“Hi There, I personally think you’re a major dolt with the personality of a Dry Erase board.”
See? I’d NEVER say that (okay, not to your face), but haven’t you ‘thought’ that about someone? (Possibly the last time we spoke!)
This is why God gave us filters – HEPA approved – to think before we speak. So, if you take that extreme example above, realize there are subtle layers of comments we make, thinking or not, that can massively impact our persuasion. This means: SALES.
The words you choose can COST you a fortune or MAKE you a fortune.
In marketing, I get the luxury of thinking hard (sometimes I make a frowny face to prove how hard I’m working) BEFORE my words turn into scripts ads or web copy. I put much effort into the order, word choice, sentence length and pauses, but that’s what I pretend to do for a living. However –
When you’re in front of a customer – live, on the phone or hurriedly banging out an email – you have no such luxury. It’s your wits, your ‘of the moment’ comments that WILL make or break you.
RULE 1: What you say to customers, HOW you say it and your body language while saying it has nothing to do with your price, quality of service or stocked trucks. It has everything to do with WHY that’s valuable to your customers.
PROOF of RULE 1: I took 3 pieces of antique outdoor furniture to a highly recommended powder coater. I delivered and picked up in my old truck. Upon picking them up, the work was gorgeous, the owner friendly, the price fair.
As I was loading it, one of his helpers said, “I can’t believe whoever you’re deliverin’ this to wanted to get this junk redone.” I reeled. “You mean my wife?”
As he stammered to recover, his boss grabbed him by the elbow, apologizing to me, marching him away for a “discussion”. See, none of the “work” mattered; it came down to a few horribly chosen words. If the boss hadn’t been there, or been so polite later, those words could have easily ended up on Facebook, Yelp and/or any review site I chose, costing the owner daily for months, maybe longer. Is it worth it?
Today, you can’t risk a callous remark by an untrained tech or CSR. If you value customers or your business, soft-skills training is no longer optional for success-seekers; it is mandatory.
How often do “little” things get said by your staff that are either received negatively or miscommunicated? And if so, do you ever know about it?
Do you eavesdrop on your CSR’s? Recently, we called a contractor whose ill-tempered CSR never said, “Hello” but merely shouted the company name and “Please hold!” You think this would’ve made a good impression on the wealthiest client in town? Or to a reporter? Or to your most loyal customer?
So, click here to download the WORST & BEST words and phrases I compiled just for contractors.
Start using them today. Watch your sales and closes go up tomorrow!
Okay, so that’s it from me. I felt it was important to send you into the Summer season with the best tools to succeed!
Oh, and if that includes generating more leads and higher prices for you than your competition, we have the marketing pieces (with the right words!) to do that.
