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The difference between
Losing and Winning
»»A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES
are effectively won or lost by
locksmiths before a quote
is even written. Benjamin
Dyer, CEO of tradespeople’s
app company Powered Now
provides some background
to what can be a mystery for
some tradespeople.
Every time there is contact
with your prospect you will
unwittingly move the sale
either forward or back. These
tips are designed to lift the veil
on this process; I hope that you
find them thought-provoking.
Be personal – People buy
from people and when you
can establish rapport with a
customer, you are much more
likely to win the business.
In this respect, face-toface meetings are the most
powerful, telephone calls
the next and emails least
effective.
James Chandler of Chandler
Building visits every job
himself, and says: “It’s
important that you see the
client in the flesh.”
Keep every promise – It’s an
unfortunate fact, but everything
that you say will be taken as
a promise. Whenever you say
one thing and do something
different – for instance, “I
will get the quote to you by
Tuesday”, you undermine trust
and damage the sale. There is
logic here as people think, “If
they don’t keep their promises
before I give them the job, what
will they be like after they have
started?”
The first phone call starts the
process of building trust and a
professional manner is needed
at every stage. Returning calls
quickly is part of this, as is
turning up on time.
Powered Now’s recent
survey of over 1,000
homeowners revealed that
83% were frustrated with trade
companies that didn’t turn up
when they said they would.
Mirror what you look for in
a supplier – Just think about
how you want your suppliers
to act towards you. You want
them to be pleasant, helpful,
turn round requests quickly
and be reliable. If that’s what
you demonstrate to your
clients, you are more than half
way towards a very successful
business.
Demonstrate credibility
- When selling to residential
customers, without talking
down, show that you know
all about regulations and
other statutes. They are
unlikely to have a clue. You
can also mention in passing
your membership of trade
associations, any warranties
you can provide, all of this
alongside your qualifications
and experience. This all builds
credibility.
Don’t go for the hard
sell – In my experience, the
moment someone tells you
that you are a good sales
person, you have failed.
People don’t like to feel they
are being sold to, rather that
they are being helped. Yes,
you need to sell, but the
prospect mustn’t notice.
That’s the British way.
If you talk about previous
jobs, showcasing pictures
of your neat work and
how various issues were
overcome, that’s selling, but
definitely falls into the soft sell
category.
Set price expectations
correctly – It’s hugely
important that when your
prospect does get their quote,
the price is in the range they
expect. You should make sure
that when you meet, you give
them some idea of what is
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coming. The quickest way to
lose business, sometimes after
a huge amount of work, is to
neglect this rule.
Ask, those who don’t
ask may not get – Closing
business is not a magic art, but
it is helpful. If the customer
got roughly the price they
expected and they trust you it’s
not hard to ask for the business
and the answer is likely to be
yes. So do ask, but in a natural
way. “Does a week on Monday
as a start date work for you?”
might be the question to ask,
or “Shall I reserve time for this
job in our schedule?”
Of course, completing
satisfactory work is also
crucial, but you don’t even
get this opportunity if you
can’t sell. The easiest sales
come from recommendations
and these are dependent on
previous good work. From our
research, 70% of jobs are given
to people the homeowner
previously knew or were
recommended by a friend.
The lesson is simple, the more
pride you take in your work,
the easier it will be to get
more.
www.powerednow.com