When is the last time you Reached Out?

Are you a business owner dreaming up ways to generate new leads? 

Are you sitting by the phone waiting for your next “dream project”?

Do you have a pipeline of existing leads that have yet to sign a contract??

If you’ve answered yes to any or all of the above, you are not alone!  Every business owner wants new leads, but new leads can’t be generated without following up on the existing ones.  Follow up is the #1 component to ANY sales process!  Too often we assume that because we did not hear back from a client, they just didn’t like you or they went with someone else.  But how do you know for sure??  I call it the “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” Policy – if you don’t ask, the client sure as heck isn’t going to tell you!

A client of mine recently called to tell me how she had been working with this particular client for a few months and then found out that she decided to go with another contractor. (It could have stopped here) My client decided to call the potential customer and see if she could take her to lunch and discuss why they decided not to go with her company.  The customer said I would love to, but I would like to take YOU out to lunch to say thank you for all the time you put in to the project. (HUH??) They went out to lunch and discussed all the reasons why and in this case, it was the customer getting a lower price for what she believed was the same project, but the customer could not be more grateful for my client and how she connected with her.  My client did talk to her about what she saw on the proposal as compared to what she was offering, but did not push the issue, thanked her for lunch and was on her way .  The next follow up will be in a couple months to see how the project is going and making sure she is still happy, or maybe needs some help.

This took no huge time out of my clients day (she does have to eat lunch, so where is the harm?) the customer took my client to lunch…to say thank you to her! And then in a couple months, another 10 minute call to see how she is doing.  The marketing that my client is doing with follow up is some of the best I’ve seen and it shows in the numbers and their sales this year!

So what can you do to ensure your existing leads don’t just disappear?

 

Get Back on Track!

Be sure to track every lead that comes to you and follow up with those

that may not commit right away. 

Simply using an excel spreadsheet to track these leads will help greatly in staying on track with who you are to follow up with.

If you Ask it, They will Tell you!

Asking the right questions is half the battle.  Did they find a lower price? 

Are they waiting for their income tax refund?  You’ll never know if you don’t ask.

Make sure you have done everything in your power to contact them, whether it

be by email, phone or otherwise, so that their feedback may help you to better

close the next deal that comes along.

Get them to Commit…One way or Another!

If you think that a prospect isn’t going to hire you, there is no harm in following

up.  If they haven’t said “yes”, then get them to say “no” and move on.  In the case

of my client above, they got a free lunch out of the deal!

 

The lesson to be learned here, Be Proactive, Not Reactive, with each and every Client and Prospective Client you have!  -- You won’t be sorry, I promise!

             

 

Spring is Here and Away We Grow !!

Roses are red, Violets are blue, Spring is a beautiful time to grow your business…How ‘bout YOU?!!!

Since our start in  2010, we have seen tremendous growth in our business!  Last year alone, we welcomed 5 new clients!  With the arrival of Spring, we welcome our newest client and look forward to all of the new relationships to come!

In addition to our client growth, our staff is expanding as well!  Michelle Ballentine joined us this month as our Administrative Assistant and is on the path of becoming Jack of All Trades!  Michelle comes to us with extensive administrative experience gained over 10+ years in the financial industry.  For the past 2 ½ years, Michelle has been a stay-at-home mother of 2 children, Sean (almost 3) and Cara (almost 18 mos.).  

 


Having been a stay-at-home mom myself, and now being a female business owner, it is my mission & passion to successfully employ other stay-at-home moms so that they can enjoy the flexibility of balancing family life while being able to get back into the workforce at the same time. This flexibility  has allowed me to do what I love from the comfort of my own home!   

 If you do what you love you'll never work a day in your life! 

Featured this year in the following Publications and Groups, talking on the importance of Qualifying Leads has been a tremendous Honor! 

Certified Lead Services gives contractors & remodelers the ability to do things they otherwise wouldn’t.  Qualify and maintain leads, Marketing and Social Media !  You might be thinking...  Yea, I know I probably should do these things, but who has the time?  WE DO!!  Let us help you “spring” your business to the next level with our wide spectrum of services:

For more information on these services and to learn more about Certified Lead Services, please check out our website:

                        http://www.certifiedleadservices.com/p/spectrum-of-services.html

Stay tuned for our next blog!

ARE THERE REALLY ANY BAD LEADS?

Written originally by our Friend and Colleague Jim Mastin @ Contractor Link Blog

 

This seems to be the time for being critical of leads received from lead generating companies. I hear constant complaints in discussion forums on the internet.  Yes, there are some companies that may intentionally send some bogus leads, or send the same lead to too many contractors. But far the majority are leads for people that are genuinely interested in a home improvement. They may be shopping prices. They may be accumulating ideas before they start. They may seem like a waste of your time. But, I believe any lead is a good lead, and if you will stick with me, I can tell you why.  Have you ever thought about buying another car and gone car shopping? We don’t go out really intending on buying a car today. All of us have. I wonder how many of us actually ended up buying a car  that very day and often times at the first place we visited. I know I have.  

So, how did that happen? Now, car salesmen are not my favorite people on earth. They are a bit pushy, sometimes overbearing, persistent, etc. but they sell cars. Most all people who walk on a car lot would fall in the category of a “poor lead”, “just shoppers” but salesmen make a living selling to them.  Let’s take the average lead that we might call a worthless lead because all they are doing is getting prices and ideas. How far have these potential customers come already? They may have sat in their living room on many occasions for many weeks and talked about a project they would like to do. They have talked colors, materials, how they want it to look, how they would use it, how convenient it would be, how much they would enjoy it. Then they jumped on the web and googled kitchens, bathrooms, pools, landscaping, or whatever they have in mind. They discussed these pictures they found and shared them with the rest of the family. They talked about if they could afford it or not. Then they finally googled to find a way to meet contractors. Stumbled across a lead website, filled out a form, submitted it to someone they never met in hopes he will be a good guy interested in their project.  Now are you going to tell me they are not a good lead? They may not know how much it will cost. They may not understand they can’t just knock out a bearing wall. They may not know the time frame involved in such a project. They feel they need to investigate for a while before taking the plunge. Does that make them a “poor lead”?

To hear some contractors you would sure think so. It sounds like we want a man and wife to call us and tell us they know exactly what they want, they don’t care how long it takes, money is no object, and how soon can you start. That’s what we call a “good lead”. To be sure, it would be, but don’t hold your breath.OK, why is most any lead a good lead? First, because they do have a genuine interest or they wouldn’t be here. They may not know exactly what they want, but that is a great opportunity to offer advice and become the director of their project. You get in the drivers seat early on and they trust you because of all the good ideas you have.  I know, after you have wasted and hour and get to the price, they say, “That’s more than what we expected, I think we better wait.” Would the car salesman walk away from that? Are you kidding? He says, “ let me talk to the manager and see if we can earn your business”. These people are a lead, don’t let them get away!  “I understand the paint job is more than you expected. Why don’t you let us paint 3 or 4 rooms now and we can come back later and finish it, and we’ll keep the price the same.” Now, what’s going to happen when you get pretty well through? They are going to love it so much they will find the money and let you go ahead and finish it. The idea is, get creative. Help them out making a decision.  Just last week a customer requested a contractor contact them. We called the contractor to make sure he had gotten the message. He had and already talked to them. We said, “Are they going to do the job.” He said, “No, they aren’t near ready, just started shopping.” “Not a good lead”. A few days later we followed up with the customer. They had gotten another contractor and the job was already started. “Not a good lead”? “Not a good lead”? 

OK, let’s summarize. Carpenters don’t just drive nails, they sell too! Painters don’t just paint, they sell too!  Plumbers don’t just install sinks, they sell too! Learn how to sell the job to the customer and you will be the one working rather than the one saying, it’s a poor lead. Will there be those that really aren’t ready after you meet with them. Sure! So isn’t that a bad lead? No! Two reasons. If you have been a decent and helpful person to them, if they have another project, who will they call? And, do you suppose they have any friends that will one day need a contractor? Who do you think they will recommend to their friend? Yep, yours truly.

So, the next time you get a “bad” lead, turn it into a “good” lead. Because, there really aren’t many really bad leads!

Please check out www.preferredcontractor.com to see a different way to find better leads!