Relationship building is an important aspect throughout the entire sales process inside an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company. HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company team members should always be working to build rapport with current clients and potential clients whether it’s through speaking with them on the phone, visiting their homes on a sales call, or simply representing the company in public. Today, we are going to further explore the components of the step within the sales process that encompasses relationship building—Original Contact:
The Original Contact step is all about relationship cultivation and rapport building. When an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company work to create a strong relationship with their clients right off the bat then they will have an easier time relating to and working with the client as the sales progresses. Part of this step requires that CSRs and technicians make stellar first impressions when initially speaking with the client on the phone or when initially making their introductions at the client’s front door. First impressions are quickly made within the first 16 seconds of interacting with an individual; so it’s important that those first few seconds highlight all the wonderful characteristics of both the company as a whole and their employees. An HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company should work with their employees to ensure that they each have professional and personal body language when performing their introductions as well as superb P.O.P. statements.
Another key component that will improve the Original Contact step is to remind technicians to make a prompt exit from their vehicles, have a positive and professional demeanor while making their way to the front door, as well as take subtle notice of details of the home while walking to the front door. When these steps are taken, clients feel that they are entrusting their needs and opening up their home to a confident, detail-oriented, and courteous professional technician.
-Taking notice of areas of interest or pride within a client’s home helps to naturally build common ground-
While this step of the foundational sales process requires attention-to-detail, it is important to train technicians on what types of areas of client interest they are looking for. This takes skill in making inferences and reading for context clues. For example, a client may not blatantly say he is a car fanatic but a technician may take notice of the interest in cars when he notices that all cars are neatly cleaned and covered under a carport or garage. The techncian’s inference may be further solidified when he enters the home to see pictures of antique cars around the home or beautiful model cars scattered throughout a room or office. When HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company team members learn to take notice of reoccurring details during the original contact portion of the sales process that display a client’s interests or pride, they can then find conversation starters to break the ice as well as have the ability to relate to the client in a more personal manner.
It is also important for independent contracting company members to remember the acronym F.O.R.M., which stands for the four main talking points that can help “form” a company-client relationship (family, occupation, recreation, material possessions). When HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company team members see the importance of building common ground through taking notice of details outside and inside a client’s home then they can work to build an effective sale because they have already impressed the client and gained the client’s initial trust.
-Rapport building creates the opportunity to gain a loyal client thus providing the opportunity to prove your company’s service excellence on a regular basis-
An HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company is on their way to gaining a loyal client when a positive company-client relationship is continually built through all aspects of the sales process from the conversation with the CSR, to the sales call with a sales technician, to the installation process with a team of technicians. Growing a loyal client base is important for many reasons, however one of the main reasons is because it allows a company to prove their service excellence in all facets of the services they provide. When a client sees how effective and excellent the HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company’s sales process is then they will be inclined to invest in other services that their service company offers such as a schedule service plan or even add-ons that make their system or product more efficient, safe, or healthy. When clients find that a HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company shows service excellence stretches beyond simply their sales process and reaches into service, maintenance, and all facets of customer service then it will drive them to become lifelong clients as well as satisfied clients who refer the company to other consumers. Creating a strong initial relationship during original contract can go a long way in the HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company world because clients will invest in an independent contracting company’s people first and products second.
Relationship building with clients is one important training point inside every HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company. Building relationships and rapport allows a independent contracting company team member to set their interaction with a client in the direction of success, discover common ground, as well as retain thoroughly satisfied clients. Thank you for following our weekly posts. Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning!
-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training.
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