sales calls

joel_4

How do you guys schedule sales calls when it gets busy. I jut got off the phone with a guy who pretty steamed because i couldn't see him for two weeks. He said he'd find someone else. How do you handle this? Basically all i do is the sales and management. I very rarely work in the field. I put in as many calls a week as I can but i have to leave lots of open time to get the proposals written and do all the other stuff. How many hours a day do you do it? I did 15 hrs yesterday and we've still got people hanging up all the time because i can't get there fast enough to look at it. I've thought about hiring a salesman but for the stuff we do the persons got to know what they're looking at to come up with a solution and a price. Plus what do you do with the guy when the phones not off the hook?

David_5

Sales call

If the worst thing somebody can say about you is that you were too busy to get to them for a sales call then your in good shape. We make appointments weeks in advance. What good is selling so much that other areas of the business suffer.

David

Brian (Tankless) Wood

Golllllly, I wish

I had YOUR problems.

Where are you, do you need help :O)

I hope business slows down for you a bit, so you can catch up

Brian

Al Letellier

sales

Honesty is the best policy! We tell our potential customers that we are very busy because we do excellent work and our primary objective is satisfied customers. We tell them exactly how long it may be before we could do the work and ask them if they can wait for us. If they are that impatient and get mad about it, I just figure they're not the kind of customer I want anyway, and wish them luck. If they ask for a referral to another contractor, I find a polite way to tell them that everyone is busy and they're on their own trying to find someone who'll drop everything to get to them.

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John Starcher_4

I wholeheartedly agree....

....with you guys. I too am scheduling these types of calls 2-3 weeks in advance. I tell the potential client up front, and if he can't wait that long, then I politely suggest that he might want to try one of my competitors to see if they can respond any sooner.

There are only 24 hours in a day, and you need to spend at least a couple of them now and then on yourself and your family!!!!!!!!!

Starch

joel_4

yup

those are the conclusions I've come to as well. Iwas hoping somebody had a Revelation for me.

Dale

I guess I don't agree completely

With the rest of the posts that is, Sounds like your business is trying to grow and you're holding it back, perhaps this is what you want as the jump from one million to 10 million seems to be the huge leap for most contractors. That kind of growth takes the leader out of the field, where the technical satisfaction is and into the office looking to the future most of the time, the daily do work being delegated to the rest of the team. It also sounds like you're working too many hours not really believing that anyone else could do what you do. Again, I'm not saying that growth is necessarily good just that to grow or not should be part of the choice. Perhaps this is one John Hall could speak to, kind of like the grain farmers where I used to live finding out that 1200 acres was about all one family wanted to handle alone.

Patrick_15

guess I am missing something, are they calling for repair estimates or for a new system?? If it is for repairs send a tech and charge them for the time. If it is for a system replacement then unless it is a emergency they are being unrealistic. Even if you could get there they will have to wait until you have time to do the job, imagine the phone call then. I have found that the people who scream the loudest take the most time to make there decision, if at all.

anthony_7

Not the right thing to do! Looking from the outside in.

Being a business man myself. In the computer business and time management though. I have learned a couple of things

- It takes lots of referrals to get one job, but one complaint and your rep is ruined.
- Your current customers will be your best advertising.
- Treat the customer as if it was your own mother/father or kids.
- GROW THE BUSINESS. INVEST IN IT.

If you tell people to wait weeks and weeks for someone to come and they call another company and they get the job done in a better time frame its those guy that this persons friend, uncle, father will use next time.

I know you guys are loaded with work these days. Also not sure what kind of ship you run with men etc. I have some tips for you.

- Greet every call as if it was your very first one and be courteous and respectful. I am sure your that way when it is payday
- How do you feel when you have to wait weeks to get paid from a complete job becuase you can't get a hold of your customer.
- Hire a girl/guy to field and answer all calls. Answering machines and voicemail stinks. Get an answering service at least. Then once you get your calls for the day have someone prioritize by job, location, need, etc every day.
- Then CALL BACK the potential customer and explain when you can have someone come out and visit.

This can get really detailed but I have studied this for years and changed several companies to run more efficently with less by taking steps out to be more improved.

If you want some more tips feel free to email. I am just a big fan of customer service and it seems these days everywhere you turn it it lacking.

hot_rod

Not an uncommon problem

As a one man shop I see this on ocassion. I have found two other large companies I can refer service calls to when I'm booked. I would much rather send them to another company,that sends me radiant leads, than lose them completly!

A seperate service department would be another option. treat it as a seperate business from the new installs to track profitability. When service calls are slow between heat and cool seasons, have the service personal do clean and checks on the service agreements they should be selling. Lock up the good, paying customers, this way and assure work for the service techs when the phone is slow.

There will never be a perfect balance. Seems it's always too much work, or too many guys standing around. Keep trying ideas to find what clicks in your market. It varies widely from area to area, generally weather related.

hot rod

Jackchips

Some great advice

so far. I got out of business over 18 years ago for two reason: 1-before cell phones and answering machines the phone started to make me jump while reading the paper or sitting and relaxing; 2-to much business and I had no desire to grow. I knew it was only a matter of time that I would even have to give up some good accounts and they would be lost to someone else.

I feel Dale is right on-your on the next step of growth and undecided which way to go. Is this close?

Hot Rod, also and as usual, has sound advice but the final decision is and will always be yours-good luck.

Oh, by the way how's my estimate coming? :-)

Jack in Northbridge

joel_4

service/installs

Just so everybody is clear,I'm not talking about service. I'm not a 1 man shop, and I typically don't work in the field. We respond quickly to service calls and i have two office women one at 40+ hrs for phones and billing and other simple stuff and one at 20+ who does all the major accounting ,payroll, tax stuff etc . These customers are people who want a new A/C system are doing a remodel want a new boiler etc. Example I met with 12 potential new customers last week for A/C in old houses, boiler replacements, 3 where big additions. Plus the stuff my regular custom biulders and architects feed us. Which could be 0 projects or like last week was 3 projects all complex time consuming stuff to figure out (one of the houses even has a grass roof!!). Right now i need to clone myself.
Jack you'll be getting you quote next week , I'ts saturday and I'm going to try to do some since it's quiet in here.

hot_rod

sounds like

a normal week joel(G). There's never enough hours!

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Mr. Bill

Sales calls

First question, what is your hit rate?
If it's less than 25%, perhaps you could screen potential sales a little different and weed out those people you won't sell to any way.

Second question,
Are you paying yourself for those 15 hour days?
If you are you'll have to decide if your willing to pay yourself 1/2 (7.5 hrs.) and pay a sales rep the other 1/2
If you're not why bother, lifes to short. Jack up your rates untill the calls become manageable.

Or you could always try a person on commission, no sale-no pay.

Good luck with this high class problem.