30 Nov The Squid Marketer: Educating Your Clients
Human Interaction and Customer Relations
You hear these words all the time. Treating your clientele like “Kings and Queens”. It is a known fact that this philosophy has a major impact on building a successful business. High End department stores, such as Lord & Taylor have been preaching this to their employees for years. There is an additional way to win over your customers and turn them into life long clients and I would like to discuss that with you in this article… EDUCATION!
I cannot understate the importance of educating your client base in our continuing quest to raise the professional bar, not just for the sake of your company’s image but also for our industry in general. You can go along way towards achieving this goal before you even arrive for your appointment and in the process, save the time you would normally be spending on the job site answering the questions most customers, especially new ones, seemingly always have.
How? By mailing out various client info aids and documents days before your scheduled appointment. In doing this, you will also be alleviating the anxiety many homeowners have prior to allowing a “new contractor” into their home.
Client Info Pack
Some items to mail along with your Customer Prep Sheet are as follows:
A) A comprehensive FAQ sheet listing and answering 5 to 7 of the most frequently asked questions such as “How long will it be before we can walk on the carpet after cleaning?”
B) Another sheet explaining some of the more common carpet problems such as loose rugs, soil filtration lines, etc. This sheet goes along way in your favor by letting the homeowner know when they may have a potential problem and the steps for remediation before you arrive.
You can also explain the many benefits of your add-on services and offer incentives without the face-to-face “high pressure selling” with yet another info sheet. Some include pamphlets explaining the numerous benefits of Teflon/Scotchguard treatments. We also include a Bait & Switch warning letter for those clients who may have had trouble choosing between you and the $6.00 a room company. This convinces them they are making the RIGHT choice and alleviates any fears they may have before you show up at the front door.
Using Psychology
In another article, I discussed the Dos and Don’ts of our business when making that
initial contact with a new client. Adhering to them, along with a smile and friendly,
pleasant demeanor, and the mailing of a client info package and you have won 75% of
the “battle” before you ever clean a fiber! What is the battle, you ask? That would be
winning a customer for life as well as a new cheerleader for your firm and NOT your
competitors!
Armand Taddeo