How to compete on value for maximum profit

This blog post is a summary of a webinar co-hosted by Niki Acosta and Steve Hasenmueller. Watch the full episode on demand here. 

Competing on price as a pool pro is a strategy, but it’s rarely the right one. Besides contributing to a “race to the bottom” competitive environment, it’s not even a strategy that customers demand. 

Skimmer’s 2025 Pool Owner Report found that pool owners value the following, in order of most to least:

1. Reliability
2. Communication
3. Cost
4. Thoroughness

Even more compelling than that, there are three main reasons why people hire a pool pro:

• 86% expertise
• 77% convenience
• 70% time savings

You might notice that cost savings aren’t listed there at all. People aren’t hiring pool pros to save money. They’re doing it to have a well-maintained pool that they can safely enjoy with their friends and family.

If you’re looking to compete—really compete—you have to learn how to deliver on value rather than pricing.

Steve Hasenmueller isn’t a pool pro, but he’s been teaching the principles of value-based selling for decades. As he says, “Creating value is the key to everything.” During this webinar, he gave a high-level overview of the main value-based selling principles he teaches during his seminars. 

The three pillars of progress

Steve teaches many principles in his seminars and workshops, but they’re all built on the same three foundational pillars:

Anything worth achieving requires effort. In his seminars, Steve often asks attendees to think of one thing in their lives that they accomplished and are proud of. Time and time again, people come up with examples that:

1) Were difficult to achieve, and

2) Were totally worth the effort

Doing things we’re proud of takes work, but it’s always worth the effort.

• Today is the most important day of your life. Maybe it sounds cliche, but all cliches exist for a reason. As Steve says, “The past is irrelevant, the future is uncertain.” Every important development starts with the decision to try, and that’s always something you can do today.  
• Every day is a presentation. As Steve sees it, every day is an opportunity to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, or build goodwill, whether it’s with customers or the people we love. “In our culture,” he says, “The best presentation wins.” Framing your day this way can help transform the way you live.

Everyone’s in sales, and no one wants to admit it

“Everyone is in sales,” says Steve, “Whether they want to acknowledge it or not.” If you’re one of the people who falls into the “not” category, ask yourself: do the words ‘I want’ or ‘I need’ show up in your day-to-day vocabulary? For example, “I want new business,” or “I want to recruit good employees,” or “I need to improve my cash flow.”

If you’re a business owner who wants or needs anything worthwhile, you’ll have to use sales tactics to get them. People don’t want to admit this, because most of us think negatively of sales people. But the sooner you can accept this simple fact, the sooner you can overcome your prejudice towards the idea of being in sales.

Taking an anti-sales approach

The quickest way to get over your bias against sales is to reframe the way you think about it. Any good sales process includes:

• Mutual trust and respect. As the salesperson, you need to respect your customer enough not to prejudge them. You also need to trust that they have good intentions until they prove you wrong. If you go in thinking you have the upper hand, you’re already losing. 
• Transparency and clarity. It’s as simple as saying, “Here’s what we do, and here’s how we do it.” Being upfront about pricing, fees, and your processes will go a long way in building trust and maintaining expectations.
• Active listening and empathy. The number one reason people struggle to make sales is because they don’t listen. Empathy means understanding where someone is coming from, and you can’t do that without listening. 
• Minimal pressure. People can sense when they’re being manipulated. When you can give them a good, honest reason to do business with you, you’re also giving them a credible reason. Often, that’s all it takes. 
• Authenticity and honesty. Being our authentic, honest selves is vulnerable. That’s why it scares people, but it’s also why it’s so important. 

The five values of any effective sales effort

A value-based approach to sales is rooted in—you guessed it—values. Steve encourages every business owner to embody five essential values if they want to be successful: 

• Perseverance. We can’t quit the moment things become tough or uncomfortable. You’ll know you’re on the road to success if it feels hard.
• Accountability. Taking responsibility for everything can be transformative. We all need to do the work. Accepting that allows you to figure out how to do it in a way that works for you.  
• Diligence. Success requires persistent effort and conscientious work over time.  
• Discipline. This is as simple as doing what we need to do, when we need to do it. It requires practice and effort.
• Integrity. Integrity is made up of honesty, responsibility, and respect for other humans and ourselves. If we can operate this way every day, we’re doing it right. 

Living these values isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a decision you make every day, and requires incremental changes over time. 

When you stick to these values, you’ll start to see what sets you apart from the competition. This is the key to delivering on value. You’ll start to be able to answer the question, “What will I get when I do business with you that I can’t get anywhere else?” When you can answer this question honestly and prove it with a consistent, disciplined effort, you’ll develop a creative monopoly. 

Communicating value through presentation

As Steve stated early on in the webinar, every day is a presentation. Knowing how you’ll navigate that presentation is a big part of delivering on value. The following is a high-level overview of any interaction with a potential customer.

Part 1: You

Plain and simple, people want to know who they’re doing business with. So start with you. 

• Introduce yourself every single time you meet a prospect and look them in the eye. It sounds simple, but just doing this will put you miles ahead of most competition.  

• Inquire. What exactly is it that your prospect needs? Ask them. Then really listen to their answer. 
• Inspire. Once you know what your prospect needs, you can tell them how you’ll meet those needs. Tell them what you specialize in and how you make your customers happy.

Tip: Conduct an accusation audit. Steve recommends borrowing this method from negotiator and author Chris Voss, where you bring up prejudices and push them to the side. It often sounds like, “I don’t know what your experience has been with salespeople, but this is how we do things here.”

Part 2: Your company

Once the prospect knows you, it’s time to tell them about your company. This is where you’ll share information like:

• How long you’ve been in business
• Any recognition or accomplishments you’ve achieved in the field.
• How you’re involved in the community
• What technology you and your team use to make life easier for your customers

When you share this information, the prospect will get a clear picture of what it could be like working with you and your team.

Part 3: Product/Project 101

Next, you’ll want to give the prospect an overview of your product or process. Do this assuming the customer doesn’t know anything about the process, and ask “what” or “how” questions throughout. This is where you’ll learn things like what’s important to this specific customer and what their current pool service process looks like.

Mirroring can go a long way at this stage. As the prospect is giving you information, repeat the last few words they said back to you. For example, if they tell you they had a bad experience with their last pool guy, instead of saying, “Really?” you can say, “A bad experience?” People want to feel seen, heard, and understood, and when you show you’re listening, they’ll say more. 

Focus on your big three

As Steve reminds us, the human brain goes into overload when presented with seven pieces of information. Give the prospect three things you can offer over the competition, and make sure they’re your best ones. If you can do that, says Steve, “You’ll outstrip your competition every time.” 

Part 4: Land on the right offer

In this part of the presentation, you’ll introduce statements or questions that boost the customer’s stance. This means asking good questions and offering statements that the prospect can see themselves in. 

Tip: Use the “Seems like/sounds like” labelling method. Another tactic Steve has borrowed from Chris Voss is labelling. In other words, you’re labelling what the customer feels and needs and asking them to verify. This could look like, “It sounds like great service is an important aspect to you.” 

Competing on value takes time and effort

Steve has no shortage of sales advice to offer, but his closing thought is perhaps his wisest: “You’ve gotta go all in on whatever work you’re doing.” If you decide today to deliver on value, you’re also deciding to put that work in every day. Value is delivered over time, by knowing your worth, selling it right, and proving it through service. There’s no shortcut, but that’s what makes it so satisfying. 

To learn more about Value-Based Selling, visit Steve’s website or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Resources to help you compete on value for maximum profit

• Steve’s Presentation Mapping Guide
  
• ‘Never Split the Difference’ by Chris Voss
• Sign up for Steve's newsletter
• Download the 2025 Pool Owner Report

TL;DR

• Customers don’t hire pool pros to save money—they care more about reliability, communication, and quality.
  
• Value-based selling means shifting the focus from discounts to delivering real, differentiated benefits customers care about.
  
• Steve Hasenmueller breaks down three core principles for mindset shifts and five foundational values every business owner should embody (like accountability, diligence, and integrity).
  
• You don’t need to be a “salesperson” to sell well—authenticity, empathy, and transparency are more effective than pressure tactics.
  
• Learn how to present yourself, your company, and your services in a way that builds trust and sets you apart.
  
• Focus on your “big three” differentiators to avoid overwhelming your customer and make a lasting impression.
  
• Delivering value takes time and consistency—but that’s what makes it so powerful (and profitable).

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