Selling the "trip charge"

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Rawls007

Member
Just wondering how some of you guys approach the issue of the trip charge, the dispatch fee, or whatever you want to call it with your potential customer.

What lines do you use to describe it and how do you convince the customer to pay it when many others advertise free estimates?
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Rawls007 said:
Just wondering how some of you guys approach the issue of the trip charge, the dispatch fee, or whatever you want to call it with your potential customer.

What lines do you use to describe it and how do you convince the customer to pay it when many others advertise free estimates?
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There's free estimates and there's free opinions. If it's a good job, I'll go and do a free estimate.

For troubleshooting: "$150 for the 1st hour, $100 for each additional hour." That's my estimate.

For opinions about troubleshooting, I'll ask a few questions, and then give a guess. That's it.
 
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emahler

Senior Member
You'll never sell the trip charge. If you try to you will fail miserably. From the moment the phone first rings, until you say thank you and hang up, you sell everything but the trip charge.

Sell your company' your service, etc. The trip charge should be an afterthought and a by the way. You should have the customer sold no matter what your trip charge is.

If you don't have script for answering the phone, get one.
 
peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
Not quite related, but two local Plumbing/Mechanical/Heating/Drain Cleaning companies have VERY catchy commercials on the radio, complete with professionally recorded custom songs. They're the kind of songs that stick in your head after you hear them.....meaning that advertising actually works.
 
frizbeedog

frizbeedog

Senior Member
Location
Oregon
peter d said:
Not quite related, but two local Plumbing/Mechanical/Heating/Drain Cleaning companies have VERY catchy commercials on the radio, complete with professionally recorded custom songs. They're the kind of songs that stick in your head after you hear them.....meaning that advertising actually works.
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Report as bad post. :grin:
 
electricalperson

electricalperson

Senior Member
Location
massachusetts
peter d said:
Not quite related, but two local Plumbing/Mechanical/Heating/Drain Cleaning companies have VERY catchy commercials on the radio, complete with professionally recorded custom songs. They're the kind of songs that stick in your head after you hear them.....meaning that advertising actually works.
Click to expand...
plus there phone number is the name of a tommy tutone song
 
360Youth

360Youth

Senior Member
Location
Newport, NC
When my boss charges for a job the the first hour includes a service call fee on top of the hourly charge. I have never charged like that, so I am getting used to it when I do my invoicing.
 
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