Do we have an underground laboratory?
Yes Service Central's customers are like all others. As much as some providers would like to think that we have set up an underground laboratory to clone a special type of customer for our leads, the truth is that they are every day people just like you and me.
So, if that's true, why is dealing with a Service Central customer different to receiving a call from your advertising in the local paper or Yellow Pages? Let's explore a few of the reasons:
1. You are calling the customer, the customer isn't calling you
- This means that you have chosen the customers you want, rather than the customer choosing you out of a dogpile of ads. This is a new concept for both customers and yourself, and needs a different approach to win the work.
- Customers are 100% aware that it's up to you to call them - there's no ambiguity about who's job it is to call back.
2. They might have had a chance to check out your online web profile, but they don't know you personally yet.
3. The customers have high standards - they only want to deal with quality, insured and licensed professionals. Luckily, we only have quality businesses registered, so we know they have nothing to worry about!
4. The matching system, unlike a visual advertisement, doesn't let the customer discriminate on what kind of work they think you do. This means that jobs match your business, even if your business name or advertising says otherwise! So if you're a roofing company that also does insulation on the side, the customer's won't disqualify your company based on your advert.
How to win these leads
- Respond as quickly as you can. The early bird definitely catches the worm, so the quicker you respond the better your chances. You don't have to phone immediately, but it's often good to SMS the customer and tell them when you'll call.
- Tell them your name and company's name. Sometimes our customers get overwhelmed and forget who they spoke to - make your name stick by repeating it or even following up with an SMS after you've chatted.
- Follow up on your quotes. Once they've received your quote, contact the customer to go through it. If they don't accept it, you can find out why on the same call, so it's worth doing even if you don't win the work in the end.
- Look at your quotes. You won't be competing against cowboys in the Service Central space, but make sure your quotes are market-related and don't come in too high, or even too low. Sometimes even a low quote makes a customer suspicious!
- Make your business's web profile attractive and informative. Once you accept the job, the first thing your new customer will see is your business's web profile, where you should have details about your business, photos and feedback. Make sure that your web profile reflects your business well - it can make or break a sale!
