STEP 1 – Getting the customer’s name
“Hi my name is Y, What’s your name?”
“Thanks for that X“
This helps you build rapport. You now have introduced yourself to the customer by giving your name (Y) and have gained their name (X) This will help you close the deal later on!
STEP 2 – How did they hear of you?
“How did you hear of us X?”
This will help you determine what price to charge. Has the lead been generated by a recent special offer you are running or have they been recommended by a customer you have already done work for. This also gives you a prime opportunity to identify and log which sources of your advertising are working. For example, if they came in off your google ad campaign, you can make a note of this and at the end of the month you will be able to see every customer you quoted off that campaign, every customer you booked and how much money was spent so you can work out your return on investment, and whether the campaign is working effectively.
STEP 3 – Where are they based?
“X, Where is the address?”
This will firstly establish whether or not the job is within your serviceable area, and potentially save you some time on the phone if they are outside of the area you cover. It will also give you an indication of the type of customer you are dealing with whether or not they live in an affluent area or not.
STEP 4 – Access
“Would we be able to park outside the property X?”
Whether you use Truckmounted or portable equipment, Parking and access is one of the most important things to ask the customer as it may determine a higher or lower price that you will be charging. Does the customer have a nice off the road driveway or are they living in a high rise apartment that has no parking for nearly a mile away? Having to make 4 or 5 trips back to the van or car to complete the work will increase the job time substantially especially if you have to park a 10 minute walk away! Make sure you ask this question to save you the time on the job later. Likewise if you want to charge more for poor access or the high rise building does not have a lift it may not be serviceable at all.
STEP 5 – Problem / solution
“How can I help you today X?”
Remember no one wakes up in the morning and decides today is the day they will be getting their carpets or upholstery clean. Its your job as the professional to identify the underlying issue and use this to leverage a solution that works for both you and your customer. If you do this step correctly then Price will become the secondary factor to the work.
STEP 6 – Get the information
“Whats the reason for the clean?”
This will usually give you the information that will make or break whether or not you will close the deal. If they say ”I have freinds coming round this weekend and I wanted the carpet cleaning” Then the deal breaker is availability. They may say that they have just spilled a tub of gloss paint all over their carpets too which is vital information you need to quote and set expectations before your arrival. Has the customer spilled a drink? Ask as many questions as necessary to determine the customers problem so you can supply the solution.
We cover this in detail on our sales and marketing course.
STEP 7 – Pre handle objections
“So Typically X a job like this will take Z amount of time and will take between 2 and 24 hours to fully dry, We have availability from as early as this date”
Now is the time to present any possible issues, EG Stains could have permanently discoloured the carpet.
Example
“Stains on wool in many cases can permanently dye the carpet and cause an irreversible mark. We will do our best on the day to remove or reduce but I just want to let you know that this isn’t always possible.”
STEP 8 – Closing the deal
“We can do the job on Z date and time would that be convenient with you?”
“Great, Total cost will be Z amount and we accept Cash / Card booking fee / balance on completion.”
“Would you like me to confirm that?”
Tweak this to fit with your businesses policies.
You have now presented the customer with a solution to their problem, identified any potential problems or issues and have quoted a price that is fair for the work and that you are happy with.
For most customers this will be enough to proceed to finalising completing the booking.
STEP 9 – Handling objections
If you have followed the above steps – You shouldn’t have many if any objections. With availability you may be able to use this to your advantage to get them booked. For price unless you have added money on to knock off stick to your prices as this is how much you need to complete the work and make a profit. Always listen to the customers objection before handling accordingly.
Price objection
“By how much is the quote too much?”
“X I would’t be able to lower my price without lowering the standard and quality of my work. Remember the issues / Problems we talked about – My solution is going to rectify these and although we aren’t the cheapest company we always offer our customers as much value as possible.”
Availability objection
Where the customer needs it doing before a certain date that you can accomodate.
“X, If I can complete the work by this date could I confirm your booking now?”
Talk to the partner
“X, I hear this response a lot. Usually, It means there is something your not happy with maybe our price, availability or the level of service we offer. Is this the case?”
This gives you one last chance at open conversation before the customer puts the phone down. They could have an issue with price, Availability or that you can’t provide a solution to their problem.
Last offer
This is your last stand to close a deal before the customer calls you back another day – Or calls a competitor. These are conditional closes meaning the customer has to book NOW not later to receive these added benefits. Make it clear that if they let you know or call back at a later date these options will no longer be free.
“X, If I can confirm this right now I will treat your home for FREE with one of our premium deodorisers. These cost me a lot more money and last significantly longer than the standard ones used in our industry, Sometimes weeks longer rather than hours. I wouldn’t normally do this but if I can confirm Your booking NOW I would be happy to do this at my cost. Sound Fair?”
“If I could do the job for Z price can I get your booking confirmed now?”