“I have never received a thank you note from a subcontractor, vendor or supplier” said George Hedley at the beginning of his seminar on selling more than price last Friday morning. “All I ever get are invoices and change orders from my subcontractors,” he continued. “But now that the economy is slow, a lot of contractors, vendors, and suppliers are calling and looking for work. And do you know what I ask them?” he questioned with a smile. “I ask them: where were you when I needed you and you wouldn’t return my call?”
Ongoing “Drip-Drip-Drip” marketing and sales must be done all the time, every day. Not just when the amount of work on your books is lean. Maintaining good relations with customers is an continuous process, from thanking them with a personal gift or a handwritten card when they give you work, to building a trusted relationship with those who may be able to give you more work in the future.
“Being a successful business owner,” said George many times during the 3 hour session, “is not about doing the work, it’s about getting the work.” To get more work, a company owner — no matter what the business — needs to build personal relationships with at least 24 loyal and potential customers. People prefer to do business with friends, and second, if a friend is not available, then they want someone they can rely upon. According to George, the things customers want and look for are, in order of importance: reliability (30%), responsiveness (25%), assurance (20%), empathy (15%) and last, quality and price (7%). What this tells us is that price is not everything. George’s research show that 80 percent of customers actually want convenience more than the lowest price.
“
Don’t sell price,” George repeated over and over during his talk. “If you want to be successful and if you want to be rich, don’t sell low price!” (Unless you are as efficient as Walmart.) Instead, find a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. He provided, as an example of the Pink Plumber. When the garbage disposal at his home was broken, he called the Pink Plumber, whose motto is: ‘We Pamper You!’ His immaculate truck was pink. His clean uniform was pink. His pristine tool box was pink. He rolled out a spotless pink carpet from the door to the sink. He put pink booties on before entering my home. When he finished, he vacuumed his way back out to the front door. He thanked us for calling him and giving him the job. He asked if there was anything else he could do for us. It was a perfect experience, said George. The next time we have a plumbing problem we will absolutely call the Pink Plumber.
- George is not saying that you need to pick a color and make everything that color. He is saying that the Pink Plumber company had done everything right. First, they had a motto that reflected what the company could do for the customer, namely: We Pamper You!
- Next, their employees were dressed in clean uniforms. Their trucks and tools were spotless and showed their professionalism. The technician cleaned up after himself, and took extra steps to not make a mess in the home. At the end of the job, the customer was thanked, and was asked if there was any other work that the company could do for them — an important question that many of us fail to ask.
Figure out what it is that sets you apart from your competition, and then tell everyone, over and over and over again. Repetition is the key here. The Sell More Than Low Price seminar gave the attendees who packed the conference room practical marketing and sales strategies to find and keep loyal customers who will call and give you work, instead of just blindly bidding jobs and hoping a low price will win the day. If you did not attend the seminar, watch out, because your competition just got a lot more savvy about getting profitable work.
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