The General Contractor

Article from ContractorSelling.com

What happens when a customer asks your price upfront before you’ve discussed any aspect of the problem or even before you finished your diagnosis? Are they just shopping around? Are they trying to disqualify you? What do they want you to answer to this question?

If you fire off a verbal quote or put together a beautiful presentation package of information with some great brochures what are the chances you will get this job?

Is what you are doing different than what your competition will do? You can say the price now and hope or you can ‘dig in’ and save you and the customer some time, and operate like a professional who is presenting their services rather than a vendor of parts and materials.

Price is rarely the determining factor when buying service. An incredible rock-bottom low price isn’t all that great if the quality sucks or if the customer has to call 1-800-TOUGH LUCK to cover a repair or install problem under warranty.

When we buy, is price the ultimate factor in every purchase? Do people drive the cheapest car? Would you live in the worst neighborhood because the price was lower? It’s still a house isn’t it? I mean it has a roof and walls right?

You or your customers rarely buy that way. Get it straight. The price is not a factor. It’s just an interesting way to negotiate. Something most people do from a subconscious platform without really thinking. This kneejerk reaction stems from our family history as to how we view money.

Does your family think they are doing each other a favor of they can find something cheaper for each other? If a higher price usually means a higher quality then are we really doing them a favor?

Price is an intellectual way to justify decisions publicly but all people buy on emotional factors. That doesn’t mean price isn’t an important factor. However, after people have made an emotional buying decision they’ll justify it intellectually.

Just question the customer about their REAL view on the price and this may just be enough to wake them from the subconcious world and make them realize that the lowest price isn’t always the best.

Understand that any question will get you an intellectual response first. You have to be ready to ask at least 6 times to get to the emotional reasons.

Just have 6 questions ready when a buyer questions your price and be ready to increase your close rate to over 98%. As usual, the answer is always really a question.

ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING…
Are your prices being shopped all over town with your competitors?
Are you tired of hearing, ‘I’ll need to think it over?’
Is the time it takes to sell your jobs taking way to long?
Do you feel uncomfortable when a customer says no or your price is too high?
Are your customers stalling you with excuses?
Do you find yourself giving away your companies products or service?
You want to handle objections but you can’t get the words out of your mouth?

We are pleased to announce the launch of TV Plumbing, a Santa Monica Plumber, who offers emergency plumbing and drain cleaning solutions in Santa Moncia.

Kensington, CT, November 28, 2006 – Suburban Windows & Siding today announced the release of a new consumer report that shows Connecticut homeowners everything they need to know about replacement windows and dealing with window contractors.

Inside this eye-opening report, you’ll discover insider tips on how to easily hire the right contractor; how to get your replacement windows installed right, the first time; and how to save yourself thousands of dollars on your project.

The report entitled, “WHAT EVERY HOMEOWNER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS” covers everything from selecting a contractor, selecting the right window, keeping the reigns on your budget, and learn how to be a knowledgeable, confident participant in your own purchase of windows.

All Connecticut homeowners can get a free copy of this special consumer report by going to www.suburbanwindownsiding.com or calling 860-828-8227.

Rick Luppino, president of Suburban Windows & Siding and author of ” WHAT EVERY HOMEOWNER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT REPLACEMENT WINDOWS” is creating an educational resource for homeowners in Connecticut. Future plans include a website of educational guides on vinyl siding, professional advice from local experts, and a question and answer forum for Connecticut homeowners.

About Suburban Windows & Siding – Suburban Windows & Siding is family owned and operated and employs only experienced professional craftsmen. The company provides quality workmanship at a reasonable price and guarantees all work. The company is fully licensed and insured and is a Connecticut registered contractor. For more information visit www.SuburbanwindownSiding.com

Whether you’re a contractor a local merchant with 150 employees, whichever, however or whatever, you’ve got to know how to keep your business alive during rough economic times. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a “tight ship.”

This is where an Honest Joint Venture will help increase, not only business sales, but strong business relationships. When things go together, they’re said to be complimentary. An example of two items that might go together are flowers and baskets. If you’re in the market for one of these two items, you might be in the market for the other.

You may be able to increase your business marketing efforts by combining the marketing of one of your products or services with the marketing of someone else’s products or services.

There are two Methods of marketing using Joint Ventures:

External joint venture marketing- You combine your marketing with that of another business that uses a product or service that compliments your own. You both benefit from the exposure and your customers will be looking to this other business for its complimentary offering. Likewise, the other business, and their customers will look to you for their complimentary products or services. You both access each other’s customer database. An example would be a cabinet maker and a hardware store that could work together.

Internal joint venture marketing- You probably offer complimentary products within your own business. If this is the case, you need to market this so potential customers will be aware that your business offers certain products or services that compliments each other. This encourages one stop shopping and also allows your business to sell one product or service on the back of the other. An example is ‘computer repair store’ that also sells virus protection software.

I’ve actually seen one business that sells a course on how to write successful marketing campaigns. The majority of their customers never find out that in addition to selling that course, they do consulting and write marketing campaigns themselves. They don’t do an effective job of letting their customer base know that Those things naturally go hand-in-hand.

Another kind of internal joint venture marketing would be a combined location or common business. You can have businesses that shares a common location such as a mall or a strip mall shopping center. They can market their businesses as complimentary to each other. This can take a number of forms, but the most popular is sharing the media cost. An example would be a strip mall with a number of home improvement products or services.

You want to take advantage of this either by phone or by sending the other business a letter. You might say, “Dear Mr. or Mrs. Business Owner. Our company specializes in (or sells). We have discovered a logical tie into your business or customer base in that it . We have created a system for dramatically increasing your profits without risk, investment or even effort on your part”.

Where you say, ‘Mr. or Mrs., let me ask if you could generate sufficient profits to - would that interest you?’ The process is relatively simple. First, we create a joint marketing plan together to consist of either (choose 1 or 2 of the following) a letter of endorsement from you, a telemarketing campaign, a seminar, workshop, sales presentation, display or design a customer/client newsletter, or a display ad. We will share the profits on a 50/50 basis etc.”

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it’s entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com

Copyright © 2005

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a leading performance-based Internet advertising company dedicated in helping small businesses create online presence, brand recognition and online automation. Main company web site: http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

Abe Cherian’s online automation system has helped thousands of marketers online build, manage and grow their business. Learn how it can benefit you too.

I always enjoy to see when one of our client’s attempts their own site. Andew Perrotta launched a site dedicated to the Feast of St. Michael’s. Some great photos there.

We are pleased to announce the launch of Windows Depot USA’s website today. They are a Bowling Green windows contractor that provides replacement windows, gutters, sunrooms and siding.

If anyone isn’t a member of ContractorTalk.com, then you should be. It is FREE, it is an excellent forum where contractors can discuss anything in regards to their specific industry.

The Before & After Photo Contest!

The Prize: Bosch PB10-CD Power Box Radio with CD

Hopefully one of you will either enjoy the prize for yourself or know someone who would like one for Christmas.

SO, HOW DO YOU WIN?

The contest runs from 11/15/06 to midnight 12/14/2006.

This thread will act as the offical contest thread.
To enter post a before and after photo and a breif description of a job you have completed recently. You can enter as many times as you wish but each post/entry must have a before and after photo and description of the work done.

That’s it!

There will be one winner at the end of the contest and we will have a random drawling at the end to determin who it is. Each post has a number assigned to it in the upper right hand corner of the post and I’m going to put a bunch of number in a hat and pull one. So, the more entries you have the better the chance you have to win.

So go to ContractorTalk.com register and submit your photos! Worse thing, is that you will probably learn a thing or two.

You can check out the contest here.

Everyone from Footbridge Media would like to wish you, your employees, sub contractors and family a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving!

And a great BIG THANKS to everyone who continues to help Footbridge Media grow to the company it is today!

Remember, the year is almost over, I hope all of you have already started your marketing plans for 2007!!!!

Article Submitted by: From Joe Crisara of ContractorSelling.com

There is an imbalance at many contracting companies that is created by some of the crew performing at a high level while others do not. Many owners perceive this as just a fact of life and refuse to believe that EVERYBODY could achieve profitable numbers.

Let’s continue with part 2 of ‘Why you sales reslults suck’…

REASON #2 - Sales people who do not get the results they want, don’t know what the word ’service’ means. Poor performers rarely treat themselves to the finest service because they are usually too broke to ever experience it.

Therefore, they don’t know what it is. Great service is defined by its’ root word. To serve. Techs that suck, never offer more service. They only offer the minimum needed to get the problem solved today.

No planned service for the future and no packaging of older parts that are directly related to the problem as well. If there was one thing I could say that anybody could do to raise their sales revenue tommorrow it would be to default to as much service as possible when making your first option to a customer.

What goes into making your first option one of high service? Thnk about anything that touches the main problem or pain that people are experiencing. If you are quoting a drain cleaning, why not offer to clean all drains in the home? If an inducer motor fails, why not replace all the components in that area as the most premium option?

If your car had one spark plug foul, wouldn’t you replace them all? Also, think about adding more warranty to premium options and more services today and in the future to this option as well.

See you next week as we continue The 7 Reasons Your Sales Results Suck: Part 3

We are pleased to announce the website for Anstandig Electric, an Oakland County Electrician who provides residential electrical repairs and installation services.