KickStart: “A Moment of Truth is any point when your customer (or a prospect) comes into contact with your company AND subliminally forms an opinion.” Steve Toburen
I recently depressed everyone warning about the hidden “customer minefields” just waiting to explode (without warning😰) on every residential job. Doubt me?
Think how often you’ve left a home feeling great about the fantastic job you did. (And the nice wad of cash in your pocket too!)👍
Then that evening you’re shocked to get a complaining phone call, read your customer’s unhappy text or even worse- get bushwhacked with a nasty “surprise” online review!😲
But wait! There’s hope! You’ll transform your entire home services business (and your life) with this Timeless Concept:
Obsess over managing the Moments of Truth in your business!
Remember that Moments of Truth (MOT’s) are those little interactions and/or impressions that (managed correctly) can counter the deadly minefield of negative homeowner feelings. Or if you ignore MOT’s they’ll doom you (and your employees) to a life of misery!
Homework: If you haven’t done so already click HERE to see what’s emotionally facing your staff with each new service client and WHY homeowners feel this way.
BUT WAIT! In time-honored Steve Toburen fashion I’m getting ahead of myself here!😲 Let’s first do a deep dive into just what the heck a “Moment of Truth” (MOT) is:
1. Subliminal. Customers seldom, if ever, consciously identify a MOT. Instead, these ‘moments in time’ get added (or subtracted) in an individual’s subconscious. However, MOT’s never stand alone because they are…
2. Cumulative. Yep, your client’s MOT’s subconsciously add up or subtract in their mind. I call this your customer’s “Emotional Savings Account”.(ESA) Now the plot thickens because a MOT can be either…
3. Positive or negative. That’s right, a MOT can go either way. NOTE: While it’s more fun to program in PMOT’s you must also avoid negative MOT’s (NMOT) because…
4. Negative beats positive big time.😨 On average, every time you create a NMOT you wipe out 12 PMOT’s that you’ve painfully banked away in your client’s ESA. (That’s a whole lot of acronyms even for me!)
NOTE: Doubt me? Think about your last “homeowner from hell”. The job started bad and then went down from there!😥 Correct? Now, go back and analyze what happened. Very probably, you or your workers accidentally created at least one NMOT! Then the homeowner brought out their “magnifying glass” by suspiciously scrutinizing your company’s every action. And the job was doomed!
5. It’s not just face-to-face with clients. Every potential customer (or someone who might know a prospect for your services) is influenced by MOT’s that your company creates… everywhere!
Remember that MOT’s are created by your marketing, logos, your service truck’s appearance (or how they’re driven), employee’s uniforms and grooming, what your office looks like, your worker’s actions when they’re grabbing lunch at Burger King, etc! (More on this in a future blog post.)
Want more resources? Many of my online LIVE seminars focus on managing the MOT’s in a Home Services business. Click HERE to learn more or to easily register.
Going forward, let’s 1) isolate and 2) analyze the MOT’s in your onsite worker’s face-to-face interaction with a homeowner. Then YOU will need to implement new PMOT’s into your employee’s routines. (OR you can make life easy on yourself by checking out this training option.)
Steve