In the home services industry I’ve found quite a few
contractors that don’t do the basics when it comes to sales. Here are some tips when selling to
homeowners:
Ask the right questions
When ever possible (especially on the smaller jobs) give the
estimate while you are in the home for the first time. You’ll have the greatest opportunity to close
the job right then and there, while you are sitting face-to-face with the
homeowner.
If the job is to complex and/or if there is a bit of site-planning
or engineering to be done, set a return date with the homeowner to present your
proposal in person.
If you don’t close the sale during your first visit, ask the
customer some questions about how and when they will be making a decision. Here are some examples:
Your Question: “Mr. Homeowner, when
do you think you and Mrs. Homeowner will be making a decision on doing this
work” (then be quiet and listen)?
Homeowner’s Answer: “ Well, Mike,
we should have all of our estimates in by Friday and we’ll talk about it over
the weekend.”
Your Question: “Great, should I
call you Saturday afternoon to follow up or would you prefer sometime on
Monday”?
Homeowner’s Answer: “Monday”.
Your Question: “Should I call you at home, work or do you
have a cell phone # that you prefer”? You then say, “When do you think is the best
time to reach you on Monday, just so I don’t keep calling and pester you”.
What you’ve just established through this basic Q&A is a
sense of obligation with the customer in a very professional manner.
Don’t knock the competition.
However, know your competition very well so that you can use
this information to address the positives of your company or business. Do they do the work themselves or do they
subcontract it out? How do they rank with
the Better Business Bureau (and similar associations)? Do they have insurance? Do they drug test their employees? Are they customer service-oriented?
If your company or business doesn’t abide by a good portion
of the above listed (especially insurance and drug-testing), then you better
make a change for the better.
Utilize the resources out there.
Create a structured sales presentation system for yourself
and your sales people. If this is
foreign territory for you, then enroll in a sales seminar, listen to sales CD’s
and read sales-related books. There are
endless books and resources. Here are a
few of my recommended authors you can’t go wrong with: Brian Tracy
, Dale Carnegie, David Sandler, Geoffrey Gittomer, Zig Ziglar and Tom Hopkins.
Pay attention to the “Givens”
If you’ve never sold
your services before, I say, “WHO CARES”? Trust me, there are some things in the home services industry that I consider to be “GIVENS” which make selling a little easier. If you pay attention to them, you will sell
jobs: 1) honesty, 2) integrity, 3)
knowledge of your trade, 4)
professionalism. and 5) persistence. The
more you perfect these things, the more jobs you’ll close at greater gross
margins and despite your competition.
