TRUE STORY: How to Not Win Customers

Next year we’re celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. That is, if she’ll start behaving soon. (Camera cuts to me pleading, “No dear, I didn’t make any snide remarks in a public forum. May I peel you more sunflower seeds?”)

Since we’re going like way out of town, I headed to the post office to update my passport. Funny, my kids have been to Europe twice since my passport expired. Something is seriously wrong here.

And something is equally wrong with the United States Post Office. Yes, I realize they spent all their lunch money when Reagan was prez, but if you’ll look at this stupid sign at the entrance, you’ll see this is one of dozens of things very rotten about their message. And this same thing applies to you in your business. Check out the dumbest greeting sign ever…

The parking lot, by the way, holds 80 cars, and I never see more than 5-6 there. And are the words, ‘…or less’ really needed here?

Imagine this idiotic sign in front of any place that might want customers. Or might want them to linger. Can you imagine Starbucks doing this? There’d be bedlam in the social media streets. Baristas would leap from drive through windows.

So, they have serious sales problems, and are doing their best to curtail their nonexistent customers to 30 minutes. Got it.

I pick on this sign, not for the lunacy it is, but as an indicator of systemic failure. Yes, the problems persisted indoors.

The place looks shabby. Soaked ceiling tiles, half drooping. Hand scrawled signs haphazardly taped to walls with friendly notes like, “Don’t let your children play on the rails,” and “Stand behind yellow line until next teller motions.” (Motions? Motions for what… a pardon?)

This Conversation Actually Happened

ME: (After being properly motioned), “I’m renewing my passport and…
ZOMBIE LIKE PERSON in grayish blue, to match her blood: “He’s not here. He’ll be back at 1:00”.
ME: “Uh, he? (I’m struggling already.) “He, the Passport specialist?”
ZLP: “Yeah. He takes the pichers. He’ll be back at 1.”
ME: “It’s 5 after 12. Can I get the forms to fill out and come back?”
ZLP: “You can do that and take it to CVS or Walgreens. They’ll do the photo. You pay them the $35 fee.”
ME: (Thinking) Did she just send me to the competition?
ZLP: “Here’s an envelope. I think they’ll sell you the postage too.” Yells in back. “Hey Mike! Won’t they sell him the postage after they take the picher?”
Mike, avoiding the menace of photography during lunch: “Yeah, they can do all that.”
ME: (Dumbfounded that photo-boy was there the whole time. I’m sent away without a passport, photo, or postage from the very place you’d expect THAT at a minimum.)

I leave stunned, with a touch of zombie-itis setting in as I pass the stupid sign on the way out.

At the CVS, there was no customer repellant signage. No “he” eating an egg sandwich, unable to help. A very helpful 4 minutes later, my photo is taken, the form reviewed, postage affixed, and process begun. I bet every CVS trainee in America can click the camera button, especially for the $35 Passport fee, plus the $110 for the processing, including $8.90 for the postage. How much did CVS keep?

Then she kindly asks for an upsell: “Do you want to look at some travel-size toiletries while you’re here?” That type behavior will probably get you kicked off the Customer Repellant team at the Post Office.

A Question that leads to Wealth:
Are you adding or reducing friction with your customers?

With every customer contact, you’re doing one or the other. The Post Office was solid friction. CVS was like ball-bearings with Z-max poured on them.

• Is your CSR trained to advance the call? Or to put people on hold? My friends at CallSource tell me that the average appointment set rate for contractors is a painful 64%. That’s like 36% of the people being sent to the competition, eager to buy.

• Are your techs versed to advance the sale or relationship? How many mention the Maintenance Agreement and the discount they could’ve gotten? Do they ask for a positive online review? How many mention your other services?

(Two different consulting clients told me this month that their ‘other’ services fall behind when one is super busy. My question: “HOW CAN THIS BE when they are in MORE HOUSES?” Blank stares and silence ensues.)

• Does your follow-up contact ask about satisfaction? Referrals? Other services they wish you offered? Gather the email address? Bump to an Agreement?

• Does your outbound marketing only tout ‘sales’? (Fastest way to lose credibility.)  Only 55% of your marketing balance should be Direct Response, and I’m aggressive. The other should be Image, TOMA, and Retention. (Call your coach.)

• …Or vague generalities, with nothing unique?  “We’re fast, reliable, and honest!” Oh really? My clients are slow, unpredictable, and steal constantly.

While pondering the New Year, make some new changes to reduce friction everywhere you can. You’ll find far more business will slide your way, along with referrals, reputation, and more reasons your customers will grow blind and deaf to the competition.

They’ll be the ones eating the egg sandwich, wondering where all the customers went.

- See more at: Sales&MarketingInsider.com

Marketing Lessons from My Dentist

Like many who are fond of their teeth, I go to my dentist every 6 months for a check-up. Basically, this is a $320 detail job and they don’t even shampoo the carpet.

The dental hygienist lady has a habit of referring to me as “we”. She’s either aware of my multiple personalities or lives a parallel life as a pre-school teacher. “How are WE doing today? Are we having any trouble with our teeth?”

Worse, she half sings these questions, which is – or should be - punishable by death in many states, all of which I’d like to now live in.  Soon she has at least three hands in my mouth, and I can barely make out ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ straining through a 5” speaker covered in tooth dust.

Then she says this, which is a lesson in sales and marketing of the highest order. (You may want to floss before reading.)

See, I used to dread the dentist. As an 8 year old, I hid behind a sofa until my appointment had long passed. Then, incorrectly assuming the coast was clear, was spotted by my frantically searching mother. My rear-end took the pain originally intended for my molar regions. It was a good swap.

I mean, dentist dude had seriously hairy arms, a syringe borrowed from the zoo, and a drill that sounded like mosquitos on crack. He focused all his activity in my mouth, which was just fine when it was me and the Three Musketeers. But no, Der Drill Meister had to spoil my fun and talk about gumlines, flossing, and keeping my teeth. What a killjoy.

As a result of my dental defiance, by age 12 I had enough silver in my mouth to effect the currency market in Bolivia.

Yet by college age, modern dentistry was here. Gone were the torture rituals of old, no longer did they use pulleys and horse drawn carts to extract teeth. “Oh darn Mr. Crumpley! Wrong one! We’ll just saddle ‘er up again to get the right one. Here, chew on a bullet.”

The bullet, I might add, remains preferable to the People Magazine featuring anyone who has known or married a Kardashian.  

Yet we all learn that Preventive Maintenance is key. And it leads to…

Salesmanship for Non-Salespeople

Today I am in a comfortable chair (like a La-Z-Boy with handcuffs and a rinse cycle) while micro-abrasive cleaning tools gently erase a subtle hue of coffee and red wine. “We” are being sung to, sort of, and I’m caught by the following –

“And todayyyy…”, sounding like she’s about to announce recess, “We’re due for our X-ray as part of our routine.” I make a noise like I have a whole baked potato in my mouth which she correctly interprets as approval.

Soon, a machine suitable for Darth Vader selfies is aimed at my check, a gentle buzz emanates, and she says, “Now we’ll do the other side”. ZZZap. In 40 seconds, I’ve just spent another $240. But remember, this is part of our routine.

“So while we wait for the Doctor, let’s get your appointment scheduled. I’ve got you down for 6 months out, and I see you prefer mornings, right?”

“Yes, that’s right”, I mumble, rinsing out the cleaning cocktail in the little swirly sink.

“And what day of the week do you not prefer, knowing that we don’t take Friday appointments?”

“Uh, Tuesdays and Thursdays are fine.”

“Okay, we’ve got you down. If there are any changes, let us know ahead of time. Here’s your written slip, plus we’re sending you an email and a text reminder to put into your Outlook calendar.”

I’ve just committed a morning 6 months from now to spend a few hundred more dollars having “our” teeth media blasted. The scheduled visit after that? “We” get our X-ray.

There was no selling, only assumption. There was no, “Do you want to do this again? I sure hope so! Mandy will send a card then call you to set something up.” None of that.

Are you listening, oh ye filled with ‘How to sell and renew Maintenance Agreements’ woes? Go re-read her script.

There was no scheduling meltdown.  No, “The office will get back with you later.” It was scheduled plus Alternate of Choice.  a) It’ll be 6 months. b) Morning or afternoon. c) Which day of week. Oh, and they don’t do Fridays. Smart limitation, creates mild scarcity.

There was no upselling “Do you want me to (check ductwork leakage; adjust your water heater; do a fuse panel test)?” It was, “As part of our routine, the X-ray (upsell) is included.”

Here’s an assumption for you: Your customer has you out. You tell them Preventive Maintenance is the cure for the equivalent of their painful drillings and fillings. You tell them of your automated routine, happens like clockwork, they don’t even have to think to keep their home system maintained and working like new. Just check here, you’ll get a reminder, plus a call as it nears.

Too many contractors give too many customers the “option” to opt-out. To forget. To intend to call you again, and to use you next season, but – by darn – they got busy and didn’t. Now they use someone else. Or Mandy calls to schedule the appointment this week and you know, the darn washing machine went out, so we’re going to have to wait. Until never.

See folks, this “Retention Mission” I’ve been on is not just some esoteric marketing mantra. It is a way to virtually eliminate competition, to reduce the rigors of ‘selling’, to quit having to prove and reprove yourself every time. And I’ll not turn this into a commercial; I’ll accept a nod of agreement. In fact,

Every home with heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical should have an agreement. Just like those of you with teeth might want that twice a year check-up. Don’t we?

Adams Hudson

1.      Do you have a Maintenance Agreement Program? 

YES, works perfectly.      

YES, has some issues    

NO, but I’d consider one    

2.      My Agreement program ‘Auto Renews’?  YES    NO

3.      I offer an Agreement to every customer.   YES    NO  

4.      I’d like to learn more about Maintenance Agreements in an upcoming Coaching Call.     YES      NO

8 Ways to Stand Out This Holiday Season

‘Blending In’ may be fine for cake mix, but it’s terrible for your marketing. Why? Because you’re spending money to be different, unique or to stand out from the crowd. Copycat marketing is perhaps the biggest waste of money in all of contracting.

All the institutional and manufacturer supplied ads start looking the same, and customers can’t distinguish one from another. This adds to cost while reducing the lead count.

Be bold during the Holidays with your unique edge. Get standout recognition while your competition is fighting amongst themselves, and do it for less. Here’s how…

§  Sales Letters (in a Direct Response format) should be sent out prior to December 10. Rebate and deferred payment offers work well during this season.  Do not send any sales offers between December 10 and January 12 or you’re wasting money.

§  Postcards and Self-Mailer Letters sent first-class are faster and less expensive than enveloped mail. Plus, since you’ll receive the ‘undeliverables’ back, this is a perfect once-a-year clean up of your mailing list.

§  Low-Cost Holiday Cards can do all of the above and can be sent from Thanksgiving to New Years. Send to your entire database, but do not use a sales message or the effect is ruined. These are the #1 Customer Retention pieces during the holidays.  

§  New Years Calendars can be a good idea, but limit them to only the top purchasing customers in your database. Customers get many calendars each year, so only the most attractive will make it to the wall, which means only the costliest. Be careful here.

§  Red and green streamer tape in 2” width can visibly distinguish your service vehicles from Thanksgiving forward. For less than $4 per vehicle, you can be a standout in traffic. The tech with the best decorated truck should get a little gift from Santa.

§  Your “on-hold” message should reflect the season and mood. Have separate messages for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  You must speak to customers in the language of the season. This costs you zip.

§  Your phone greeting can also change for nothing. Use ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of the standard. Be consistent in your greeting message or you sound unprofessional.

§  Use bags of red and green ‘Kisses’ to give to all customers during the Holidays. For about 4 cents a customer, you bring a smile and greater reception to your message.

Not many contractors will make these small, nearly free changes. But, the ones who do will ‘stand apart’ from their competition. They’ll be the ones who are remembered and referred over the rest, isn't this what your marketing should do anyway? 

Download These CSR Scripts

I rant about customer service a lot. We all do. We choose our restaurants, hotels, clothing stores and shops based largely on good or bad service. If poor, we quit using that company, tell our friends or even post negatively online for all to see. How costly is that?

Many paying customers QUIT their contractors. Not due to pricing, or technical skill, but due to one thing: Poor Customer Service. The treatment – actual or imagined – was poor, thus the experience was wrecked. And there goes the customer, referrals and reputation right along with it.

So guess what a large number of contractors do? Shocking answer here, plus some Top Contractor CSR Scripts.

They prefer to pay almost no attention to customer service training. They want to squeak by for “as little as possible,” not realizing that this so-called “savings” is among the costliest money drains known to man. You can do all the research you want: even if everything else is right, bad customer services skills can kill a business.

Remember, ALL who speak to customers become THE spokesperson and representative of your company. However, too often, a company just puts “somebody” on the phone, communicating through email, and making social posts. Or, worst of all, they allow technicians to stand face-to-face in customers’ homes, communicating unprofessionally or setting you up for disaster.

It’s not their fault. They were NOT trained in the lucrative art of customer service. So they just “wing it,” communicating indifferently, sending signals of “amateur” or “sketchy” or sometimes just plain rude.

The Fallacy of “Nice People”

It is TOTALLY false to say, “No, we don’t need training because we hire nice people.”

Wrong. Nice people OFTEN over-promise and can misstate facts. Do nice people know how to upsell? How to handle a complaint? Generate a referral? In fact, here are just a few areas where Top Trained Customer Service Reps excel:

• Effective phone answering, hand-offs and outbound
• Appointment Confirmations
• Upsells
• Callbacks
• Angry Customers
• Referral Generation
• Positive Review Generation
• Agreement Renewals
• Tardy appointment scripts, emails

Imagine if EVERY ONE of those were improved? What would that mean to your bottom line? And what would this cost you to implement vs. what it’s costing you to NOT HAVE?

Now imagine if you focused on each area, just 2 per week; in just over a month, you’d have greatly increased your company image, professionalism and sales.

The Power of Scripts and Professionally-Crafted Written Communication

Some shy away from “Scripts,” assuming this is for robots and recordings. Hardly. The best speeches ever made are scripted. Yet an effective delivery means they’re comfortable with the POINTS of the script, without memorizing them verbatim.

Same with written communication. We supply clients with dozens of email and follow-up ‘mail’ templates (all prewritten) which can be easily personalized. The point is:

Better to have a strategic outline for all written and verbal communications than none at all.

Get 5 Scripts Here.

The above should help you a ton. Of course, we have dozens of scripts, emails, follow-ups, referral requests, renewal letters, thank you cards and more Customer Service pieces. (Ask your coach or email to request more info.)

As we head into summer, I just wanted you to have these scripts to help you get and keep more customers, while conveying a better and more professional image.

Hope you put these to good use. Enjoy!