How to Qualify Customers Over the Phone as a Contractor
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Qualifying leads over the phone before meeting them in person and producing estimates for them can save you tons of time and grief. Here are some tips based on my experience selling remodeling projects to homeowners.
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These are better than "The Fight" videos
Thanks!
Dude you have to make some more videos about this… it’s really helpful!
I'm happy to. What else would you like me to talk about?
@@chuckthecontractor i think about how to manage more to get the clients trust over the phone and how to qualify it. Also how to use the website for a sales tools as well when selling over the phone!
I install plumbing fixtures and water heaters, self-employed. In my experience I have the most sales trouble with real estate agents/brokers, interior decorators, and rental property owners.
That’s because they are all low margin businesses trying to make money. Work with homeowners who care more about the value and less about the money.
This video is awesome, I get caught up sometimes on the calls I would get and wouldn’t know how to word the conversation properly or get my point across. Thanks for the tips
You're welcome.
Very well said. Yes at some point it's not worth to spend too much time to make an
estimate. Some clients don't really know what they want, don't know time to get done a project, neither labor rates and materials costs, and even if they accept to start a job later they may change plans and make your work harder, more time, and so you have to ask for more money, the client may not like it and cancel the project or look for someone cheaper. So I agree it pays off to take steps to know if a client is worth to spend the time. Great video, thanks.
Thanks for the comment Lou. Doing free estimates is a huge pain in this industry. I stopped doing it for larger projects. The last time we spent 40 hours estimating a project for free only to have the client back out was the last.
@@chuckthecontractor I've been there too, I believe anyone having to work for days on a long estimate, and finally NON !
Very upsetting.
@@chuckthecontractor I totally agree. I'm not sure where free estimates started but I assume it started out of desperation. We started charging for estimates a few years ago and it's one of the best prequalifying steps we have implemented in our Remodeling business. The entire relationship dynamic changes when there is a consultation/evaluation fee.
Superb advise
Cheers
good topic thank you
Glad it helped you.
Whle I didn't have phone conversation, instead was via text.
The first trim carpenter was fired for inability.
I was in the running, she even wanted me to do the job installing base and crown molding. I add as finish carpenter,.
I was asked my fee. She could not justify my rate, being first job of the season instead of committing to a price. Counter offered what would you pay for labor only?
It was 300 less than my 3stimate though 300 more than Lowest I'd go to do the job.
They were impressed the first said be 2 weeks I was dine in 5 1/2 days with adding pocket doors and pantry cabinet counter top install.
Now busier time either pay my fee or take your chances with another.
Being busier gives you the ability to say no. Having that ability gives you confidence which makes people want to hire you more. It's an upward spiral. It can be difficult to stick to your guns when you're hungry. Thanks Jeff.
Your video was very helpful! Would you share your list of questions that you have on your Ipad?
Yea sure.
1. How did you find me and how can I help?
2. What's the currrent situation?
3. What's the ideal outcome?
4. What are the major obstacles to achieving the ideal outcome?
5. Why now?
6. When do they want to get started?
7. What is the ideal budget?
8. Who are the decision makers for the project?
9. What might stop them from moving forward?
10. When can we schedule the next appointment?
I keep these questions general to help guide my line of questioning. The conversation is always very organic and I try and put my notes under the corresponding question but at the end of the day this is just to help me make the most of my sales calls. Your questions ought to be customized to how you like to have these conversations.
I should have noted that my questions are geared towards asking contractors about their marketing. For remodeling or another service my questions would be very similar but definitely worded differently. The questions as I have them are guideposts, not exact wording. Lastly, for remodels I might ask about whether or not they have plans, permits, etc. depending on the type of project. These questions would just come from my experience but if I were selling a lot of remodels I would 100% write them down.
Do you have a good phrase to politely let people down when they are "disqualified?"
Especially if their budget is too low, or it's just a type of work you don't want to do
I just tell them that we’re not the right fit for them and if If I can, I try and point them in the right direction.
May I ask, how is this any different than the shinfu?
Sorry, I'm not familiar with that. What is it?
I don't think this video was made to be the same or different than SHINFU(Tom Reber/The Contractor Fight) method. But having learned about the SHINFU method I would say they are very similar Professional Prequalification methods for Contractors and I commend both of these fellas for sharing these very effective methods.
Thanks Jeffery. I hadn't heard of SHINFU until after I made this video but I have a couple clients that are going through Tom's training and they've told me about it. I think it sounds really solid. When I made this video, I described what I learned from doing 1000's of sales calls. It's really common sense stuff when you boil it down. I encourage everyone to sit down to write out and think through their own processes. List out the problems you've run into and how you can solve them and you'll come up with a very similar style of qualifying... At the end of the day, these situations are all very similar and you run into the same problems over and over again so you'll end up finding we all have similar solutions. It's a sign we're doing it right.
Cheers - Chuck
@@jeffreyslachetka4632
this is just off the cuff sales. Digging for the motive and ball park pricing because goin out. simple stuff. Shin Fu is more complicated overall process