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    • HomeDabbler Pro Series: The Two Most Important Words in Customer Satisfaction

      Posted at 8:00 am by HomeDabbler, on September 6, 2019

      I’m good at keeping customers happy. Really, really good.

      Do your clients offer their vacation homes to you rent free? Happened to me twice. Will they wait a year for your services if you are backed up? Mine did, gladly.

      Have you ever had a customer ask you to perform her wedding? Yep, I performed a customer wedding.

      I got good at lots of things in my 15 years of business, but I was better than anyone at keeping customers satisfied and loyal.

      How? Simple, really. In fact, I’m shocked that more service businesses don’t figure this out. If you do, you’ll have an instant advantage over your competition and earn business away from them.

      The secret to superior customer service (and loyalty) comes down to two words.

      Anticipation

      The easiest way to solve a customer problem is to never have it in the first place.

      Your customers need to feel like you know them – their interests, frustrations, preferences. In short, they need to know that you give a crap.

      The only way to do that is to pay attention to them, listen to them. Is there music playing when you come into the house? What kind? Do they like cockapoos? You should know that.

      Knowing your customers well lets you anticipate their problems – and avoid them.

      Your customers need to feel like you know them – their interests, frustrations, preferences.

      Example: I was installing a set of attic stairs in a new customer’s garage. I had to cut the ceiling drywall back to make room for the larger stairs. Before I started cutting drywall (a dusty mess) I laid down a sheet of plastic to catch the debris and make clean up easier. I also covered his work bench and cabinets.

      My customer raved about my attention to detail.

      “Most people wouldn’t do that on a garage floor. Now there won’t be any residue!”

      What did I learn? That my customer was a neat freak and that all his other service people ignored that. I had a customer for life.

      Anticipating problems does two things for you. First, you avoid the problem (obviously). Second, you build massive trust with your customer. She knows she is in good hands, that she can trust you.

      Like an old timer told me once, “You can live with someone you don’t love. You can’t live with someone you don’t trust.”

      Anticipate your customers’ needs and be there waiting to meet them.

      Communication

      Are you going to be late? Text your customer. Did materials not come in on time and you need to reschedule? Call your customer immediately. Did your customer expand the scope of what she wants and you need more money? Talk, talk, talk to her.

      I am still surprised at how many service people suck at communicating with customers, because it is so easy. Today there is no reason why you should not keep your customers updated consistently. There are just too many ways to communicate with each other.

      And trust me, other than not showing up for a job, nothing ticks customers off more than feeling like they are in the dark. It makes them feel like you are neglecting them. Or worse, ripping them off.

      Communicate so much that they tell you to stop. They won’t.

      Again, this comes down to making your customer feel special and appreciated. Do that and they’ll appreciate you right back, with their dollars and loyalty.

      Example: More than once I have shown up to a house to do a quote and was greeted by the homeowner in his bathrobe, completely surprised to see me.

      Customer: “I didn’t expect you.”

      Me: “We had an appointment at 9 am, didn’t we?”

      Customer: “Well, yeah, but all the others never showed up and didn’t tell me they weren’t coming.”

      Again, I got a customer for life.

      More important than price

      Most customers aren’t won or lost on price. That is a myth. Profitable customer relationships, especially long-term ones, are built on anticipation and communication.

      Take it to the bank.

      Kevin

      Posted in HomeDabbler Pro Series | 0 Comments | Tagged business communication, customer happiness, customer loyalty, customer service
    • HomeDabbler Pro Series: How to Answer “Is That Your Best Price?”

      Posted at 9:00 am by HomeDabbler, on August 19, 2019

      It’s an awkward moment.

      You’re a business person and you’ve made your pitch. You killed it. Then your prospect looks at the quote and asks … “Is that your best price?”

      I was in business 15 years and heard that dreaded question dozens of times. If you’re in business and haven’t yet, you will. Answer it wrong and you’ll regret it, trust me.

      It’s Not Their Fault

      Some people are taught to always ask it when making a large purchase like a car or hiring for home services. “Never accept the first price!” we are told. The assumption is that the first price is intentionally inflated to 1) take in suckers who accept it or 2) give some wiggle room for those who are savvier.

      Sadly, this is true many times. Bad business people have made customers skeptical of all business people, even good ones.

      Do Better for You … and Them

      Reducing your prices is obviously bad for you but in the end, it is bad for your customers as well. Your heart will not be fully in your work if you know you are not making enough money. Even though you will try to do your best, you simply will not.

      Remember this – If you do poor work, the customer will only remember that it was poor, not less expensive. If you do great work, the customer may remember the price but will be proud that she got full value and will tell others.

      Three Powerful Words

      Early in my business career “the question” terrified me. If someone challenged me on price I immediately folded and reduced my quote. I needed the work and was afraid my prospect would not hire me unless I did.

      I felt trashy every time I reduced my price. I also enjoyed the job less because I knew I wasn’t working for what it was worth. Over time it started to make me angry.

      One day I got frustrated enough to try a different tack. I had just delivered a quote to a potential customer, a job that included multiple small jobs around her home. She looked it over, glanced at the price, and asked.

      “Is that your best price?”

      My gut clenched and I felt that familiar insecurity. She would be a good customer and I didn’t want to lose this opportunity. But for some reason, I decided to risk it.

      “Yes it is.”

      And I waited. Not because I was a steely-eyed negotiator. My nerves simply wouldn’t let me speak.

      My prospect looked over the quote again and, after a tense moment, said, “Okay.”

      And that was it, my business life had changed for the better.

      Three Really Powerful Words

      I tried it the next time the question came up and it worked again. And again. In fact, it never failed. In my remaining years in business, no one ever chose to not hire me because of price.

      Later I added to my response. I would say (helpfully, NOT snarky), “Tell you what, if you’d like to shop around I will give you the numbers of a few of my competitors who do good work. Have them look at this scope of work and if they can do the same job for a better price, you should hire them.”

      No one ever took me up on the offer. I got the job every time.

      Why “Yes It Is” Works

      In short, credibility. If your prospect knows you are willing to walk away from an opportunity instead of compromising your price, you are telling the prospect that you can be trusted to shoot straight. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, trust and credibility are everything in business.

      Conversely, if you do drop your price you are admitting that you inflated your first quote unnecessarily. You have therefore broken trust by starting this relationship with a lie.

      Tips Before You Try This

      1. Make sure it is your best price. Don’t be a jerk. Set appropriate prices that you can justify. Otherwise, you deserve to get beat.
      2. Ask them to compare apples to apples. If your prospect does want to get quotes from other vendors (and she should), ask her to use exactly the same scope of work that you bid on. Some shady vendors will try to cut corners so they can come in at a lower price (especially on materials – cheaper brand paint than you bid, for example).
      3. Be sweet. Do not be impatient or sarcastic when you say “Yes it is.” Be helpful and honest.

      Do good work for a fair price. Fair to you and to your customers. You’ll be happier and so will they.

      Kevin

      P.S. – Another note about scope. If your prospect does want to cut the task list to get price down then by all means adjust your price likewise. Just make sure you get the final scope in writing (*signed by you and the customer) before beginning work.

      Posted in HomeDabbler Pro Series, Kev's Thoughts & Stories | 0 Comments
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