With tax return money in play and warmer weather finally here, the spring season serves as one of the busiest times of the year for most contractors. Due to an increased amount of pressure to keep up with packed schedules, keeping a formal process in place should be a top priority to ensure things run smoothly.
Below, we highlight seven action-oriented questions you should be asking yourself to keep your head afloat and help you get through these next couple of months with ease.
1. Are your systems current with your latest messaging?
The middle of a busy season is not the time to find out your customers have been receiving text promotions that are no longer active or relevant. It’s vital you comb through every text, email, and messaging automation that’s set up and make sure they match up with your existing offers.
In addition to fine-tuning your ad copy, you should also be testing all CRM and project management systems. Are new products in there correctly? Have all glitches been resolved? When business is moving at a rapid pace, dealing with system discrepancies can cause a major headache and a loss in revenue.
2. Have you decided what promotions will be offered?
The number one sales objection from clients is: “How am I going to pay for this?” Make sure you’re giving them a good enough reason to move forward with your brand.
Most contractors offer enticing promotions to their customers to set themselves apart from their competitors. Afterall, homeowners want to feel like they’re maximizing their budgets when they commit to an expensive project. What promotions will you offer your customer base this season?
On top of promotions, we’re seeing more and more options for financing when it comes to home renovations due to the continually rising interest rates. It’s best to make sure you have multiple financing options available for your clients to choose from. We can assure you, by diversifying your financing portfolio, your sales will increase as you are able to acquire more projects.
3. Has all hiring been completed?
Typically, hiring for a busy season should be done prior to the start of the season. We highly recommend you hire for what you anticipate the volume of work to be. If you think you’ll need an extra salesperson or crew member, hire them now. Afterall, they likely won’t be available by the middle of the season.
4. Do you have a formal sales training system?
Every new salesperson should go through a structured sales training before being let loose on your leads. Our most successful clients put new recruits through a 2-6 week consultative sales training program. While they may already be experienced in the world of sales, you likely have products, services, and processes that are tailored to your specific business. Through formal sales training, new employees are taught the tools and techniques needed to effectively close the sale at your specific company.
5. Have all employees been thoroughly trained on new products?
New products are being introduced all the time and with the anticipation of the busy spring season, the product market is booming with the latest and greatest items. However, if your team isn’t thoroughly trained and informed about these items, how are they supposed to offer them to your customers? Through new product training, your team, including your experienced salespeople will be able to translate the benefits of a new product to customers, understand the pricing structure, and know how to properly sell it.
6. Have you reviewed all pricing to make sure it matches your current cost structure?
With new products and seasonal offerings, it’s imperative all appropriate marketing collateral and POS systems are updated. As we mentioned in the first point above, if you’re not making sure every part of your business is up to date with new pricing, you will unknowingly be forfeiting revenue.
With a new season you may be experiencing labor and materials price hikes. If so, it may be time to update your pricing structure. Are you charging your clients enough to meet your target margins? Is your pricing competitive in your market? Have you figured financing into your pricing calculations? These are all questions you should ask yourself when you’re evaluating your pricing strategy.
7. Are you implementing technology to ease your sales process?
The first company to get on the phone with a potential customer has the best chance to win the sale. The race to be the first to get the lead is competitive and using a sophisticated dialing system, such as Convoso, allows you to be the first point of contact for a new lead. We have these great resources at our fingertips, why not leverage technology to make outbound calling more efficient?
As Albert Einstein once said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” With each season comes change, whether small or large, and it’s imperative you reframe your thinking and your processes to keep up with the dynamic sales process. By doing so, you are molding your business for success.
Home Appointments is here to help you get your lead sources in a row. We seamlessly fit into your sales process by providing you with the highest quality of exclusive leads. Contact us today to learn more.
