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Do Your Clients Trust You?
Eight Simple Steps to A Winning Relationship
Here's the only way to be successful in sales, encourage repeat business and receive referrals from your past customers. Make your prospects and customers trust you. People have to feel confident that you know what you're doing and care about their project before they will buy from you or encourage others to do so. The way to produce this feeling of trust is to be as professional as possible, do what you say you'll do, and, most importantly, follow through in all aspects of the sales and customer service process. How many times have you heard the complaint that a contractor didn't bother to show up for an appointment, or hadn't been heard from again after the first meeting? These complaints are quite common and are one reason that so many remodeling contractors get tarred with the same unprofessional brush.
By developing a system that is responsive to your customers, your company can create a positive reputation that will spread like wildfire through the community. The steps you must take aren't complicated but are, in fact, deceivingly simple. But amazingly, a huge percentage of remodelers don't follow the guidelines above nor do they have a system to guarantee that the impression they make is a good one. Do you? Let's take a look at how you deal with your customers to see if you're doing all you can to inspire the confident feelings that lead to a mutually beneficial, trusting relationship.
Start Out On the Right Foot
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From the way the telephone is answered to the display of job site signs, each public outreach can support or destroy a company's image. Listen carefully to how your telephone is answered. Does the person who answers the phone sound friendly and helpful? Each person that calls your company should be treated with respect and enthusiasm. If you're not sure how your company rates, ask a friend or business associate to call in and give you feedback.
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Return calls promptly. One of the cardinal sins in business is making a prospect wait for your return call. Invest in an answering machine or a service that will catch every call. Call in often for messages and return them promptly.
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Pre-sell your company by sending company information before the first meeting. Give the client background on your company's accomplishments and experience. This is the beginning of a professional system of follow through that will set high standards that few of your competitors will be able to meet.
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Be on time for appointments! There's no better way to get a meeting off to a bad start than to be late. Your prospect's time is valuable too and by respecting this, they'll reciprocate and treat your time as the valuable commodity it is. If you are going to be even one minute late for an appointment, call to let the client know.
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Politeness and courtesy are mainstays of any prospect meeting. Show respect for the prospect's home or office. Be careful in parking, don't block others. Use the sidewalk, don't walk across the lawn. Be sure to speak to the children playing in the yard. This respect and courtesy will be noticed and appreciated. Again, these small details that show professionalism will help the remodeler stand out, especially since it is so lacking within most customer service industries.
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When greeting the prospect, begin by introducing yourself, the company, handing the client a business card, and thanking the prospect again for the meeting. Direct eye contact, and a sincere smile are comfortable habits to get into.
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Show a genuine interest in their remodeling problems. If you go on the sales call, let them know that you want to be there . If you don't want the business, refer these customers to someone who does. Don't go to a meeting and blow your hard-earned reputation with an air of apathy.
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Follow up after every meeting. Whether it's a letter or a telephone call, each prospect should be contacted and thanked for their interest in your company. Even if you don't eventually get the job, these clients will remember you because of the professional way they were treated.
These are basic steps that are all too often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of business life. But a professional sales system can catapult your company's reputation into the top ranks. If you follow through at the beginning, your customers will believe that this attention to detail will be present throughout the project. Observing these simple steps can lead to the type of trusting business relationship that will set you apart from your most formidable competitors and bring business to your door.
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Official Charity of 2008
Remodelers Advantage Inc.
535 Main Street, Suite 211
Laurel, MD 20707
ofc: 301-490-5620
fax: 301-498-6869
Info@RemodelersAdvantage.com