trust

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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“Triple Dip” with Your Service Employee’s Achievements!

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KickStart: Trumpet your service worker’s accomplishments to increase morale AND supercharge your marketing.

Are you struggling with high turnover and/or marginal frontline employees?😥

“Well, DUH, Steve! You just described my life! I pay much more than the ‘going wage’ but nobody wants to work anymore!” Ummmm, sorry to disagree but the Very Best People DO “want to work”! But I digress…

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It’s Not ONLY About the Homeowner Client!

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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…

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Homeowner Cheerleaders: Customer Referrals And So Much More!

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KickStart: The true ROI on making a Residential Customer Cheerleader is much more than the direct financial profits they produce. (Which is a LOT!)

happy cheerleader“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!😥

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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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Giving the ‘Illusion of Control’ to Home Service Customers

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KickStart: Asking permission creates a trusting relationship with your residential clients.

“There is no substitute for hard work.” Thomas A. Edison

Do you love to work? If so, CONGRATULATIONS! And yet, over many years of working with homeowners, I’ve learned this “git ‘er done” attitude can be a trap! Here’s why…

nervous residential customer

You (or your employees) show up at a home, eager to kick butt and “git ‘er done”! But wait! Never forget you must first recognize and work with the pesky emotions of a nervous residential customer!🙄

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Core Concepts: “Moments of Truth”

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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!)👍

complaining home service customer

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!😲

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OBSESS Over (Your Home Service Clients) FEELINGS!

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KickStart: “… it’s not what you say or what you do, but how you make people feel that matters the most.” Tony Hsieh, Zappos founder

focus on residential services profits

“Feelings, Steve? Seriously?” As a rugged, profits-obsessed residential services business owner you likely focus ONLY on your bottom line! (I did too!) After all, who had time for a squishy, hard-to-manage word like, “feelings”?

I mean, everyone knows “emotions are for sissies”?💪 Right? WRONG! For far too many agonizing years I struggled before FINALLY learning that…

In a residential service business success is based on building “trusting relationships” (TR’s)! 

In fact, Mr. Logical here even reduced this concept into an “Emotional Equation”: Success= (ETR + HTR) x SE= CMB. Say what, Steve?😲

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Can you Use a Complaint to ‘Tune Up’ your Home Services Company?

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KickStart: Analyze WHY a complaint/problem occurred and HOW to prevent the issue from happening again.

Normally when I train on my ‘Complaint Conversion’ techniques folks assume we’ll focus on ‘Converting Complainers into Cheerleaders‘. I call this the ‘Triple C’ and it IS very important!

However, when a homeowner complains (hopefully not very often) I suggest a much more important question to ask yourself…

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