BINDER #001 - Be Skeptical of New Leads.
I get super excited when the phone rings or a sales request gets emailed.
In my experience, that rush of excitement can cause me to make terrible sales decisions.
All the sales training I have ever been given goes out the door. I will immediately say things like:
"Of course I'll get you a quote right away!"
"I'd be happy to meet you there today or tomorrow!"
"I could probably fit it in the schedule right away!"
Sure, they all sound like "nice" things to say to a client. Why wouldn't we want to do things as fast as possible for them?
However, being a skeptic of a new inbound lead can lead you to identifying a customer's pain point - and getting sales booked quickly.
Why should you be skeptical of new leads?
Believe it or not, decision makers of parking lots and driveways don't enjoy phoning 3 different contractors for 3 quotes for the same project. They (probably) have better things to do.
So, when a decision maker has hired a contractor in the past who does the stuff we do - sealing, striping, patching, or paving - we need to ask ourselves something right off the bat:
"Why aren't they phoning the same contractor who did the sealing/striping/patching/paving last time? Wouldn't it make sense that if they had a contractor do this work last time, and they were 100% satisfied, that they would go back to that contractor?"
As a contractor, wouldn't we want that opportunity to do the same scope of work we did last time, especially if we knew that we did a great job?
Let's say for example a mall manager phones you. They want their parking lot re-striped next month. They tell you they get it done every 2 years, and this is the 2nd year.
The first words out of our mouth should be:
"Sounds like you have a dialed-in program for your striping. Out of curiosity, why are you not hiring the company who did the work for you in 2022? Did something go wrong?"
Then shut your mouth and start listening.
The next words they tell you will identify a pain point which you can use to sell a project quickly - maybe even on that phone call.
Why decision makers phone NEW contractors
If a customer is calling you for the same work they have had done in the past... something probably went wrong.
By being a "skeptic" of the reason for their potential switch - and asking why they are not returning to their previous contractor - we gain 3 advantages:
#1 - We will be given pain points that we can offer to solve.
#2 - Offering to solve the pain points on an initial phone call signals to the customer that we heard them, building their trust in us right off the bat, and increasing the likelihood of a sale. (Customers love being heard.) For example:
"Thanks for letting me know that the previous contractor couldn't do the work for 2 months, and also had some warranty work you had to fight to have done. Let me explain how our business solves those 2 problems for ALL of our customers."
#3 - If it is a "bad" customer, they won't have a great answer when we ask them why they are considering a switch. It is entirely possible they are just hunting for the lowest price (work we want to avoid). Or, they may be a slow paying customer, and your competitor refused to work with them again.
Be skeptical of those new leads, and watch as you close more deals!