Closing Sales with Clients inside an Independent Contracting Company

The sales process is successful when all the small steps and foundational disciplines within the progression function together effectively.  The ultimate goal when working through a sales call is to prove to your clients that your HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company can and will meet their service needs.  The moment that you find out if this goal has been accomplished is during the close. Closing is a pivotal factor because a sale cannot be completed until clients say “yes” and make final decisions.  In today’s post, we are going to explore the foundational components of the close and how it works inside of the sales process inside an independent contracting company in the industry of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical:

Win the “Little Victories” throughout the call by getting “Little Yeses” to Powerful Questions

Closing is most effective when it is done throughout the entire process of a sales call.  When clients continuously hear themselves saying, “yes” over and over again to a technician’s guiding questions then it will make it easier to say the “big yes” at the end of the call.  These “little yeses” throughout a sales call can also be thought of as checkpoints that a HVAC, plumbing, or electrial technician can use to gauge the clients’ interest level, thinking process, or investment concerns.  The more that a HVAC, plumbing, or electrical technician can learn about the client and how they feel throughout the call then the better the technician can formulate and phrase the close to best suite his client.

There are several types of “tie-down” questions that an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company team member can use to create a moment where the client has to make a small decision that helps to move the rest of the sales call along.  For example, if your client shows strong interest in investing in a Scheduled Service Plan you could use the Alternative Advance closing technique as a checkpoint by asking, “John would you prefer the Diamond or the Platinum Service Plan today?”  Winning these “little victories” through utilizing checkpoints helps to keep the progression of a sales call at a productive pace.

Use your Tools (such as your closing material and testimonials) to your advantage and to help guide the Closing Process

Another big aspect of closing is having the ability to effectively use your tools and resources to bring about positive client reactions.  One major hurdle that all HVAC, plumbing, electrical technicians must be aware of is clients’ fear of paperwork.  When clients see forms come out at the end of a call then they may begin to back-peddle and find any objection to keep them from having to close on a sell.  However, if an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical technician brings paperwork into the picture at the beginning of a call and uses it throughout the call then it become less threating to clients.  A technician can introduce paperwork strategically during his initial questions before beginning the diagnostic.  If a client tells a tech that they have had their system for 12 years then a tech may say, “let me just make a quick note of that” thus creating an unthreatening opportunity to introduce paperwork.

Another great tool to utilize are client testimonials.  Testimonials give potential clients “social proof” of your HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company’s excellence.  When clients see that there is a plethora of difference people that have wonderful things to say about your independent contracting company then they begin to take interest in the special skills and services of your independent contracting company and company team.  Technicians can guide potential clients’ attention to client testimonials on the company website, bring several hand-written testimonials on the call, have a recorded testimonial on-hand, or even have a few loyal clients as references to call on the phone.  Learning to use tools such as paperwork and testimonials to your advantage is a step in the direction of sales success.

Learn to effectively “Read” clients so you can ask for the “Big Close” at the right time

Along with the two important points from above, it is also important to develop the skills to “read” people in order to begin the overall closing process at the right time.  Closing is where money is made within the sales process so it is vital that techs learn to close at their client’s pace and to close in the manner in which their client prefers to best ensure a successful close.  A client’s closing pace can be based off of several factors such as; personality type, interest level, rapport with technician, or level of need.  But a technician can consolidate all of these factors by learning to interpret body language, tone of voice, facial expressions, and undercurrent meanings behind clients’ comments.  When HVAC, plumbing, and electrical technicians learn to master the art of reading people then they have an easier time following their clients’ train of thought and ultimately an easier time closing a sale.

When technicians stay of the same page as their client by reading body language, facial expressions, asking good guiding questions, and utilizing checkpoints then they can be sure that they are building rapport with their client and getting the right impression before asking for a close.  If a technician moves too fast for a client it can easily scare the client away from the close yet if the technician is too slow to ask for the close then a client that is ready to invest can lose interest.  Moving at the right pace and asking for the close are two important keys in the overall closing process in a HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company.

Closing is a key component on every sale call and it is an aspect that every HVAC, plumbing, or electrical independent contracting company should train their team on.  Closing is most effective when it is done throughout the call to win “little victories”, when closing tools are effectively used, and when technicians learn the art of “reading” people.  Here at Service Excellence Training we have great lessons and resources devoted to the closing process. Thank you for following our weekly blog.  Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning!

-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training