Many plumbing businesses are small operations. Typically, there are a few plumbers and maybe an administrative professional on staff. Some plumbing businesses are a one-person operation. Since it’s highly unlikely for a plumbing company to have a salesperson on staff, it means that the “sales” component of the business is up to the plumbers themselves. This is why plumbers that want to be able to grow their business need to be good salespeople, too.
Here are 7 tips to become a good salesperson:
Be friendly and approachable
Smile! People ultimately want to do business with people that they like. If you are personable, you will be able to close more sales. A gruff personality can be a turn off, no matter how good your work is or how competitive your pricing is. A positive, enthusiastic attitude can put the customer at ease. It all starts with that very first contact, whether it’s over the phone or in-person.
Be willing to network
In order to be a good salesperson, you need to be interacting with potential customers. For plumbers, it’s all about establishing a positive reputation within their service area. You can join local groups, donate to local charities, and attend local events in the community. As they say, “See and be seen.” Social media can also be a great place to promote your business and network with prospective customers.
Be knowledgeable
You need to be able to prove to potential customers that you are the best suited plumber for the job, which means that you need to know the industry inside and out. It’s a way to gain trust and ultimately earn business. Knowledge will also improve your confidence level. Ongoing training should be mandatory.
Be on the lookout for up-sell opportunities
There is a right way and a wrong way to up-sell your customers. If you do it the wrong way you may just turn your up-sell into an upset and a lost customer. Consumers will find out if you have sold them something that they did not need! If you do it the right way, you can increase your profits and make your customer happy! The first thing to do is avoid making an assumption of what the customer will or won’t buy. Always try to present your customer with several options and let them know what benefits each option provides so they can make an informed decision. If you assume they will only buy the cheapest option then that is all you will sell them. If you educate the customer and show them the advantages of a higher priced item, like better guarantee, less down time, higher quality, etc. they will be in a position to choose what works best for them. As long as you up-sell with honesty and integrity, you can increase your bottom line and provide quality service to your customers.
Be a good listener
There’s a good chance that a prospective customer knows very little about plumbing, which is exactly why they are speaking with you! When talking with prospective customers, listen carefully and give them your undivided attention. Don’t talk over your customers or overpower the conversation. It really comes down to being polite and having good manners during a conversation.
Be on time
Have you ever heard the expression, “If you are on time, you are late”? Always show up when you say you will, and preferably even earlier than that! If for some reason you are running late, get in touch with the customer and let them know.
Be grateful
You should always be appreciative of the business that you receive. Thank customers for choosing you over the competition. Make sure to follow up with customers after every job and ensure that they are 100% satisfied. Your focus shouldn’t just be on the sale but also on making the customer happy. Customers will remember that you made the extra effort to reach out which will get you repeat and referral business. Don’t leave a job and forget about the customer. Maintaining contact and forming a relationship with each customer can open the door to new business.
As you can see, none of these things are particularly hard to do. As a plumber, you might not consider yourself to be a salesperson, but sales really is a big part of the job and growing your business.
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