No is Not an Option!

BY: Joe Crisara

One of the most important jobs we have is turning a customer’s “No” into a “Yes”. And it’s not as complicated as you might think. A great tool to help bridge the gap between a doubtful or resistant homeowner and a happy, satisfied customer is the option sheet. It serves as a set of firm guidelines, ensuring that premium, pure motive service is offered every time. This helps to remind techs communicating with potential customers to be thorough and diligent about every part of the service interaction. But an option sheet is only as strong as the words written on it. That’s why it’s important for dispatchers / SWAT team members to run their own quality assurance on it every time.

The first question a SWAT team member (this stands for Strength Weakness Analysis Threat) needs to ask about the service tech’s option sheet is…

Are There Options?

The service tech should always offer 2 premium, 2 mid-range, and 2 economy options. By giving a variety of service options at 3 major price levels, we are accommodating different kinds of customers and making them feel like their particular situation with regard to needs and costs is understood by us.

The option sheet’s different price points need to reflect an even spread. Imagine if you went to Best Buy to purchase a television and the 6 TV’s you saw their cost $3,500, $1,200, $1,197, $1,150, $1,125, $1,100. You’d be thinking- where’s the one for $2,400? Where’s the one for $600? If there are excessive gaps in price between options, customers will start to think that some other service provider out there will offer something in that gap.

Does the option sheet show an absolute least expensive bottom option? This would be like finding the customer’s broken wire, even if you weren’t fixing it. It could be just a diagnosis.

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Wait, There’s An App for That?

BY: Joe Crisara

Apps that translate the field to the customer save time and make the tech’s job a whole lot easier.

Sarah Cimarusti

Welcome to 2017, where smart technology is wearable and apps are everywhere. While it’s true that contractors have been getting along just fine for years without being completely connected to their phones, there is a lot of software out there that aims to lessen some of the burdens and annoyances that technicians face on and off the field by streamlining some of the processes and making customers more accessible. This month we wanted to showcase some apps that incorporate functions like scheduling, building customer relationships, troubleshooting, GPS mapping — basically anything that eliminates paperwork, saves time and makes a job run smoother.

Jobi App

jobi is a field service software that provides contractors with a platform to manage and grow their business, right from their phone. From scheduling to dispatch, price packaging to invoices, GPS mapping to sales metrics and much more — jobi has compiled the tools contractors need to get the job done right. Jobi also comes with a homeowner app to stay connected with customers on the go. Users can generate more sales on the same number of calls and create a steady revenue stream.

The jobi app features the functions service contractors need to get the job done, including:

• Schedule service calls and dispatch opportunities.
• Track technicians in the field and find the fastest route via GPS mapping.
• View current sales and set sales goals on real-time dashboard.
• Create premium, mid-range and economy choices in one click.
• Scan credit cards and capture signatures all in the app.
• Record audio during service calls for training purposes and to improve customer satisfaction.
• Import and export to QuickBooks to keep all transactions in sync.
• Create on-the-fly digital invoices for individual products and services.
• Get branded homeowners app to stay connected with customers.
• Customers can track service plans, warranties and service history right from their phones.
• Make remote presentations and share with all decision-makers.
• Easily track purchasing trends on the real-time results dashboard.

Contractors using the app and Service Level Option Maker report an average 378 percent increase in revenue from the same amount of calls. Using jobi’s built-in price level option creator (Platinum, Gold, Silver as well as various warranty plans and more) gives customers a choice of repairs or solutions. One user account is free and plans are affordable for service contracting businesses of all sizes.

Visit jobi.pro for more information.

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Why Your Team Is Under-Performing

BY: Joe Crisara

We all know that employee. The one that shows up late every day. The one that takes hour-long lunches. The one who always has an excuse for why something didn’t get done or why they lost a sale. But sometimes, it’s hard to diagnose and even harder to fix. After all, no one is perfect and everyone has bad days. So how can you truly know who is slacking, and what can you do about it? As the business owner of a contracting company, this could take form in the following visible symptoms…

  • Trucks trashed with garbage every night.
  • Service tickets filled out poorly or not at all.
  • No money collected on repair calls.
  • Traffic tickets or accidents.
  • Broken inventory and parts.
  • Poor quality work below the standards the tech normally has set.
  • High absentee rate or showing up late consistently.
  • No communication with other team members.

Why It’s Happening

Everybody has eventually faced a personal crisis in their lives. For some, these emotional turning points can manifest itself in bad behavior at work. Sometimes stress, as a result of catastrophic changes in the personal or professional lives of your people, can show up in different ways. For most of us, that reflects the level of quality that goes into our work.

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‘Verbal Packaging’— Key to Creating Higher Value

BY: Joe Crisara

In the world of service, the words you use to describe what you do are just as important to your profitability as the actual work you do.

Providing real value and solutions, and operating from a place of what I call “pure motive” service are key to my philosophy of running a smooth business. To do this you must transform your business from transactional-based to relationship-based. One of the best strategies to make this change is by using what I call verbal packaging.

Words Matter
Verbal packaging is about changing your use of words. Are words important? If not, why is there a multi-billion dollar advertising industry? Why are some politicians so much more successful than others? Why do some business executives close difficult deals on a regular basis while others almost never make the sale? A lot of it has to do with using language to portray value proposition and connect with customers on a deeper level.

As service professionals, you’re going into people’s personal space, so the words you use makes the difference between them writing the check or not.

Just about everybody who calls a service technician to their house wants to have the work done. People aren’t calling their plumber or HVAC guy as a practical joke. As service professionals, you’re going into people’s personal space, so the words you use makes the difference between them writing the check or not.

Strong Words VS. Weak Words

Without consciously thinking about it, we make word choices that carry an attitude and an energy all the time. As service providers, we can say that there are strong words and weak words. Let’s look at a few examples and compare their effectiveness.

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7 New Solutions to Help Your Clients Automate Their Home

BY: Joe Crisara

As a service professional, the concept of “pure motive service” means constantly offering the customer the most choices possible and knowing that you are truly offering things which are beneficial and will improve their quality of life. Besides the standard machinery and components involved with plumbing, electrical and HVAC, there now exist cutting edge electronic products which enable systems and appliances in a home to be controlled through advanced pre-programming as well as in real time through wife-connected devices. A house with many of these technological products is often called a “smart home.”

When you make the human connection, when you invest yourself in your customers and really listen, something changes. You key into the details of their wants, needs, issues and overall lifestyle. You get a sense on where they stand when it comes to convenience vs luxury vs frugality vs safety. As a top service professional offering pure motive service, you can recommend specific smart home products to different customers because you know positively that they actually would be interested in such a solution and they would benefit from it.

TURNING UP (OR DOWN) THE HEAT

Let’s say that your customer is out all day at work, as is their spouse, and their children are at school for at least some of the day, too. They want to save money on heating and cooling but also maintain a certain temperature all the time so their home climate conditions don’t get too extreme for when family members arrive back home. You might suggest a smart thermostat, which allows home owners to view, modify and change their home’s heating and cooling settings from their cellphone, from across town or even while hundreds of miles away. Many of these can also sync to voice-interactive smart systems like Google Home, Amazon Echo and Apple Homekit.

If your customers would benefit from having a lot of control over their thermostat, then a smart thermostat would offer them true value and life improvement. This helps them save money on fuel while still maintaining a desirable climate at all times (perhaps to avoid frozen pipes or distressed pets).

Continue reading “7 New Solutions to Help Your Clients Automate Their Home” →

ContractorSelling.com Launches New Customer Service Bootcamp for Residential Service Professionals

BY: Joe Crisara

The new 3-day boot camp teaches residential service contractors how to perform the highest level of customer service to grow their business

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, MAY 30, 2017 — Joe Crisara, America’s Service Sales Coach, has created a brand new seminar to teach service professionals how to establish higher value by delivering world-class customer service.

This course titled, “WOW Customer Service 3-Day Boot Camp” is the ultimate training seminar that coaches service professionals on how to change their thinking to grow their business. Attendees are transformed into company leaders that know how to increase value through great service. The seminar will take place on the following dates in Los Angeles and streaming online.

•                  Monday, July 17th – Wednesday, July 19th, 2017

•                  Monday, August 7th – Wednesday, August 9th, 2017

•                  Monday, September 11th – Wednesday, September 13th, 2017

With real world examples, objection handling and personalized recommendations – this course is incomparable to any other training program out there. Attendees will take away the keys to create a culture of empowered employees that fuel client engagement and business development.

“Not only have my sales abilities rocked, my staff has shown consistent improvement in their numbers,” said David Mendenhall, Owner of Tri-M Plumbing. “More importantly, their customer service has improved exponentially!”

ContractorSelling.com teaches service professionals how increase their level of quality, reliability and customer service through enhanced communication strategies. Attendees include service business owners, managers and technicians in the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, restoration, roofing, painting industries among many others.

Continue reading “ContractorSelling.com Launches New Customer Service Bootcamp for Residential Service Professionals” →

Consultant to Hold ‘Boot Camps’

BY: Joe Crisara

ContractorSelling.com is holding three-day customer service “boot camps” aimed at HVAC and plumbing contractors in Los Angeles this summer.

Led by Joe Crisara, the sessions will explore how to change thinking to grow business. Topics will include loyalty programs, telephone campaigns and social media reviews. The sessions will take place July 17-19, Aug. 7-9 and Sept. 11-13. The sessions will be streamed live on the internet.

Contractors who that already taken the course have good things to say about it, according to program officials.

“This is the best career investment that I have ever done,” said Rocky Cocciolo of Shamrock Heating and Cooling. “This system has truly maximized every aspect of world class service, which has had the maximum impact on my clients and personal effectiveness.”

David Mendenhall, Owner of Tri-M Plumbing, had similar comments.

“Not only have my sales abilities rocked, my staff has shown consistent improvement in their numbers,” Mendenhall said. “More importantly, their customer service has improved exponentially!”

Details are available by calling (877) 764-6304 or visiting www.totalimmersionsales.com/.

Read the full article in SNIPS Magazine: http://www.snipsmag.com/articles/92754-consultant-to-hold-boot-camps.