Plumbing Sales

Review: Selling in Tough Times

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 06:19:00 +0000

Title: Selling in Tough Times
Author: Tom Hopkins

I've always been a fan of Tom Hopkins' books, so buying this book in particular was not too difficult to justify. Considering the $25 price tag I paid for it, it has more than paid for itself. A master trainer, he takes the sometimes overwhelming world of sales, and breaks it down into manageable, bite-size chunks.

With Selling in Tough Times, he takes it a step further. By filtering out a lot of extraneous information, he focuses in on what steps you need to take in order to close sales in difficult economies.

Starting with the basics of selling, and sales principles, Tom Hopkins builds on the foundation set out in the early chapters of the book.

From prospecting, initial contact, and through to follow-up, Tom will show you how to succeed no matter what the economic climate looks like. He takes key ideas, and magnifies them to the point where you're able to take the concept, and apply it to your own industry.

This book is a great refresher for brushing up on key elements of my own sales process which I had been glossing over.

Whether times are tough or not, I would recommend this book to anyone in a sales career. Read it at least once a year to make sure that you're on-track with your goals, and your career.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Disclosure: I purchased my own copy of this book, and have not received any money for this review.

Exit Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Your client is staring at your paperwork, trying to figure out what exactly they spent their money on.

You point out the tasks you wrote out, and show them the price, and help them work out the math.

Either one of two things will happen here:

They'll pay, then call your dispatch center complaining about the price
They'll complain about the price on the spot

What if you could avoid either of those scenarios? Would it make your day more enjoyable?

Taking time with your client once you've finished working, going over what you've done, will help lessen the shock, and reduce buyer's remorse.

Before you present them with the final paperwork, take them to each point of repair. Recap what the original challenge was, and what you did to fix it.

Show them how to adjust the heat on their new hot water tank.
Invite them to touch and use their new fixtures.
Have their warranty papers ready to be filled out and mailed off.
Explain how the warranty works.
Build value in what you've done for them.

Make them as central as you can to the whole experience of their new plumbing.

Only after they're smiling, and you've answered any additional questions they have, do you present them with the final paperwork.

Paperwork: 5 Minutes For Better Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Spending too much time on your paperwork when talking with a client?

Here's a tip for being more organized when you're with a client. I do it for every service call I go to. It helps me remember client's names and aids in the qualification process.

Before you get to a call, take a fresh invoice and write in the client's information. Name, address, contact info.

Having this information written down will help you focus more on the sales process, instead of worrying about paperwork.

At the appointment, have your paperwork out and ready--you can't get an authorization if the paperwork is hidden away in your clipboard.

After your presentation, and you start receiving positive buying signs, ask for confirmation that the written information is correct. Asking about the information is a qualifier that they are ready to do business with you.

Quit Whining And Get to Work

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:20:00 +0000

For those who provide 24-hour service, it can feel like a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at the situation. I'm writing this at 11:54pm, so what better time to look at the different aspects of 24-hour service. Irate clients, mid-drive cancellations, false alarms, sleepless nights, and more!

The Situation: Irate Client
Solution: Deal with it. They don't want to be up dealing with the problem any more than you want to be there. It's usually their own frustration at the problem. Showing up on site, most clients will calm down when they see a live, breathing body.

The Situation: Mid-Drive Cancellation
Solution: Life happens. It's not very nice of the client, but there's not much you can do about it. Call the client to find out what happened. Inform your dispatch center so they can do a follow-up call.

The Situation: False Alarms
Solution: This one ties into the mid-drive cancellation above. Schedule a visit for the next day to ensure that there's no problems, and it wasn't a false alarm.

The Situation: Sleepless Nights
Solution: Coffee. Lots of coffee. When the calls are there, take advantage of them. You never know what you're going to be doing the next day.

The Situation: Making other techs look bad
Solution: Ignore them. Set the bar for service. Technicians who aren't doing their job and ignoring calls are lazy. You don't want to make them look bad. It's going to happen all on it's own.

The Situation: Bump and Run
Solution: Slow down. You're only one person. So what if there's still two more calls. Call them and let them know that you'll be late. Depending on the emergency, they'll wait. No other company even offered to come out tonight.

The Situation: No Calls
Solution: Get some sleep. There will always be nights when nothing happens. Use it to your advantage and catch up on the sleep you missed yesterday.

Which of these solutions do you face most frequently and how do you deal with it? Please share your thoughts below in the comments.

Plumbing Checkups: My Love Affair

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:31:00 +0000

From my earliest days as a service technician, I always wanted to bring my sales numbers up. Starting out in an industry that I had no experience in was a challenge in itself. Add to that my lack of selling skills, I thought I was doomed to fail.

But not so.

I discovered the art of plumbing checkups.

There was a gold mine of opportunities waiting underneath every basin, inside crawl spaces, and outside where there were buried sewer clean-outs and faulty hose bibs.

These little gems take roughly 10 to 15 minutes, and uncover all the surprises that your clients never even knew existed. Finding even one additional item to repair will bring your sales total up.

If you want to give yourself a raise, consider doing more plumbing checkups.

Thorough Checkup

A thorough plumbing checkup should incorporate the following:

Inside

Pressure test
Water main shutoff turns on and off with no leaks
Kitchen faucet functioning
Kitchen sink draining
Basket strainers watertight
Garbarator working
Shutoffs turn on and off with no leaks
Supply lines not leaking
Union p-trap
Cleanout on trap arm
Test bathroom lav for same
Tub & Shower diverter works
Bathtub drains
Toilet flushes properly
No leaks from fill valve
Flapper seated securely (dye test)
Toilet shutoff turns on and off with no leaks
Laundry hoses not leaking
Laundry bibs not leaking
Hot water tank not leaking
No signs of rust/leaks
T&P valve in place
No corrosion on water lines
Shutoffs turn on and off with no leaks
Properly sized venting

Outside

Water meter working
Hose bibs not leaking
Type of rain leaders (Big-O, PVC, clay, etc.)
Locations of clean-outs (storm and sewer)
Location of storm basin

What do you think of plumbing checkups? Do you do them? Do you not do them? Do you see any advantages or disadvantages?

Taking Control Back From Your Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:14:00 +0000

Do you drive to your appointments fearing that you've got no control over what your clients are going to buy?

When I started as a plumbing tech, I had that exact thought. Several sales books later, I can talk to any client who dispatch sends my way, knowing that I have the tools needed to get their business.

As you're reading, keep in mind that your clients have had years of practice turning down sales people. By the end of this article, you'll learn how to level the playing field, and get control of the sale back in your hands.

A lot of technicians see the client as having all the control.

purchase your service
invite you in their house
become involved in a presentation

You need to take control of those choices. It's your job to lead your clients to an arrangement where they're happily giving you their money. They'll be so happy they keep calling you back to do it again and again.

Gaining Control of the Sale
You need to take it as early as possible. If you don't, your client's going to gain control over the entire sales process, which is not where you want to be.

There are four key elements to gaining control:

Research
Discovery
Presentation
Closing

If you or your client tries skipping any of these steps, you'll quickly find yourself becoming unorganized, and will lose the flow of the appointment.

Research
This could be from a previous appointment, where you did some data gathering, and had to find appropriate parts or replacements which are needed to be installed. It can also be past experience dealing with the same sorts of problems that your current client's faced with.

Remember, you're the expert, and most clients will gladly give you control so long as you're making informed recommendations.

Qualifying
You need to uncover the client's needs, and find out if your service is a good match for them. This is easily accomplished with questions. Your questions need to be specific, relating to how much they can invest, what time frame they're looking at, and who all is going to be involved with the final decision.

“What amount have you budgeted for this repair/project?”
“When are you planning on having this project finished?”
“If I'm able to find a solution today, are you in a position to go ahead with the repairs?”
“Who all is going to be making the final decision today?”

Presentation
Once your research and qualifying phases are over, you can tailor a demonstration to your client's specific needs. If they haven't shown any interest in having a particular repair that you've mentioned, you don't want to spend too much time talking about it.

During your presentation, you want to take control by guiding the client through the options available to them, focusing on their immediate needs.

Watch your client's body language for buying signs. When you notice one that's favourable, be sure to spend a little more time on what peaked their interest.

Try not to use too many technical terms during your presentation. Unless they're involved in a similar trade to yours, this may wind up confusing them, costing you a sale.

You also want to pepper your presentation with minor questions that the client can readily agree to, so that you can build up to your final close.

“This faucet has a nice finish on it, wouldn't you agree?”
“Wouldn't you like an extended warranty on the labour for these repairs?”

Closing
Making it this far, you haven't done much except give information. Once into the short rows, you need to ask the client for their business. Use whichever close feels appropriate for the situation.

If your first closing attempt doesn't work, ask the client what's holding them back from making a decision today.

Address their concerns, and try another close.

The trick here is to have more ways to help them see the benefits of your service, than they have ways of saying no. The more closes you know, the better your odds of securing a sale.

Conclusion
There are no magic tricks here. Nothing that you can't start today. Take this lesson and practise between calls. Practise in the shower.

The more confident you are with each step, the better your closing percentage will be.

Asking Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:12:00 +0000

Nothing will stall a service call faster than you and your client staring at each other with nothing to say.

Why Questions Are Important
Questions keep your clients engaged, which involves them throughout the entire sales process. The more involvement you have with your client, the easier it will be to close the sale.

You always need to be thinking about qualifying your clients, and questions are how you do that. They will help you zoom in on what their key issues are, and reveal the right approach for resolving their challenge.

A series of well-timed questions will present more opportunities for more work. Maybe they aren't aware that the shut off valve for the kitchen sink is seized. A simple question such as “Do you have any trouble turning this shutoff?” will open the door for a small presentation on new shut off valves.

When to Ask Questions
You're a guest in someone's home, so you don't want to start sounding like you're pushing right from the start. Ease into the conversation with a little bit of rapport to help break the ice, and make your first few questions feel like part of the conversation.
The following questions are great starters when you first meet someone:

How long have you lived in the house?
How old is the house?

Once you're at the area of concern, then you can start asking questions related to the task at hand.

Specific Questions to Ask
You want to start out with smaller questions, which get the customer thinking about investing in your service.

“Who your referred you to us?”
You want to get this question out early in your appointment, so that you can build momentum from it. This lets the client know that most of your business comes from referrals. When you ask for a referral later on, it won't sound like it's coming out of left field. If you know the person who referred them, acknowledge that person, and any work that was done.

“Are you currently a service agreement client?”
Ideally, you should know the answer to this, but we'll use it to keep our clients mentally engaged. Once again, you want to bring this question up as early as possible. Don't treat the agreement plan like it's an afterthought. If they're not an agreement plan client, provide them with the information early on.

“How long have you been facing this challenge?”
You want to gauge how long the problem has been active, so that you can determine how much secondary damage there might be.

“How old are the pipes/drains/hot water tank/etc.”
Knowing the approximate age, you can decide whether it's better to do a complete replacement, or repair the damage. A kitchen faucet less than 6 months old can normally be repaired. 10 years old, and the client should consider changing it out.

“What repairs have been done in the past?”
This question will help you establish an ongoing problem, or an isolated incident. If it's ongoing, make sure you look at any contributing factors which previous contractors may have missed.

Dispatch Mysteries Exposed

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:53:00 +0000

The people who run your dispatch center are the lifeblood of your company.

They answer the phones, keep track of service calls, schedule appointments, and most important of all: they keep your sales funnel full.

Dispatchers: They Don't Hate You
It's 4pm, and you've just finished a major water main repipe. You're dirty, cold, wet, and your phone starts to beep at you. A message waiting. You open it and find that you still have to go work on a plugged sink.
Thinking that dispatch is "punishing" you for something, you call, explaining that it's almost time for you to go home.

Dispatch tells you that you're on-shift until 5pm.

At this point you can either start ranting and raving, getting upset, or just go to the call.

Why You're Working Late
Before calling and getting upset, realize that the world inside the dispatch center is different than out in the field.

When there aren't enough calls to spread out among the technicians, it creates a shortage of work. This normally translates into you sitting in your truck, or creating busy-work. One of the side effects is that when a call does come in, someone has to be sent out to clear it.

Since plumbing problems don't care about your schedule, you may have calls that come in at the end of the day--usually when clients come home and discover the problem.

Helping Dispatch
Dispatchers are going to help you as much as you help them.

Going to a call at the end of your shift isn't an ideal situation, but sometimes you just have to shrug and go with the flow.

When you don't raise a fuss over it, dispatchers will see that you're willing to work a little harder, and in the future, will give you more opportunities for work.
They will also see that you're a reliable technician, and more inclined to move you further up the call sheet.

How to Get Dispatchers to Love You
The following tips will help you get noticed, and improve your chances of receiving more calls.

Show up on time
It makes life easier for everyone involved: dispatch, client, and you.

Make clear diagnostics/recommendations
Be specific about what you did, and what needs to be done.

Don't be vague: Replaced 1/2" pex pipe in crawlspace.

Instead, paint a picture of what you did: 1/2" pex 'tee' fitting failed in crawlspace. Removed damaged fitting, and replaced, tying in with existing water lines.

Somewhere after the diagnosis and billing information, clearly indicate other issues that need to be addressed.
The separate recommendations make it easier for dispatch to find, follow up, and schedule an appointment.

Learn to write neater
Over time, your dispatchers will be able to decipher your writing, but why not make it easier in the first place.

Practice your penmanship every day for 15-20 minutes. Take an old invoice and rewrite it, striving to be as neat as possible.

It will take work, but will be worth it in the end.

Have all work authorized
If a client decides they don't want to pay, and there's no authorization, the company doesn't have a leg to stand on.

A lot of times, dispatchers will pull double duty as payment collectors, so give them as much ammunition as possible.

Do a paperwork checklist
Ensure that you have to following items on your paperwork before submitting:

Client Information (Name, address, telephone, email)
Type of job (Commercial or residential; service, estimate, follow-up, maintenance, recall)
Type of client (Service agreement customer?)
Offered a plumbing checkup
Results of plumbing checkup
Water pressure
Authorization signed
Both standard and service agreement pricing
Job code clearly written
Warranty information
Payment type
Did the client use a coupon? Write down discounted price.
Include coupon with the paperwork (client name and invoice number)
Signature after completion of work
Signature on credit card receipts
Thank you note filled out, ready to be mailed

Bring them gifts
Who doesn't like random gifts? It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just something to say thanks for all the hard work they do.

A couple of times a year, I'll buy a card for each of the dispatchers, and write a personal note inside. For several weeks afterward, the cards were still on display on their desks.

Closing Thoughts
Dispatchers are there to help you navigate your work day. Try not to abuse them, or you may find yourself sitting at the local coffee shop with nothing to do.

Help them out whenever possible, and you'll find that they'll do the same for you.

What has your experience been like with your dispatch center? Leave a comment below to share any thoughts or ideas you have.

Your Training Is Holding You Back

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:45:00 +0000

When you start out in a plumbing company which runs service calls, you are generally given a week to two weeks of ride along, where you learn the basics of how the paperwork is filled out, procedures for interacting with clients, how to work with dispatch, and what is generally expected of you each work day.

While that information is necessary, it doesn't address any of the key selling issues you're going to face when you get your own truck.

Rarely have I seen new technicians come flying out of the gate with large sales numbers, which is to be expected. What's frightening, is that a lot of them stay at the bottom of the pack for a long time.

Overview of Company
Your company offers more than one type of service. You do plumbing, but that encompasses a large array of sub-services. There's drain cleaning, sewer main repair, water main repair, hot water tanks, minor plumbing repairs, etc.

The company may also offer tangible products such as drain enhancers.

Most new technicians are told to "sell more widgets" if they want to see their numbers go up, and it is left at that. So the technician goes out trying to sell more, and struggles to get his numbers up.

Sales Training
After a couple of months of low sales numbers, and feeling frustrated, the technician will go to his sales manager, and ask for advice. The manager will ask if the technician is selling any add-on products, such as the drain enhancer, or service agreements.

Typical responses from the technician include the following:

"No one's interested."
"People already have something else."
"My clients don't want it."

The sales manager then tells the technician to keep at, with no direction or ideas for moving forward.

Key Factors Missed
The techniques for selling are rarely--if ever--touched on during the training process. If you are a new service technician, and your company does not offer you any sales training, I recommend you start your own regimen. Start by reading this article on negative words, and work your way out from there.

Changes You Can Make Today
Both new and seasoned technicians can benefit from the advice below.

Blank Invoices
Take a blank invoice and photocopy it a few times. Practice writing a diagnostic, using phrases which include the discovery of additional tasks. After repairing kitchen faucet, found that gate valve shutoffs were no longer functioning. Addressed concern with homeowner, and replaced shutoffs. The idea is to get you thinking about additional tasks, and how to reflect them on your paperwork.
photocopy one of your invoices, and practice filling it in. Do 4 or 5 of these and day

Navigate Price Guide
Spend 10 minutes a day going through your pricing guide. This will help you become more familiar with it, so you spend less time in front of the client searching for information that they want.

Track Your Numbers
You won't know where you're going until you know where you've been. Are you sure that you performed 12 plumbing checkups last week? Using a day planner, write down each job, and what you did at that job. Shorthand which I have found effective is PCU +1 (plumbing checkup), CAP +1 (customer advantage plan/service agreement), AT +x (number of additional tasks). Not only is this going to help you gauge where you need more work, it gives you an emotional stimulus to want to improve.
As your numbers do start to go up, you can then start challenging yourself to do better each day.

How were you able to bring your own sales numbers up? Share your stories in the comment section below.

I Can Guess What You're Not Listening To

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:22:00 +0000

Running a service truck, most technicians waste a valuable resource—their CD player.

When I first started running service calls, all I had was a radio—not even a tape deck. I did however, have an mp3 player. Heading down to the local bookstore, I looked in the books on CD section. I really wasn't sure what author to go with, as my sales library at that time was pretty slim (1 book).

I thought that I was buying a sales book, but it turned out to be an inspirational disc by Zig Ziglar, all about having a great attitude no matter what you're doing.

It was only an hour long, but it was one of the best hours I ever spent.

Image Courtesy: Michal Marcol

I ripped it onto my mp3 player, and drove around all day listening to it. Being the only thing on my mp3 player, it got to the point where to this day I can still recite the stories word for word. From there, both my CD and book library started to grow.

Slowly, the music Cds in my truck were swapped out for training discs. Depending on the mood I'm in, I will choose a different author.

Riding around with other service technicians, I am amazed at 2 things:

1. They listen to music all day while driving around.
2. They refuse to listen to training cds
2a. The extent of their sales training is the annual training seminar

Working Monday to Friday, an average 8-hour shift each day, you're spending roughly 3 hours of your day sitting in your truck. Driving to your first call, going to the supply house, going to your shop, driving between calls, and finally driving home.

Accounting for a 2-week vacation, and miscellaneous holidays throughout the year, you work roughly 48 weeks per year. That adds up to 720 hours of driving time per year.

And you sit there wasting it listening to music.

That's 720 hours of sales training you didn't have to take time out of your busy schedule to attend. Seminars to get you motivated. Books you've wanted to read.

Spend some time this week at your local bookstore looking for a book on cd. Feel free to share your finding in the comments below.

Calling Out The Price Shoppers

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Unless you're being paid for your time, you're nothing more than an unpaid consultant.

One of the hardest parts of getting into the front door of a customer's house is asking for the call out fee. Remember that it's one of the most important steps in the sales process.

Some salespeople get so excited about getting a call, they forget to make sure they're making a profit.

Today I'm going to show you how to use the call out fee to ensure that you're not working for free.

Using the call out fee to your advantage

The call out fee is your first step to qualifying the potential client. Someone who is serious about purchasing your service is expecting to pay, so won't mind the call out fee. Others who are looking for a free consultation will take their business elsewhere, which is fine. I prefer talk to someone who plans on spending money, rather than someone who is looking for the lowest price.

Low pricing

When using flat rate pricing, you're going to have a primary task, and additional tasks. The primary task is higher than the additional tasks in order to cover any overhead from the job.

When diagnosing the problem you were called out for, you want to be looking for additional opportunities to help the client. Fixing the main problem gets it fixed, but it isn't addressing any potential for repairs in the future.

As you're doing your diagnosis, have a blank writing pad with you. I don't use any official paperwork, as I want this portion of the appointment to be as friendly as possible. The calmer I can keep my client, the easier it will be to close.

Write down the primary task, and any associated additional tasks that you find. Using your pricing guide, copy the member and non-member numbers down beside each task, along with how much they will be saving.

At the bottom of the list, take off the call out fee for both pricing structures.

Presenting the list to the client, they can see all the work necessary for your visit, and that you are 'giving back' the call out fee. The amount given away is made up by the additional work that you found.

When it comes to the call out, or diagnostic fee (some companies utilize both), this is not a chance for you to offer a discounted price for your service call. If I'm at a job for 15 minutes, and the customer has decided not to take advantage of my visit, I use the call out fee and move on. Up to 30 minutes, I use the diagnostic charge.

Using either the call out or diagnostic charges, and you don't close the sale that visit, always offer to discount it from a future visit (related to the specific problem you've found).

Phone enquiries

Most of the people you talk to when making an outbound call to a client who is seeking for information regarding their particular concern are price shoppers. The phone offers you a two-way dialogue, but is a poor choice for closing a sale.

When on the phone, your goal is to schedule an appointment, and nothing else. You don't want your potential client to be confused by saying something on the phone, and having to recant it when on-site. Say something like, “The variables for this sort of job differ from house to house, so it would be unfair for me to give you an amount over the phone, only to have to tell you differently when I arrive. For $x I will come and do a thorough diagnosis, then give you a firm amount for the work needed.”

It's simple, and avoids a lot of unnecessary back and forth bantering and haggling over the price.

Naming your call out fee

You never want to call it a charge or fee. Either of those words will form negative emotions in your client, which you're working to avoid. Instead, use any of the terms listed below.

Trip rate
Travel rate
Service call
Diagnosis advancement
Dispatch rate

Waiving the call out fee

Should you waive it? Absolutely. Once you've gotten an authorization for the work, the client is no longer a suspect, and now paying full price for your service.

Use the following phraseology: "Mrs. Jones, for a rate of $89, I will do a complete diagnosis on the challenge you're facing today. When I've determined the problem, and you agree to the solution, I'll waive the $89 and we'll work with the new amount that I present to you."

Wrap up

Remember that the call out and diagnostic fees are qualifiers. They should not be written up on any visit where you are performing work. Once you have approval for the job, write up your paperwork for the job completed, and any additional tasks you pick up.

Always get an authorization BEFORE you start working on anything. Too many times I've seen technicians get burned because they dove right into the job, and part way into it, decided to get an authorization.

Your Words Are Costing You Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:59:00 +0000

As we're giving a presentation to a qualified prospect, we create word pictures which will trigger pleasant emotions. When the emotions become strong enough, we move forward with the sale. If I were to say the words ICE CREAM, you may think about a happy memory of you and your family at the beach. That's a pretty strong emotion, and if I were selling ice cream, I would capitalize on it.

Knowing that words create emotion, we also have to realize that there are words which create negative emotions, which hinder the sales process. Since we can't see into the future, and we don't know which words are going to create a negative atmosphere with our clients, we have to tread carefully with our wording.

Contract
The first word that gets thrown around a lot is "contract." What mental image pops into your head when you read that word? Your car? Your house? It's generally something that you're locked into for an extended period of time, which is normally difficult to get out of. No one wants to be tied into something, so I would recommend using the word paperwork. Does that word seem threatening in any way? Probably not, unless you're falling behind. Want to close more sales? Change out contract for paperwork, and watch your closing percentage climb.

Cost and Price
What do you see when you read these words? I see my wallet opening, and the money exchanging hands, never to come back. Instead of cost or price, use the word amount. It is far less threatening for consumers, and doesn't provoke a knee-jerk objection.

Down Payment
For any larger jobs, you're going to require some money up front before you can call in labor, material, etc. Most of your clients are going to see a large deposit, followed by smaller payments until the balance is cleared. Every month they're going to receive a statement, and will have to either write a check, or make a authorize their credit card. Not very positive. Replace down payment with initial investment, and monthly payment with monthly amount.

Sell
I strongly recommend you erase 'sell' and 'sold' from your vocabulary. As you're talking with a client, and they start asking about your services, you'll be tempted to tell them how many people you've sold to last month. Or maybe you'll brag about the number of people you sold to on the same street. What are your clients thinking? No one likes being sold anything. It feels like the previous customers had no control over what was happening. Instead of sold or sell, use the phrases helped them acquire or got them involved.

Deal
I've talked about this word before, and it's worth mentioning again. Deal. What does it make you think of? Perhaps a used car salesman pushing a lemon on you? You never want to offer deals to your client. Instead, offer them opportunities or get them involved.

Sign
I saved my favorite one for last. This one alone helped me to close more sales than any other. Your parents have all told you not to sign anything without reading the fine print. If you trigger your client's memory of that, they have more ammunition to stall the sales process. From now on, ask your clients to approve or authorize your paperwork.

Are You Committing Sales Suicide?

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:50:00 +0000

This post is a follow up to a comment I posted over at Sales Training Advice.

You're going to have slow days where no one seems to be buying.

As the day winds itself out, and you haven't reached your daily quota of sales, you start to panic. You've got one more call to attend before you can go home, so you convince yourself that you're going to close a sale with this client.

The client seems to be really interested in your service, and then tells you that you're price is too high. Trying to salvage something from the day, you offer the client a deal.

What started out as a miserable day just got a lot worse.

Why is that? Because you just gave away 14 dollars.

Let's say that the service being sold costs $157. Your materials are $10, and you earn a 24% commission. After the job is complete, you earn $35.28.

Looking through your pricing guide, however, you see that if you write the job up as a call out fee, you only have to bill the job out at $98.

Billing at $98 with the same materials and commission, you are only adding $21.12 to your sales volume. You cheated yourself out of $14.12. The price of the materials hasn't changed. The only thing that has changed is that there is going to be less money in your pocket.

You are now faced with an unfortunate side effect of underselling yourself: your client has friends.

They will gladly talk about how they got the service at a reduced price, and will tell them all to call into your dispatch center to ask for you so that they can also get a reduced price. Figuring your client has 2-4 direct neighbors, that's $30-$60 in lost profit.

It's very easy to get into the habit of reducing your price to secure the sale. Instead of lowering your price, invest some time into learning some closing techniques, so that you won't have to give yourself a pay cut.

Some Useful Closes

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:12:00 +0000

After going through my shortcuts, I compiled a small list of articles which have helped me hone my selling skills over the years.

Tom Hopkins demonstrates the Basic Oral Close, one of the first that you should master.
Charlie Greer goes through some price objection scenarios we've all been in, and explains how to handle them.
Zig Ziglar gives a short lesson on the 3 Question Close.
These three techniques were some of the first I ever learned.

About Tom Thiessen

Tom is the founder and editor of Plumbing Sales, and elem4nts. Learn more about him here and follow him on Twitter at @PlumbingSales.

Use Index Cards to Stay Organized

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:34:00 +0000

It's no surprise that one of the best ideas for organization is also one of the simplest. You can pick these index cards up at virtually any dollar store, so the investment is minimal. Ideally, you will keep these cards in a card box, with tabbed dividers which you will label.

For every client that you visit, or potential prospect you talk to on the phone, create a new index card for them.

Along the top you fill out their name and phone number, so that you have that critical information on-hand.

If available, write their address in the line below that (you can always get it later).

Each client will have only 1 card. Every appointment, scheduled phone call or email is written down on the card, along with the job number (invoice).

Your first entry may look something like the following:

June 12/10 - 298456

Installed kitchen faucet, pressure test @ 98psi.

Recommend new PRV, client wants to think it over.

Will call tomorrow.

In your card box, you will have 3 primary categories: Immediate, Waiting, and On Hold.

Immediate clients are those who have a need which demands immediate attention.
Waiting is for clients who need service, but aren't yet excited to use your service.
On Hold clients are all the people who are neither immediate or waiting. They are mildly interested in getting service.

Every day go through your immediate clients, and call them to arrange for a second meeting, in order to discuss their options. Once you've closed the sale, you'll move them to the Tingle Stage. Whenever a client is moved to the Tingle Stage, that opportunity is no longer available, and must be replaced by someone who is waiting. Call all of your waiting contacts, and start a fire burning to motivate them to purchase.

example of index card

5 Proven Ways to Increase Your Sales Today

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:42:00 +0000

1. Show up on time.
When you show up late, several things happen:

Office staff have to scramble to reschedule all subsequent calls.
Lose calls because you're running out of working hours.
Client starts to doubt the company.
Client becomes angry.

Your client's time is valuable. More valuable than your own, in fact. Anywhere up to 5 minutes late is acceptable, but it's always better to be either early, or right on time.

Imagine showing up a half-hour late to a job. The client is standing at the door, arms crossed, and short-tempered. Already upset about having to call in a service professional, the client may also be taking time off of work to meet with you. As a result, she's now a half-hour behind where she wanted to be.

At this point, you're facing an uphill challenge to provide service to that client.

If you have to show up late, make sure that you're still early.

Programming the address into your gps device, you can see exactly what time you're going to be arriving. Call your dispatch center with the eta given, only add 10 or 15 minutes. They will call the client with the eta, and then voila! You're earlier than they said.

The client is happy that you're early, and a barrier towards a sale has been removed.

2. Stay inside the house.
Before you head inside, make sure that you have all of your pen, calculator, writing pad, diagnostic tools, booties, and gloves with you. If there's any reason at all for you to go outside, it gives the client a chance to think about what's already been said, and call your dispatch center to cancel the call.

A good strategy to avoid this is to always leave something behind. If you're getting close to an agreement with the client, excuse yourself by offering them a few minutes to think things over while you go to check on the material in your truck for completing the job. Leave the paperwork sitting out in the open, and head outside to collect whatever it is that you're missing.

This isn't going to stop people from putting your stuff out on the front porch, but increases your chances of staying on the job site.

3. Plumbing checkup.
The key to more sales is to find more things to fix. Before you've even thought about bringing out your price guide, you should get a feel for the current plumbing setup. The plumbing checkup will help to build value in the client's eyes.

You don't want to just start walking through your house like you own the place. Make sure you confirm that you can fix the problem that you were called out for, then ask the client if it's okay for you to take a look at the rest of the plumbing. "Mary, now that I've seen the problem, and have determined I'll be able to fix it today, would it be alright if I looked at the rest of the plumbing to make sure that this is an isolated problem?"

Most of the time they'll say yes. But if not, that's okay too. You can always do a checkup further on during the appointment.

The purpose of the checkup is to find any glaring deficiencies which the client may not realize is a problem. At the same time, it gives the client a chance to remember any leaky faucets or other minor problems.

4. Customer service plan.
This is an opportunity for the client to save some money. The sooner you can get the client thinking about this option, the more time they'll have to convince themselves to be involved with it.

After you've done your plumbing checkup, and you can show how much they'll be saving in various repairs around their house, the more apt they are to invest. There will also reach a point where the savings will outweigh the investment of the service plan.

5. Ask for a referral letter.
The best referral letters are from customers who purchased, but there's nothing wrong with asking those who didn't. If you've been honest and straight forward with your client, and they are generally pleased with their service call, it shouldn't be a problem obtaining the letter.

Offer your client a $25 discount on their invoice if they write one on the spot, while you're finishing up your own paperwork. You would preferably want it written on their own letterhead, but if that option is unavailable, having it written in their own hand on the writing pad you brought in is just as good.

Whenever you get a referral letter, you want to place it in your presentation binder. Either laminated, or in sheet protectors. These referral letters will help in future sales, as potential prospects will see an ongoing history of satisfied clients.

How I Learned to Build Value

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:57:00 +0000

When a client sees how interested you are in their plumbing system, and being sure it's all functioning properly, the easier it will be to earn their business.

Arriving at a job, you may have been taught to hand over a business card, wipe your boots off, then rush over to the problem area and do a cursory diagnosis of the problem. You promptly present your price and are immediately challenged on the money you've asked them to part with. Unless the problem needs an immediate solution, you are usually ushered to the front door after offering a written estimate for the work required.

For a long time, that was how I handled the calls I was dispatched. After starting to do follow-up phone calls with clients, and having numerous recalls, I realized there were times that I missed something which would have been obvious had I taken a few minutes to look around at the rest of the plumbing system.

Clients were happy I came back to work on the problem, but were not impressed that I missed it the first time around.

At the end of the service call, I would offer to do a plumbing checkup on their system, and this did increase the number of times I was able to find additional problems, but could not close on the additional work, because in the client's eyes, I was finished with their immediate problem, and was finished. Doing follow-ups, these recommendations were rarely closed on, as the client didn't have any sense of urgency about it.

With my average ticket sales in the mid-$200 to $300 range, and other technicians in the company with similar experience in the field with numbers which were much higher, I sat down and evaluated my process.

The first thing that needed to change was approaching the job site. I wasn't having much success with rushing inside and blurting out prices as problem areas came up, so I left that area alone to start with.

Greeting the prospect, I would introduce myself, and after being invited inside, say something like "I'm Tom from ABC Plumbing. Dispatch has given me a brief explanation as to what prompted today's call. If you could take me to the area of concern, we can start from there." This gives the customer the feeling that I'm not intruding into their space. They're leading me, which has already begun to lower their defensive wall.

At the problem area, I do a cursory diagnostic to ensure I'll be able to resolve the problem. I assure the client, by saying something like "Sure, I can take care of this." From there, I explain that I need to take a quick look around at the rest of the plumbing system to ensure that there is nothing else that is a similar problem.

While assessing the rest of the plumbing, I make a mental list of anything that needs closer attention later in the service call. Once you're satisfied that their are no other major problems, then you can approach the client with your price guide. Before mentioning the price, be sure your price guide is closed. Explain to the client what it is you're going to do to repair the problem.

Watch for buying signs to see if they're in agreement with going ahead with the repairs. Only after you're sure that they are moving towards ownership of your service, then take your clipboard out.

When taking your clipboard out, ask if you can place it on a counter or table before doing so. This will show the customer that you have respect for them and their home. Be sure that there is no dirt or grime on your clipboard. Check it over once a week, and clean it if necessary.

Have your paperwork pre-filled (client name and address) when you take it out, and be sure the forms are crisp and neat. A quick check in your price guide for the price, and then obtain an authorization.

Grooming Habits for Service Plumbers

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Maybe you like the rugged look and sport a little bit of stubble on your face. Or still have those earrings from high school. Perhaps your girlfriend told you she likes guys with long hair.

I've observed numerous service plumbers who would 'let themselves go'. They were also the ones who would go home early, were hanging out at the shop, and leeching off of others for work. Why is that? Read below to find out.

Working for a professional company, you need to present a professional look. Some companies may have looser policies than other, and the following list is nothing more than guidelines.

Keep Your Hair Short
Unless your clientele is 100% people who have long hair, this is a must. Dealing with anyone from an older generation expects that you have short, groomed hair.
This is not to say that it needs to be buzzed down like a crewcut, so long as it stays out of your eyes, and is clean.

Have a Shower
Every day. Every morning before you leave for work.

Shave
Unless you have a very special reason not to, keep your face clean-shaven at all times. It exudes a professionalism that will help you build trust with your customers.

Clean Uniform
Don't keep putting on the same uniform every day. A good policy here is to have one on, one in the wash, and one in the drawer. I also keep a spare uniform in my truck, just because you never know what you're going to get yourself into with some calls.

Wear a Belt
It will help prevent plumber's crack.

Wash Your Boots
More of a courtesy to your customers. You don't want to be dragging in the mess from your last job into their home.

Have any other tips? Feel free to post them below.

People Say Stupid Things

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:23:00 +0000

Whenever someone says something like, "You know, my nephew just got his plumbing ticket. I could get him over here to look at this," don't immediately jump all over a heated response.

The customer is trying to get your goat, so you'll get upset, and he has an excuse to ask you to leave.

Play it cool, and carry on with your sales close as if they hadn't said anything.

I Used To Be Focused

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 03:23:00 +0000

When I first started out in service plumbing, I had this bad habit of being so focused on my primary task, that I would lose sight of the overall jobsite.

Courtesy checkup, and additional task percentages were both extremely low. Since the two are directly proportional to one another, it made clear sense why my sales numbers weren't rising.

After a couple of months of mediocre paycheques, I sat down and looked at my invoices, looking for opportunities where I could have found more work. What was astonishing was the fact that nearly every call I went to, there was work sitting right there in front of me.

The calls had long-since gone cold, and I did not at that time have the tools to recapture the customer. My first year in service plumbing was pretty lean when I started earning commission.

I made the conscious choice to bring my courtesy checkup percentage up above anyone else's. Using my day planner, I wrote down the percentage I wanted for the end of each week, and a final total for the end of the month.

Doing my initial diagnosis, I started making note of other problems. Usually unrelated to the original reason for the call-out. When putting the price together, I would add on the additional work. When the customer sees the larger price, and the additional tasks, they now have a menu of items they can choose from. They don't always choose all the items, which is where some closing techniques are needed.

Regardless if they go ahead with the extra work, I have now already started my courtesy checkup. At the end of the service call, I offer them the opportunity to take advantage of the complete checkup.

"Mrs. Jones, now that the work is complete, would it be alright if I looked around at the rest of your plumbing, to be sure that there are no other surprises?"

Home checkup percentage instantly starts climbing. As a result, I get to see what other plumbing needs they have. If they decide not to go ahead with the work during that visit, I now have something to talk to them about when I do my follow up.

Customer Contact Sheet

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:13:00 +0000

A simple way of keeping track of your customer's history is to use either a 3-ring binder with loose leaf paper, 3x5 index cards, a PDA device, or computer database.
For each separate customer, you want their name, address, telephone numbers, and email address. Below that info, indicate if they are a service agreement customer or not.

Keep track of each date you visited, your invoice number, and a brief summary of what you did. Note their water pressure, and time of day you tested it.

If you made any recommendations, make a note of that as well...so you'll have something to talk about when you do your follow-up.

As you start building your clientele, update the file after every visit.

When Mrs. Smith calls back 3 months later for something unrelated to what you've already observed, you can ease her back into your recommendations.

In Use
“Mrs. Smith, do you recall during my last visit that I pointed out your widget was showing signs of failure?”
Whether Mrs. Smith says yes or no, reply with the following.
“Would it be alright if I took another look at it today after I take care of your other widget?”
If she starts to resist you, or asks why you want to look at it, say the following.
“Mrs. Smith, I keep records of my customer's plumbing details, and want to be sure that I've got all the details right.”
After you've finished fixing the widget, go to the recommendation widget, re-verify that it still needs repair/replacing, and make another attempt to close on the additional task.

Be Professional

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:22:00 +0000

I had the chance today to observe another service professional in action today, and I am happy I do things the way that I do.

It was someone from an industry so far removed from mine, that we would likely never cross paths again. It was a rare insight however, to see how other contractors conduct themselves.

With no uniform on, I couldn't readily identify who they worked for. Muttering their list of tasks to finish, not wearing any shoe protectors, and appearing to be generally disorganized, it gave me a smile on the inside. Until I realized that some of the people I look up to in our company do the same things.

Uniform
When you approach the door, your customer should be able to identify which company you work for just by your uniform. A logo somewhere on your shirt, and probably your hat. I tend to not wear manufacturer or supplier hats, as people will sometimes get confused about who I actually work for.

Ensure that if nothing else, you have a clean shirt to wear. People expect you to get dirty, but don't want you smearing their house with the filth of the last call you were at. If a clean shirt isn't an option, keep your jacket on until you start working, and give yourself a few sprays of Febreze.

Shoe Protectors
I have impressed more people with these little plastic gems than any other part of my ensemble. They are becoming more and more common these days, but there are a few guidelines which some contractors are ignoring.

Be sure to place them over your shoes BEFORE entering the customers house. Make sure the customer sees you putting them on.
Each time you go outside to your truck, take them off immediately after walking outside. There was no point putting them on if you're going to track dirt back inside.
When a customer asks for an extra pair, give it to them.
If a customer doesn't ask, offer an extra pair for the next service technician who shows up at their house.

A word of warning before venturing into people's houses wearing the shoe protectors: make sure that they don't leave marks. I had one style which left streaks all over my customer's new laminate floors.

Self-Talk
Inside the privacy of your thoughts, this is acceptable. The second you start verbalizing, you do discredit to yourself, your company, and your trade.

You're there as a professional, so start acting like one. There's a time for talking, and a time for work. The customer didn't call you to hear a monologue on the procedure, and the difficulties you're having getting the job completed.

Being Organized
This goes beyond bringing all the necessary tools and replacement parts in with you, without having to go back to your truck a half-dozen times--which alone helps you shine in the eyes of the customer.

I'll be doing a whole series about being organized, but a few key points to list here will help you when inside the customer's home.

Be aware of your schedule for the next 2 or 3 days. If a customer wants you to come back for additional work, or to follow-up on repairs, know if you're available or not.
Keep your work area clean and tidy. Use dropcloths, lay out your tools and materials within easy access.
As you complete stages of work and are ready to move on, take extra material and tools you're finished with back out to your truck. This is a good chance to advise your dispatch center if you are running behind, and to request more time. Doing this also gives your customer a sense that work is moving forward, and a chance to interact with you.

When you're unorganized, it gives customer's a sour taste in their mouth after the whole experience. At best, you did a good enough job that they'll use your company again, but request a different service technician. In this case, the company still retains the customer. At worst, they go back to the phone book, and find another company.

Knowing Your Customers

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:01:00 +0000

Every time you go to a customer's house or business, keep notes about their plumbing. Whether you do this in a small notebook (which you can get from virtually every supplier), on your invoice, or a plumbing checkup sheet, be sure to keep accurate notes on everything you see. Update your notes after EVERY visit!

If a customer asks what you're doing, tell them that you're making notes for yourself, so that when they call back, you'll have all the necessary information.

While doing your initial diagnosis, perform a quick checkup on the plumbing in the immediate area that you were called out to service. Shutoffs looking rusted and corroded? Improper p-trap on the drainage system? Write down the make and model of any nearby faucets. Take note of anything that looks suspicious.

The more information you have about their current plumbing, the more choices you can offer your customers.

Code of Values

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:12:00 +0000

Plumbing Sales lives up to it's code of values by...

Respect

...treating visitors as I would like to be treated

...reading comments with the intent to understand what is being written and acknowledging what is said is important to the writer

...replying to comments in a timely fashion

...acknowledging everyone as right from their own perspective

Integrity

...making only posting commitments I am willing, able and intend to keep

...communicating any potentially broken commitments to the community on my blog

...never sharing my email list with anyone

...providing information which has been personally tested and proven

...never saying anything bad about any specific company or person

Character

...continuously striving to maximize reader loyalty

...making my best effort to understand and appreciate the reader's needs

Having fun along the way!

Welcome to Plumbing Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Thiessen) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:08:00 +0000

Welcome to Plumbing Sales--a blog that started out as some random sketches in notebooks, and a binder full of techniques and ideas, which today becomes fully realized.

I've been in sales for a number of years, and my primary goal has always been to take care of my clients needs no matter what issues they are facing. To that end, I had to learn quite a bit about the sales process, and how to get clients involved in my products and services.

The learning has always been enjoyable, but is rather time consuming. As a result, I have had to neglect my family and friends to always learn "one more thing".

I want to be involved with a site that's all about helping those who don't always have a lot of free time to learn new techniques.

I'm not going to tell you exactly which techniques will always work in every situation. Instead, I'll share what I've learned and the best way to utilize your skills.

As new topics emerge, I invite everyone to make comments and discuss their sales successes. As the months and years progress, we'll be talking about a variety of topics including goal setting, closing sales, prospecting, follow up, organization, add on sales, service agreements, and much, much more. To start this journey we'll focus on four main categories:

Goals: creating, setting, achieving
Rapport: clients won't buy if they don't like you
Service Agreements: give your clients more bang for their buck
Closing Techniques: will need these to reach your goals

The site will be running as a blog but will expand out into other social media as it becomes necessary. If enough requests for features are received, they will be interwoven into the site.

More than a blog

If you'd like to connect with Plumbing Sales, there are a few ways you can do so.

1. Subscribe, follow, connect

For starters I'd love you to connect with Plumbing Sales by subscribing or following us in a way that suits your online preference. There is an email newsletter, an RSS feed, and a Twitter account. Connect with any that suit your needs.

2. Contribute

If you've got some great tips I'd love to hear from you. As the site expands, I'm open to developing a team of people who share the same values, committed to the same sort of vision, and are interested in seeing how far we can advance our careers.

At first, contributions will be through voluntary guest posts, but as the site grows I'll be looking into more aggressive monetization. If you'd like to contribute about any of the topics mentioned above, please make contact with any ideas you have for articles via our contact form.

I couldn't be more happy with the launch of Plumbing Sales--seeing it grow from a vague idea to the site you're now looking at. I hope that you'll share your experiences with us as we explore the world of sales together.