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How to win new business
Many opportunities are effectively won or lost by installers before a quote is
even written. Benjamin Dyer, CEO of tradesmen’s app company Powered Now
provides some background to what can be a mystery for some tradesmen.
»»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 thoughtprovoking.
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 a 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 halfway
towards a very successful
business.
Demonstrate credibility
- When selling to residential
customers, without talking
down, show that you know
all about building 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
coming. The quickest way to
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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