It’s peak season and you have more leads are coming in than you can provide estimates for properly.
Properly, meaning spending quality time with them to really establish rapport.
Instead, it’s meet ( maybe ), measure, take a couple of photos, scratch some notes, and speed off to the next one.
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7 Prequalifying Sales Questions, E-mailed to you NOW!
You’re trapped in the Estimating Rat Race.
The next one, 4th one for the day, happens to be a really nice job. They are are super nice people, who were referred to you by one of your A clients. It fits your target market to a T.
But you are exhausted from running around all day and have 1 more to get to, so you don’t give it your best attention.
And that’s expected from running around all day. You’re exhausted, I get it. I also used to run this rat race.
What ends up happening, unfortunately, is you lose that really nice job, but score 2 of the smaller ones you looked at for the “C” clients.
Those “C” client jobs don’t pay that great and we have to get out there and grind out 6-7 more estimates tomorrow and so the cycle continues.
The first key to increasing your close ratio today is…
Stop going on every estimate. Instead, ask some really good prequalifying questions when they call. You can download my 7 prequalifying questions for free here.
When you prequalify, which every successful salesperson does, you greatly increase the chance that you will get the job. Not only that, but also you will have a healthy profit margins by prequalifying and not taking the C and D clients.
This happens because you are making sure you are going on high quality leads, but also because you are now going on fewer estimates. maybe 4-5 a day tops, and are now rested and have time to spend 45 minutes maybe even an hour with them.
This allows you to accept the glass of water they offered to you and to be fully present with them. Oh, and make sure you leave your phone off at every estimate.
Taking calls, even returning text shows disregard for your prospect. Leave it off.
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The second key to increasing your close ratio today is…
To provide your proposal on the spot. Now this takes practice and it’s not always possible, especially on larger projects.
By providing your proposal on the spot, not only are they very impressed that you are so organized to to do, but the other part is, you get to personally see their reaction right away.
If they have an objection, you can inquire about it. If it is simply a miscommunication about the scope, as it is many times, you get to correct it right then and there. That’s big, because that very rarely happens when you email your proposal in afterwords.
But don’t slide your proposal over to them until you ask this,
The third key to increasing your close ratio,
And that is The Great Experience Question. Do you really want to set yourself apart and knock their socks off?
Of course 😀
When you are all sitting at their dining room table and you have all of the scope of work written or typed in, look at them and say:
“I have one more question, Mr. Jones, and this is very important to us. What does a great experience look like to you?
Then, be quiet. It might be uncomfortable, but sit in silence while they ponder that for a moment.
They might reply with, “Well, I don’t know.” Or, “Wow, nobody has ever asked us that before.”
Then just reply. “Everybody is different and it’s very important to us that you have a great experience with our service.”
And ask The Great Experience Question again. “What does a great painting experience look like to you?”
Not only have you impressed them, but what they tell you next is pure gold. In fact, this sets your up perfectly to earn another Raving Fan and able to collect another Video Testimonial.
Just make sure you write their answer down and include it in your scope of work, as well as pass it along into the work order.
To recap:
- Prequalify every lead that comes in, and only go on high value estimates.
- Provide your proposals on the spot. ( Start with the easy ones. )
- Ask The Great Experience Question.
And you, too, will greatly increase your close ratio!
Download Your FREE Checklist...
7 Prequalifying Sales Questions,
E-mailed To You NOW!