KickStart: “You never get a second chance to make a first IMPRESSion.” Will Rogers
Good old Will was correct! One of the best ways to immediately IMPRESS a homeowner is to…
customer relationship
It’s Not ONLY About the Homeowner Client!
KickStart: The homeowner is always watching… everything and everywhere! Behave accordingly!
I’ve taught (pontificated?) extensively on the absolutely essential homeowner/service tech relationship. Basically, everything, including your family’s future financial welfare, comes down to how the client feels about your people involved in their service transaction!
However, emotions (and feelings) can be… complicated.🫢 (“Ya think, Steve?”) I’m reminded of a TV host, Art Linkletter, back in the day. Art was famous for his “Kids Say the Darndest Things!” observation. I would morph this into, “Clients Think (and Feel) the Darndest Things!” This means…
Ban These Items on Residential Jobs!
KickStart: Don’t allow 1) sunglasses, 2) ringing cell phones and/or 3) bad attitudes inside your client’s homes! Read on…
Back in the day, I loved pulling up to a new residential customer. New people, a new job-site, and new challenges. (Say what you will, our home services industry is seldom boring!)👍
Sure, I always had a few butterflies too.🫢 Did the office give me an accurate work order? The right tools and materials? Will I be able to get to my next job on time? And most urgently- will this homeowner be a total idiot?😲
Homeowner Cheerleaders: The Immediate Benefits
KickStart: The true ROI on making a Residential Customer Cheerleader is much more than the direct financial profits they produce. (Which is a LOT!)
“Ummm, what’s a ‘Cheerleader’, Steve?”🤔 A Cheerleader is a homeowner that is so delighted and yes, surprised with the level of service they’ve received they will “sing your praises from the rooftops”! (And more importantly, post multiple 5-star reviews online!)⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So, it’s a no-brainer! An ecstatic Cheerleader Customer is an incredibly valuable asset! Which is why I’m always amazed that so few residential service contractors focus on systems to create Cheerleaders!😥
Why (and How to) Focus on Your Last Scene with the Homeowner
KickStart: Before leaving, give clients a “tour” of the job and thank them for their business.💖
I know, you (and your front-line workers) are under a lot of pressure.😲
The phone (hopefully) keeps ringing and every crew needs to “shoehorn in” an extra job or two… every day! So, it’s tempting to bang out this project and ZOOM off to the next Job! Don’t fall into this trap!👎
The Essential PTL (Permission To Leave) for Home Service Pros
KickStart: Help your residential clients feel “in control” by reviewing each phase of the job with them personally.
Successful Home Services entrepreneurs know they must consistently make Customer Cheerleaders. (And in the process earn 5-star reviews!)
How to create these delighted Homeowners?🤔 Give your residential clients the “Illusion of Control”. In fact…
Service Clients Love It When You Get Their “Permission To Proceed”!
KickStart: Get more 5-star reviews by asking for the homeowner’s “Permission to Proceed” throughout the project.
Are you happy in our Home Services industry? You reply, “Absolutely, Steve! What’s not to love? I’m blessed with interesting jobs, the money is great and I work with some great customers and employees!” (Of course, these same clients and employees can be a trial sometimes!)
But now look through your first-time customer’s eyeglasses to feel in a very real sense… their pain!😥
Why (and How to) Focus On 3 Essential Business Areas
KickStart: man·age ˈma-nij To direct with a degree of skill.
Finding a balance in business (and life) is an ongoing, moving target for most of us. Our shared Home Service Pro entrepreneurial challenge? Managing our OCD tendencies to not get distracted off into Displacement Activities!🙄 Instead, you must focus ONLY on the high-profit, “important stuff”.
True Confession Time: I still find myself going down obsessive rat holes while wasting enormous time on pursuits that add nothing to my happiness, relationships or even my financial net worth!🤔 (You’d think I would have learned by now!)😲
Remember, your residential services company is an incredibly fragile creature. This means as a service business owner or manager you must…
Gracefully Reply to a Homeowner’s “Thank You” and They’ll Love You Forever!
KickStart: Flip a home service customer’s “thank you” by reminding them it is YOU who should be grateful to THEM!
I always loved hearing a homeowner’s sincere (sometimes almost worshipful)😲 “Thank you, Steve” as I packed up my tools!
I’m sure your clients are incredibly grateful for you and your service company too! After all, you do great work.👍 But, more importantly you also focus on the homeowner’s emotions! (Remember, a thankful client will be much more likely to leave your business a glowing online review!)
But still, WHO should be grateful to WHOM? After all, your client is paying you… not the other way around! So create yet another Positive Moment of Truth with your residential customer by replying…
Core Concepts: “Moments of Truth”
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!😲