8 ASSOCIATIONS
Sell yourself to success
By
Brendan Reynolds, executive director of IOPSA
Plumbing businesses are fundamentally the same as any other
company. You have products and/or services that you are
trying to sell to a consumer, in order to generate profits.
In order to succeed and grow, a plumber, like any
other business, needs to maximise and grow their
sales and thereby their profits. Unfortunately, most
plumbers I meet do not recognise this fundamental
fact and that is why so many plumbing businesses
struggle to grow and become truly profitable. If we
make the mindset shift and recognise that sales are
fundamental, then we can begin to focus on it and
make it a priority in the business. Here are my top
tips for sales success:
1. Stand out from the crowd
What makes your company different? Any consumer
who Googles ‘plumber’ will be confronted by hundreds
of options. What makes you stand out from the rest?
Why would a consumer choose you? Make sure your
website is professional and user-friendly. Make sure
the customer can easily see your accreditation. Proudly
display your IOPSA membership, PIRB registration
or other accreditations so that the consumer sees
that you are a reputable professional. Clearly define
the services you offer and if you are a specialist in a
particular field, let them know.
2. Be professional in everything you do
So many plumbers are brilliant at doing professional
work but drop the ball when it comes to administration,
quoting, time keeping or even simply cleaning up the
work area. Map out every aspect of the customer
experience and make sure you are excellent at all the
important milestones; website – contact – appointment
– quote – work – clean up – billing.
Research has repeatedly shown that when people
receive professional service they are less likely to
argue about prices, more likely to recommend them
and more likely to use their services again. Look
professional, act professional, sound professional, be
professional.
3. Charge fairly
You need to find the balance between what the
customer perceives as value and maximising your
profits. Charge too much and the customer will
feel ripped off, charge too little and you will go
out of business. Sadly, too many plumbers do not
understand the costs in their businesses, they
determine their rates by what everyone else is doing
and not based on their own business model or
structure. Worse still is the concept of pricing ‘per
point’. This is a recipe for disaster. Understand your
costs, the profits you need/want and determine your
rates accordingly.
Eamonn Ryan
Brendan Reynolds, executive director: IOPSA.
4. Sell, sell, sell
This seems to be difficult for many plumbers. Far too
many plumbers just want to get in and out as fast as
possible and they miss valuable sales opportunities.
Take a few minutes to talk to your customer,
understand what their needs and wants are, what
problems they are experiencing and see if you have
solutions for them. Use all your senses to identify
opportunities; look for obvious problems or faults,
www.plumbingafrica.co.za @plumbingonline @plumbingonline @PlumbingAfricaOnline October 2020 Volume 26 I Number 08