoters are simplicity, low cost, quick installation, and extremely high profits. In an article published in his catalog/magazine of liners and accessories, the “liner messiah” has obviously taught his disciples well, as you can read in this excerpt:

“If you hire us to install your pond, you get a choice of buying it with or without a stream. We offer no other choices! The pond we build covers an area of 11 by 16 feet, has a maximum depth of 2 feet, and a beautiful waterfall. We’ll build your pond in one day. The basic pond costs $5,100 and if you want to connect the falls with a stream, you’re looking at an extra $1,000. That’s it. End of story. No mas.”

That’s what Ernie Selles, president of Patio Ponds and disciple of the “liner guy,” said. Another quote from Ernie in the same catalog is, “I get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work in a way that I never had before.” I noticed he didn’t mention how well he slept.

Let’s do the math on Ernie’s installation. The pond, stream, and waterfall cost is $6,100. The actual retail cost of the kit is only $1,000. $5,100 profit for only one day of labor. Notice: unlike our package, they offer no lights, no autofill, and the pond is only two feet deep. Yet three feet minimum are required for koi fish. A two foot pond affords no protection from predators such as raccoons and herons, and the shallow depth is affected easily by rapid temperature changes, causing undue stress on the pond’s inhabitants. They do not like to construct ponds over two feet deep, because they are more susceptible to cave-ins.

We would build the same pond with a depth ranging from 3 to 3 feet, with no shallows for dining predators. It is constructed of rebar 18 inches on center with a shell of 3000 psi concrete (sidewalks and driveways are typically 2000 psi). This 7 sack, 60% pea with fiber mix is so dense that it’s waterproof. However, we still coat it with ThoroSeal. The pond is equipped with two anti-vortex bottom suction drains, a skimmer to remove surface debris, and an out-of-pond pump that produces 5000 gallons per hour at only 2.6 amps, compared to the liner guy’s pumps which are only 4200 gallons per hour at 7.6 amps – over twice the cost of energy! In addition, you have to pull his heavy cast iron monster pump out of the water to clean out debris.

We would also include a state of the art Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light – the best money can buy. The liner guy’s filter needs to be disassembled in order to clean it by hand. The Ultima II filter requires the simple turn of a handle to back flush the debris. This system has been operational in my water features for nine years with no problems. We include an ultraviolet light in our system that kills the bacteria that create smells, kills pathogens that cause disease and algae spores that turn the water green. This light has a wiper arm that cleans the internal lens without the need to open the light.

We also offer an automatic electronic water level control system, the “AquaFill” by Aquamedia Corp.com that keeps the water level of the pond constant. Pond liner installers use floats that are mechanical like the float in a toilet tank. Mechanical fillers can corrode and stick, causing overflows and even poisoning the fish with excess chlorinated water. However, the AquaFill does not stick or corrode.

Not only are all our ponds designed a minimum of three feet deep, we build caves for the turtles and fish to hide in. With pond liner construction, rocks cannot be cemented to the liner and consequently many are loose, creating a hazard if someone were to step on them. Kids will be kids and I promise they will eventually be running up and down the falls. We have no loose rock because they are all cemented in place with Aquamedia Mortar Mix, which is not only three times stronger than regular mortar, it is very dense. As a result, alkali will not leach out into the water and create a pH problem. Regular mortar mix is porous and water passes through the joints of the rock, carrying with it cement residue. This in turn creates stain trails high in pH, easily poisoning the fish.

In conclusion, as an educated customer, would you pay $6,100 for a rubber pond liner or spend the same amount or a little more to get a shell made of concrete and steel that not only would never leak, but would last for decades. So what are we as contractors looking for? Exorbitant profits or peace of mind with long-term, happy clients?

It is more enjoyable for me to get a call eight years down the road from a content client than to get a complaint of a leaky pond. What does the “liner guy” disciple say? “Sorry, we only have a one year warranty”? Or do they go back and remove all the rocks, pull out the pond liner, clean it, repair the leaks, and replace all the rocks and equipment at no cost? Liners or professional installations?

If you say pond liners are professionally installed, then why is the very same liner kit sold to homeowners and do-it-yourselfers? The reason is, it doesn’t take an experienced professional to install one.

All you need is “a garden hose and a shovel”!

Look before you leap, and ponder before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.