Your suggestions for client QA questions?

[Stickboy]

We are, but one size does not fit all. We don't have a flat rate book. We quote flat rates, but calculate them based on site conditions. If a prospective client balks at the price, we may come down a bit in order to sell the job, but never to the point where the job is unprofitable.



:lol::lol::lol:

If clients are balking at your prices its because you're not giving them choices.
Figure out a way to give them a price for the BEST job you could do, the average job you could do and the basic/cheapest job you could do.
Then let them choose. If you present it right, you'll build credibility and likely close the sale.
Negotiating your price with customers makes you look weak and trains them that if they haggle or complain they will get a better deal.
(I could just about write a book on the subject of giving choices, but I've paid way too much for that education to give it away for free here!)

 

[Stickboy]

Ask yourself, how much do you LOVE and look forward to wasting your precious free time filling out surveys and forms?
Well, your customers I guarantee are just as enthusiastic to fill our YOUR survey/form/BS thingy too.

#1. Everybody hates filling out forms, its like homework with no consequence, so no-one does it.
#2. If you really want to know what your customer thinks of your service then TRAIN YOUR TECHNICIANS TO ASK THEM!

Here's what we do:
Have the tech inform the customer at the BEGINNING of the call just how important their satisfaction is and that they will be asking them for their feedback at the END of the call.
THEN, at the end of the call have the tech use the magic words, "Was my service here today good enough to earn your referral or online review?"
IF the customers response is anything less than, "Of course I would, you guys were fantastic!"
THEN the tech asks, "So mr Customer, what would I have to do here right now to earn your 100% satisfaction?"
Then LISTEN UP an do WHATEVER it takes to make them satisfied even if it means loosing some money. (Remember that out of 10 happy customers only 1 will tell another person, but 1 unhappy customer will tell 10 people or more!).

As an added bonus, if the tech a short selfie video with the customer telling everyone how great they think our company is, we give the tech a $50 gift card to Walmart or wherever.
Video Testimonials are like marketing gold.
Also, make sure the tech understands that part of finishing the job is asking the "magic question" and writing down the customers response in his work order.

Just think, if the tech knows he has to look the customer in the eye at the end of the job and ask for their appraisal of his work, how likely is he to do a poor job or be rude?
(the $50 incentive for the video helps out too!)

Sound difficult? Yup.
Sound like your techs won't want to do it? Yup.
Sound like a lot of training, trial and error and work? Yup.
Will it get you all the feedback info, referrals and testimonial videos you could ever want? You bet it will!

No one said it would be easy, but you have to be willing to do what your competition won't if you want to succeed. That's my opinion.

(BTW you're welcome )

 

[sameguy]

If your men are late you have a problem.
If your men must run to the supply house all the time, you have a problem.
If your men are slobs you have a problem.
Like said above I don't fill out or answer questionnaires.
Your men need to do the job they are paid for; you may have to show up on the job to check/ help the men and "press the flesh" with the customer. Not every job or every employee, keep them guessing when you might be there before during after them. Keep in mind breaks, traffic, etc..

 

[gadfly56]

If clients are balking at your prices its because you're not giving them choices.
Figure out a way to give them a price for the BEST job you could do, the average job you could do and the basic/cheapest job you could do.
Then let them choose. If you present it right, you'll build credibility and likely close the sale.
Negotiating your price with customers makes you look weak and trains them that if they haggle or complain they will get a better deal.
(I could just about write a book on the subject of giving choices, but I've paid way too much for that education to give it away for free here!)

My experience is that menus lead to customers insisting they get the Cadillac product for Yugo prices.

 

[Coppersmith]

use the magic words, "Was my service here today good enough to earn your referral or online review?"

Wow. This really is a magic phrase. It gets right to the heart of the matter.

"So mr Customer, what would I have to do here right now to earn your 100% satisfaction?"
Then LISTEN UP an do WHATEVER it takes to make them satisfied even if it means loosing some money.

If there is a legitimate issue of the work not being correct, then I fully agree with you that the tech should not leave until it's correct. But I know some clients cannot be 100% satisfied no matter what we do. Clients sometimes make incorrect assumptions, unreasonable demands, or out-of-scope demands. I've learned to listen, evaluate, and politely say no if appropriate. I use this phrase a lot: "I'm glad to do that for you, but I have to charge extra for it".

I also have to look at time management. If I schedule a tech for two jobs in a day and the morning job runs long because the client is demanding additional work, then my afternoon client is not going to be 100% satisfied when the tech arrives late. It may be that the issue cannot be solved immediately and a second appointment has to be made.

I agree that we should be maximizing client satisfaction, but I cannot give in to unreasonableness that damages the company.

 

[Coppersmith]

If clients are balking at your prices its because you're not giving them choices.
Figure out a way to give them a price for the BEST job you could do, the average job you could do and the basic/cheapest job you could do.
Then let them choose. If you present it right, you'll build credibility and likely close the sale.
Negotiating your price with customers makes you look weak and trains them that if they haggle or complain they will get a better deal.
(I could just about write a book on the subject of giving choices, but I've paid way too much for that education to give it away for free here!)

There are some cases where a choice is available such as installing whole house surge protection: good, better, best; at three different prices. Most electrical work is not that way. There is one way to do it and it cost "this" much. Offering the full price and accepting a discount is a tried and true negotiating technique. I would rather do a job for a bit less than lose it all together. I never "give away the store" and have declined many jobs where they don't want to pay my price. Offering a discount allows them to feel like they "won" the negotiation which leads to higher client satisfaction.

 

[MAC702]

Of course every client is going to be different, and if I put my client hat on for a moment, I'll tell you that I will gladly fill out a brief postage-paid card. I don't answer my phone. And I will not return a voice mail asking for a survey. Even when I did answer my phone, I would hang up as soon as I knew it was ANY kind of survey, including from a contractor I hired.

 

[Stickboy]

There are some cases where a choice is available such as installing whole house surge protection: good, better, best; at three different prices. Most electrical work is not that way. There is one way to do it and it cost "this" much. Offering the full price and accepting a discount is a tried and true negotiating technique. I would rather do a job for a bit less than lose it all together. I never "give away the store" and have declined many jobs where they don't want to pay my price. Offering a discount allows them to feel like they "won" the negotiation which leads to higher client satisfaction.

I agree that the discount method can work for some, provided you've already inflated your initial price to account for the possibility of having to drop 10-15%. This is basically the idea behind having regular prices and club member discounted prices. There was a time not long ago I would have thought that there was only "one way" to do a job too, but I paid the big bucks for sales training and I spent the time learning. Now, when I go to a call, my goal is to give the customer 3-6 price options and to create those prices in 10-20 minutes tops. I won't lie, it is NOT an easy thing to do and some calls I have to make a second trip back because the job is to big to price that quick. But I will say that the challenge is more than worth the rewards. For example: I attended a call the other day to change out a wall oven. Under my old T&M way of doing things I probably would have charged between $400-$500 depending on how long it took. Instead I walked out of there with a cheque for $3700 BEFORE I had done ANY work (BTW these people were complete strangers to me). Did I upsell? Nope. Did I manipulate, lie or conn them? Nope. I just looked at the job and inspected the home for safety or other issues. I told them what I found and gave them options from the most comprehensive all the way down to just the job they called me out for. I didn't pressure them or use any slick sales tactics. I simply put their options in front of them and let them choose. There's a bit more to it than that of course, but using this method (correctly and with training) you'll increase you're average sales ticket by at least 2-3 times. .My average ticket last year was about $2500-3500, doing a mix of both service and a bit of renovation work.

PS apologies to everyone here on this thread, I know I've gone WAY off topic here.

(BTW if you're interested PM me and I can fill you in on the details)

 

[Coppersmith]

I agree that the discount method can work for some, provided you've already inflated your initial price to account for the possibility of having to drop 10-15%.

The higher the price, the less likely a potential client will say yes. Inflating the price to leave room for negotiating is counterproductive. It only makes sense if negotiating for price is routine. It's not. In general, Americans do not negotiate prices. It make them uncomfortable. (I'm an exception. I have taken 40 hours of negotiation training and routinely negotiate prices.)

When I price jobs, I give my best price upfront. That price includes all my costs and 100% of the profit I want to make on the job. When I present the price, there are three possible responses: a firm yes, a firm no, or a surprised look and some muttering about it being higher than expected*. When I get that last one, I may offer to give a discount which lowers my profit to 75-80% of what I really want. As a tradeoff, I may ask that we can do the job on a schedule that is easier for us. If that sells the job, then I'm still doing well. I usually suggest ways to make the job less expensive before I cut my price.


* This is a solid negotiating technique. Trained negotiators will automatically do this. For most Americans, it's not a tactic, it's a real response.

 

[romex jockey]

I can appreciate good customer service ,and the go getters that try and maximize their public image & run a tight ship Copperdude.

I was once that sort.......but probably no help to you now...

You see, now it's the 'back 9' of my career, i'm on my own again , and turning down more work than i actually take on, summarilly cultivating a curmudgeon prima donna persona locally

From my stance , the process you've listed is applicable to the prospective customer

A) can U afford me?

B) do you know what you want?

C) do you wish to help?

D) is your driveway plowed /sanded?

C) are you polite , cordial , exercise social graces ?

E) do dogs like you?

I'm having a ball , hoping you make it there in time too....

 

[Stickboy]

The higher the price, the less likely a potential client will say yes....

.

There was a time I would have prescribed to that conventional wisdom too.
Certainly, If you're only selling yourself based on your price, then I agree absolutely with the above.
However, you'd be surprised to know (just as I was) that you are loosing some jobs not because your price is too high, but because its not high enough.
Allow me to explain:
If your selling based on trying to make your price as low as possible for the customer (without giving away all your profit of course), then you always end up only offering your customer the cheapest, most bare minimum solution possible.
Ask yourself, Do you ALWAYS buy the cheapest thing possible?
Well neither do your customers, and I guarantee your loosing some (not all) of them because of it.
Most of use want something better than just the basics, but the majority contractors never give consumers the choice.
In fact, its been statistical proven that when consumers are given at least 3 choices, over 60% will choose the middle of the road.
And in my own experience I have a few very good (and very wealthy) customers who would NEVER buy anything but the BEST.
They would consider beneath them to buy something "cheap", and good for them: they know they're worth it.
Its because I offer them MORE (and charge accordingly) that they keep calling me back, not the other way around.
Just some food for thought...

(OK sorry AGAIN everyone, totally off topic here again! Last post like this one...i promise!)