Do you get frustrated upon hearing how the homeowner went with a cheaper bid?
I did too, and I’m going to share with you how to change that.
Hi, I’m Steve Burnett with DYB Coach
I’m sure you have also heard many times how, “everybody loves to paint,” or maybe you’ve heard, “oh, anybody can paint”.
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Yes, and anybody can race their car too, but that doesn’t mean they could just simply go and win the Daytona 500.
Why is that? Because of all of the preparation and training it takes.
But what they don’t realize is, all of the training needed to learn proper preparation, let alone all of the prep work that goes into painting a surface properly and profitably.
For example, you have to clear the room(s), protect the furniture, and the floors, remove the electrical plates, and all that before you even begin to start preparing your surfaces.
Next, you need to spackle all the holes in the walls and the ceilings.
You may need to make a few drywall repairs with some hot mud and wait for it to dry in order to sand it or match it with some orange peel, knockdown, or some other texture to match the existing texture of the walls or ceilings.
Then you sand the trim and doors if they are to be painted.
Caulk all the cracks and openings. And now you might be ready to actually paint.
Can you imagine showing up to a job, skipping all the prep needed, just applying the topcoat, and then going home and hoping that it turned out great?!
No way!
Well, it’s the same way with sales.
If you’re just showing up to the estimate, meeting the homeowners, measuring, and then emailing your proposal – only to never hear back from most of them.
Or If you do hear from them, you hear how they went with a cheaper bid?
That’s because you haven’t properly prepared to close the sale.
Here are 5 things that successful painting contractors do to prepare to close the sale to properly prepare for the estimate and you can too so that you can greatly increase your close ratio.
No. 1: Be the guy that everybody knows, likes, and trusts, in your business community.
You do this through networking and community involvement through multiple networking groups like BNI, Chamber, and Rotary just to name a few.
This is actually Step 5 in the DYB System and I’ll explain each of these groups, unpacking each of their strengths and opportunities for you in another video.
But for now, just remember, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you!
No. 2: Social Proof.
So you have #1 down. You are a power networker.
Everybody knows, likes, and trusts you, but what are they saying about you and do you have it documented?
Capture these through Google reviews and video testimonials.
Tons of them! You want overwhelming proof that your company provides the absolute best experience.
I go over video testimonials in video #31: “Ultimate Social Proof”
No. 3: Your Website
This is really your digital storefront and should be loaded with social proof and transparency.
So much, that when they book you, many times they won’t even call on another company, as was the case for us.
I’ll go over the DYB Website Conversion Funnel, aka: making your website a lead generating machine, in another video.
In fact, we unpack it step by step in our member’s area, but for now, make sure to share your story and a range of your prices.
This transparency will set you heads and tales above the others, properly preparing you to close that sale.
No. 4: Only spend time with those looking for value, and not the cheapest price.
You do this by pre-qualifying them before you book the estimate because you compete on value not price.
The most insightful pre-qualifying question you can ask is the “source” question. “How did you hear about us?”
We prefer to ask it this way: “Who can we thank for referring you?”
If they say Rotary or a previous customer, that’s likely a great lead!
If they answer Google, then you must pre qualify further.
I’ll post a link to the rest of the Pre-qualifying questions below that you can download for free.
No. 5: Present your proposal on the spot.
Think about this from the consumers perspective…
If you go to Amazon to buy something and Amazon says “Hey, thanks for stopping by; we’ll email you a price in the next few days.”
We would go elsewhere.
If you went to the car lot to buy a new truck and the car salesmen says, “Ok, thank you for stopping by; I’ll email you a price within the next few days,”
How many vehicles do you think he would sell? Not many!
Think about how many more jobs you could close if you presented your estimate on the spot!
There are 2 estimating programs we recommend that will help you do just that. They are “Estimate Rocket” and “PEP” and if you are a DYB Member you get 10% off of those programs.
So let’s recap 5 things to properly prepare to close more sales:
- Be the guy that everybody knows, likes, and trust, in your business community through networking.
- Social Proof – Google reviews, and Video Testimonials
- Load your website with Transparency and Social Proof
- Pre-qualify every lead: separating the price shoppers from those looking for a great value.
- Present your proposals on the spot!
There you have it.
5 things that successful painting contractors do, and so can you, to properly prepare for your estimate to close more sales.
All you need to do is CRUSH your first impression and I’ll show you how to do just that in my next video.
I’m Steve with DYB Coach.
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