Service technicians are under increasing pressure to become sales superstars. This is understandable. All businesses must grow sales, and the service technician is often a contractor’s best asset in terms of customer trust and contact frequency.
There can be a downside to this strategy. Many examples exist of service companies that adopted an aggressive service technician sales model and exploded with sales growth, only to eventually implode by destroying the very thing that created their initial success…the customer’s trust.
If your technicians are telling you that their customers are starting to greet them at the door with, “I don’t want you to sell me anything.”, then it may be time to reconsider how you coach your technicians to engage customers and improve their sales results at the same time.
Set Expectations Early
When your office sets the appointment, have your CSRs include a brief comment describing the technician’s intention to address the reason for the call and then continue with a short inspection of their system to ensure it operates safely and efficiently. Comment that the technician will let them know if he sees any concerns.
If you have a short system inspection checklist, include it as an attachment or an active link with your appointment-confirming email.
Have a Customer Engagement Process
In most cases, homeowners want a trusted technician to advise them in a consultative way, and a proven method for doing this is to follow these steps:
- Find a Problem
Do this by asking questions, looking for clues, and taking specific measurements. - Explain What Caused the Problem
Why did the motor fail? Why did the heat exchanger crack? Why is the SEER far below its design level? - Explain the Consequences of Not Fixing It
What will continue to happen, even if they were to replace the equipment, when that problem is not fixed? - Offer Several Solutions
A solution includes all the possible remedies to their problems, but don’t start throwing them out until you get agreement that she/he is interested.
Provide Technicians with Professional Sales Materials
Many selling technicians are successful with handwriting some choices on an invoice or worksheet and asking the customer which one they want. If that works for some of your techs, then stick with it.
For those who may not be inclined to take that approach, make it easy for them by providing a simple color handout with your company logo, pictures of the products, a benefits description, and the investment amount. Make sure you show a monthly financing amount first…in bigger font on higher-ticket items.
The critical point is to ask the technician to behave like the trusted advisor the customer expects, educate the customer about what could be improved, and professionally provide choices without risking being perceived as pushy.
If some of your technicians are not keen on selling, this may be a way to engage them, increase sales, and create happier customers.
Good Selling!
– Tom