emotions

The Why (and How) of Using Your Residential Caller’s Name.

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KickStart: Call your prospect by name to emphasize a key point. 

post it note with residential caller name

Ever feel like you’re on a never-ending episode of “The Price is Right”? You know, with “price shoppers” bombarding you with the dreaded, “Uhhhh, I’m just calling around… what’s your rate for this service?” Ugh! I feel your pain!😥

However, quite a few of these so-called “price shoppers” will start out with their name as in, “Hi, this is Sally Smith, and I’m just calling around checking prices…” Now a Post-It note will become your best friend!

That’s right, grab your pen, jot down the caller’s name and use it “selectively” in your conversation. Why? Because behavioral psychologists have discovered that…

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An Essential Residential “Stage Prop” (Part II)

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KickStart: When a homeowner points out a concern and/or makes a request immediately make a note of it on a clipboard.

I recently shared why a service crew leader should use a clipboard during their initial interaction with a residential client. After all…

A clipboard gives your on-site employee 1) authority, 2) confidence and 3) a built-in “teleprompter” to check their next lines in the “Homefront Service” stage play you’ve scripted!

But wait! Here’s the biggest benefit a clipboard brings to the essential homeowner-service worker relationship! DRUMROLL, PLEASE! 🎉🎊🎈🎇🎉

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In Home Services … You Must-

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KickStart: “Seek first to understand.” Stephen R. Covey

team trainingMany, many, many🙄 years ago I finally learned that all successful Residential Services companies are “Emotionally Based”.

I know, you’re shaking your head here while muttering, “No, Steve you don’t get it. I own a plumbing/ carpet cleaning/ lawn care, and/or HVAC company”. My reply? “No, these things are the physical service(s) you deliver. BUT…

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Homeowner Cheerleaders: The Emotional Benefits

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KickStart: Homeowner Customer Cheerleaders provide a huge emotional ROI to all involved in a Home Services business.

Your business should be about much more than pure, naked gree… I mean profits! Instead…

Your residential services company should build a close emotional bond (dare I say even “love”?)😲 between you, your employees AND your clients.

Reflections: For me, I LOVED💖 creating “something of value”, a residential services company that (most of the time!)🙄 ran like a well-oiled machine. But my true focus was on “values”.

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Focus On Onboarding Your New Service Production Workers

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KickStart: Smooth the way for new service employees and your “keep ratio” will soar!

shy school childThink back to your first day of school.🤔 How did you feel? Nervous? Confused? Scared? Did’ya pee your pants? (Come on… they say confession is good for the soul!)

Guess what? Your brand new techs face these same traumatic emotions as they timidly work on-site in your client’s homes! Who cares how they feel?🤷🏼‍♂️

You should! Repeated studies prove that a consistent, structured “onboarding routine” will dramatically decrease new employees quitting quickly and often with no notice. In fact…

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Why (and How to) Focus On 3 Essential Business Areas

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KickStart: man·​age ˈma-nij To direct with a degree of skill. 

small business owner focuses on prioritiesFinding 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…

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Are You Known for Your Humility?😲

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KickStart: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. C. S. Lewis

I’ll admit it. When I started my first Home Services business I was a cocky, proud and yet insecure jerk!😲 (My dear wife is saying right now, “So Steve, you think you’ve changed over the last 50 years?”)🤔 Hmmmmm…

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