Clearview National December 2015 - Issue 169 | Page 82

BUSINESSNEWS

The difference between
Losing and Winning
»»A lot of
opportunities are effectively
won or lost by installers before a
quote is even written. Benjamin
Dyer, CEO of tradespeople’s
app company Powered Now
provides some background to
what can be a mystery for some
tradespeople.
Every time there is contact
with your prospect you will
unwittingly move the sale either
forward or back. These tips are
designed to lift the veil on this
process; I hope that you find
them thought-provoking.
Be personal – People buy
from people and when you can
establish rapport with a customer,
you are much more likely to
win the business. In this respect,
face-to-face meetings are the most
powerful, telephone calls the next
and emails least effective.
James Chandler of Chandler
Building visits every job himself,
and says: “It’s important that you
see the client in the flesh.”
Keep every promise – It’s an
unfortunate fact, but everything
that you say will be taken as a
promise. Whenever you say one

thing and do something different
– for instance, “I will get the quote
to you by Tuesday”, you undermine
trust and damage the sale. There is
logic here as people think, “If they
don’t keep their promises before I
give them the job, what will they be
like after they have started?”
The first phone call starts the
process of building trust and a
professional manner is needed
at every stage. Returning calls
quickly is part of this, as is
turning up on time.
Powered Now’s recent survey of
over 1,000 homeowners revealed
that 83% were frustrated with
trade companies that didn’t turn
up when they said they would.
Mirror what you look for in a
supplier – Just think about how
you want your suppliers to act
towards you. You want them to
be pleasant, helpful, turn round
requests quickly and be reliable. If
that’s what you demonstrate to your
clients, you are more than half way
towards a very succes ٝ[