3 Strategies for Contractors to Increase Close Rates on Unbranded Leads

Unbranded leads are a necessary part of every growing contractor’s marketing strategy. Closing them can be a challenge and this article will give you some strategies to help.

We would all love it if every one of our sales prospects was a rock-solid referral from a trusted source. One who comes to us with full knowledge of who we are and what we do and is anxious to buy today. Hopefully your business generates some of those opportunities organically. But there are only so many of those prospects out there.

If you are a contractor with more than 1-2 salespeople then you need a constant flow of sales opportunities to keep them busy. There are lots of marketing strategies to bring in those opportunities but chances are you have at least tried unbranded leads from Home Advisor, Angi or one of the many other leads providers (inclduding us) out there.

In our experience successful buyers of unbranded leads utilize Three Key Strategies

Strategy One – IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.

And we mean immediate – preferably within seconds after a lead hits your system. At most 8-10 minutes. Definitely not hours or (Lord help me)… days.

This strategy is in all caps because it’s the most important. Why? Because until the lead hears from you…You. Don’t. Exist.

If they knew who you were they would have searched for you on Google and called you – not looked for a contractor on Angi.

An immediate response shows who you are (“We are responsive and action-oriented”) and gives you your first opportunity to get your message in front of that prospect and move them down your sales funnel.

You might say “Homeowners always get three quotes so why does it matter?” If you are the first one they hear from you get to control what message they hear not only from you – but from every contractor they talk to after you.

First impressions matter and you will be their model (for good or bad) of what a contractor should look and sound like when talking about their project. Make sure it’s a great impression and every contractor after you will pale in comparison.

How to reach out?

The best contractors reach out immediately by Text, Email and Phone. You never know how a lead wants to communicate until you ask.

Automated systems combined with a human call center work best – but having an automated lead response is the most important.

Strategy Two – Warm up the Lead Pre-Appointment

You’ve contacted the lead and made the appointment so now you are good then right? NO.

Remember this is not a referral or a paid search lead. It’s UNBRANDED. So you need to brand it. Between the time you set the appointment and the appointment itself is your “pre-sales” pitch. People buy from people and companies they Know, Like and Trust.

Send them 3-5 messages by text/email that tells the prospect who you are. Your approach can vary but should include the following:

1. Basic information about the company – how long you’ve been in business, what communities you serve, interesting facts that help the prospect get to know you. Include some “personal” information about the company and maybe the salesperson so they can begin to see you as more than just another estimate.
2. Testimonials and ratings – Share what your former customers have said about you. This will help build trust. Studies consistently show that people believe online reviews (even from strangers) almost as much as they believe their friends and families when evaluating a company.
3. Special offers and promotions – If you offer special financing let them know. Zero down. Zero Interest for 12 months.10% off Year End Sale. Whatever you have going on at that time (and you should always have something going on). This helps remove objections before they come up and prepares the prospect to buy from your sales team.

Strategy Three- Make sure your sales team knows and can communicate your Unique Sales Proposition.

Why should a prospect buy from you and not the other contractors they are going to talk to? Here’s a hint – it’s not Quality and/or Service. Why not? Have you ever talked to a salesperson and they said “You’ll like our price but our quality and our service stinks”? EVERYONE says they provide great quality and service. So it’s not unique if you say it too. But guaranteed there is something different about your company.

• You’ve been around for a long-time.
• You are an exclusive dealer for products not offered by most of your competition.
• You provide service in a unique way (we offer free maintenance for a year).
• You offer unique financing (no money down or extended financing).
• You are veteran or minority-owned.
• You have a purple dragon as a mascot.
• Something sets you apart.

Conclusion

All three of these strategies help turn your unbranded cold lead into a warm sales prospect who knows your company and why they should do business with you.

Dial in these areas, and you will definitely improve the chances they buy from you.

If you’re looking for high quality homeowner leads, you can learn more about our service here. If it seems like we might be a fit, book a call with us here.