The above video clip always makes me burst out in laughter. Do you remember when the TV show “Seinfeld” was a huge hit on NBC’s “Must-See TV” every Thursday? I have probably watched every episode at least 2 or 3 times. The one episode that really stands out for me more than all the others is the episode where George Costanza decides he’s going to do the opposite of what he would normally do. The episode was called “Opposite George.”
Without a doubt, life today flies by at record speed and many of us get overwhelmed around the year-end holidays.
I wonder if many people in sales business have thought much about the people who are at the center of whatever success they have achieved. I know I recently have.
Those thoughts of kindness by everyone who has helped me have really stirred some great emotions inside of me.
Not Everything Has To Be 2.0
The principle of giving thanks is nothing new but it is always in style and appropriate. If you’re not sure whether thanks is merited then I would err on the side of doing it anyway just in case it is.
It’s not hard to find contractors who think they are losing jobs because their competitors have a lower price than them. How many are losing jobs because they lower their price instead of standing firm?
That is a question that is much harder to answer. Especially since most people do not want to face the truth. The truth is that you will lose far more sales with a lower price or worse yet, by lowering the price you have already given than they ever will by having a higher price than your competitors.
Many people doubt the validity of getting referrals as an actual mix of their marketing. By accident, many people get referred by customers that love them. So let’s face it, referrals start by doing great service that people notice. In my thinking, if you can make something happen on accident, then you can make it happen on purpose.
As usual, the reason something doesn’t work is usually screwed up in the beginning not at the point the problem is apparent. Let me go over the most effective way to get referrals. The key to getting a hot referral is to let the customer know you need their help. We all want to help someone. Think about it, if your landscaper told you he needed help getting more business, if you loved his service, wouldn’t you tell everyone you knew?
Ralph who is one of the senior techs working at an hvac, plumbing and electrical service business suddenly blurted out a question to his boss, “Hey Bill, where’s Jimmy? I haven’t seen him for a couple weeks now.”
Ralph was referring to one of the newer techs who joined the company about a year ago. “I think he’s on vacation, right Bill?” said Karen who is one of the CSR’s at the firm. Bill, who has owned the company for 29 years set the record straight, “No, we had to lay him off two months ago when it got real slow.”
Bill of course was just being nice. What he didn’t say was that Jimmy was a dispensable employee. He failed to add enough value to the team, his customers and the bottom line to even keep himself employed, much less to be considered a star player.
We are using this as a caricature or “over-exaggeration” to point out some of the things that service techs do by accident. They may not even realize they are doing them until seeing how obvious it is in the film.
Things such as not having a solutions ready before you begin telling people the problems they have are subtle things that many may not notice even when they watch.
Other obvious things like allowing service techs to pick their own wardrobe or going out to the truck to figure things out can look like “amateur night” to the customer. You don’t think techs talk on the cell phone about personal business like “canasta night?” Go to a job with a few installers and you will be shocked at the personal business being conducted during normal working hours.
I do ride-a-longs and what I see is a fact of life and a day-to-day struggle to get techs to see how important it is to do good service. Maybe when they see what bad service looks like they will be sure not to commit these mistakes.
Callbacks are costly. Each time we go to a customer homes it can cost as much as $250 or more. In a recent discussion on Linkedin, John Whitney Jr. said, “Field service techs want the right tools and a minimum of distractions. Managers want constant contact, on-the-fly updates, and solid record-keeping. IT/ tech guys want cool new toys and the latest apps. The company wants to get the job done with one visit. And, of course, the customer wants the work done correctly and in a timely fashion. Sometimes, these goals all work together. But sometimes they don’t. What can we do to improve this situation?”
Many times I asked at conferences about what brand of equipment I prefer. For me that is an easy question and one that I answer the same way every single time. I feel the absolute best brand is YOU the contractor.
The best equipment will not last very long if it installed with an inadequate air distribution system, fuel delivery system, electrical system, water delivery or drainage system, combustion removal system and refrigerant transfer system.
In fact when a customers asks me, “How much are the parts for this job?” I always tell them that the parts are free. When a customer does business with a service contractor the product they are purchasing is SERVICE not the materials or equipment.
Is Gratitude Part Of Your System?
