I was wondering if any of you have or use a Sales Presentation Notebook or Binder, or anything other than a smile and an estimate sheet, when you go to a prospects home to quote a job.
Here’s my thought. I am trying to market my services to the higher end clientele in the area and I want to be able to do a great sales presentation when I do one of our [B][I]Absolutely FREE In-Home Consultations[/I][/B]. I want to be able to show them something that looks really nice, professional, and expensive. I can overcome the price objection with the sales pitch, I am just trying to increase the perceived value.
I have put a Power Point together for my “Sales Presentation Notebook”. Included are nice color pages with our goals, objectives, our guarantees, our services offered, prices, pictures of previous jobs, testimonial letters on customer letterhead, and several other key pieces of informational materials.
The goal is to be able to take this notebook into the house with me, sit down with the client, and show them what we are all about.
I know that some of you will think that this is a bad idea. I am of the opinion that you can only find out if something doesn’t work by trying multiple times in multiple situations.
I have a packet. It tell’s about our biz and why try should pick us over the other guy’s. It also has testimonial’s in there as well. I have pic’s of the house or biz that the testimonial is from. The bid sheet and a thank you letter for letting Simply Glass bid on there property. Thats it.
I use to have a binder full of before and after pictures when I was doing a good bit of pressure washing, but before and after pictures don’t really work with window cleaning, unless you’re talking about hard water stains or something.
I have thought about making a mini video about window cleaning in general geared towards larger commercial jobs. i would burn this to a dvd and mail it to prospects with a letter. There’s just too much stuff going on to do this right now though…
Hey Bert, I’ve been in sales all my life and the one thing I would say be careful of is this: do not create the idea in the customers head that this is going to be hugely expensive because of your marketing materials.
Most of us know that when a product is really expensive the salesman spends a lot of time creating value before giving us the price. I think your idea is great for doing deck restoration or gutter leaf protection, but I would try to keep it really simple on a straight up cleaning service or the customer is going to think they are paying too much.
Those are good points Steve… Ive sorta wanted to due a binder like this the past couple of years… It never made the way to the top of my to do list though…
I agree with Steve. You are going to be spending about 5 minutes just going over your material. That may be better for commercial stuff…big commercial stuff.
Interested to see how it works for you tho.
How I do it, I bought about 200 flash drives from Fry’s electronics that are 128mb each, I bring my tablet computer to the estimate and have the estimate sheet loaded and ready to go. Talk to the customer and write up the estimate on the computer, save it on the flash drive and give it to them.
The flash drive has my logo and info on the sticker, they have the estimate on the drive, and they got a free gift too. I have gotton many compliments on it too. The drives only cost 2.99 apeice/.
That is a great idea. What format do you have it saved in? have you had any problem with anyone opening it?
How I do it is the estimate sheet is for me, as I go around the house I write notes on it, information that is helpful to me. After I look at everything I get the price, I then write it on the tri-fold brochure that I give them. Our brochure has services, testimonials, a short FAQ page, and on the back a place for the price of services for window cleaning, as well as additional services, so that while I am there I can do some upselling.
I save it in PDF format. You can do that with an add on in word '07.
Or you can hit me up and I can send you a copy of adobe acrobat 9.0 pro extended…this program is bad ass- you can embed 3d images, and video right in the document. So say you need to send a progress report, you can send video of what the job looks like or what has been done…
Well, Steve, in a way, I can sure agree with you, especially from a consumer stand point. However, from a sales stand point (perceived value) I want the customer to think that someone is taking the time to come into their home, show them some work examples, let them read testimonials from other VERY satisfied clients, and do a well wound, very informative consultation. The whole point, and you’ll understand from your sales experience, is to answer every question they have and then ask for the sale. Did you know that 69% of sales are not closed because the saleman doesn’t directly ask for the sale? I am trying to improve my closing average to 98%. Right now I am at 90%. To me, showing up, looking at the house (or building or whatever) and writing an estimate, whether on site or emailing it later, doesn’t close the sale. You are asking them to call you if they want to buy. It is not nearly as direct as asking them IN PERSON to buy you. Beside, isn’t selling just a transference of feeling. If you make them feel good because you look and smell good, drive a nice marked vehicle, act professional, and then deliver a professional sales pitch, they, theoretically, should get a good feeling and buy on that feeling.
Another reason to do the notebook thing is to have an option, which I am going to explain later in detail, for an upgrade to a better package deal, and only let them get a taste of what it is, maybe even a tease of what it offers, to entice them to want more. The more they want, the more they are likely to spend.
No I understand your point, but I don’t plan on giving everyone the whole shpeill. The jobs that I know aren’t going to go for this type of pitch, won’t get it. The larger, more up-scale joints will get the whole pitch and then some. It will all depend on how I read the customer. Good point though. It gave me some more thoughts.
I do use a larger document with commercial jobs. When I submit a proposal, my estimate is color copied on very nice, thick, shiney paper, bound in a presentation folder with a clear front, has my logo and a picture of their property on the front page, and is usually 15-17 pages long. It works beautifully. In fact, I have had more complements on that. I have even had clients tell me how refreshing it was to have a contractor put that much effort into creating a professional proposal. I know it has gotten me more jobs.
I think that the USB Flash Drive is a great idea. I would love to do this because it would probably be cheaper on my expenses than the above mentioned proposals. I just don’t think that the 60-85 year olds, with millions to spend on the window cleaner (and other things) would understnad why I left them a dinky little thingamabob. But I think it would be great for others. I may have to try that idea.
A little more about the Sales Presentation Notebook…
What I am also doing in conjunction with this notebook, is putting together a new set of cleaning packages to offer the prospect. Of course I am not going to stop using the simple smaller “you have this many windows, it’s going to cost you this much to get them cleaned” stuff that I have used for a long time. But I am creating levels of service that no one else in my area offers. Kinda of a all-in-one cleaning package meets year-round service agreement type thing. The idea is to dazzle them so well with the first service, that they’ll be dying to have us back again. And with the deals I am offering, they won’t be able to afford to not have us back. Sure the costs of the packages are expensive to some, but the discounts and values that are included save them more money and time. I believe that it would save them more money that the cheaper other guys, as well as keeping us even more busy year round.
I am going to finish this project and give a test drive next spring when all the calls begin to come in. Right now, I am focused on getting our Holiday Lighting and Decor campaign kicked off. We start advertising this month, and next month is scheduling. October is installing all the way through mid-December. Busy times, my friends, busy times.
If anyone is interested in seeing the PP I have put together as my Sales Presentation Notebook, email or PM me and I will gladly share it with you. If you have read this post to the very end, I congratulate you and appologize for the burning sensation in your retinas.
Bert I really like the effort you put on everything you do, at least what is talked in this forum, it shows your professionalism and passion about your business, that’s motivational.
On this one I’m gonna have to tell you that [B]I[/B] wouldn’t do it, I’ve never sat down with a customer, 99% of them don’t have the time, and when you get to that 1% individual, I’d rather walk around the house with him and let him do the talk and show me this and that on his backyard, and then I show him what I can do for him, and then how much is gonna cost him.
I think we’re facing one more time what is socially accepted or not, and people don’t see the need to seat down with the window cleaner to discuss anything deeply, but if you call a kitchen cabinet installer, or granite person, then is obvious that they’d want to spend sometime talking and listening. There’s more complexity and most importantly, more money involved into that kind of projects. And leaning towards what Steve said, you might be putting them into that state of mind, and they’ll start thinking “mmhh I wonder how much this is gonna cost me” or even worse, I can get some one as good but with [I]less overhead [/I]and save me some $$$[I]".
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Hope you take this like what is, a personal opinion.
Thanks Carlos, for all the comments. I am quite motivated. Partially because of the economic downturn we are in-- I want to capture that much more of the available market share left by other companies in my area that are letting customers down by not evolving and growing their business. While these other guys are out just settling for what comes their way in the form of jobs for their businesses and not agressively persuing the ones that are being left on the table because some business owners are not truely caring for their customers. I want to be a diamond in the rough. I am trying to offer a level of service that puts those other guys to shame.
And while I feel that many of you that read this thread are too focused on the time wasted doing in-home, personalized consultations and higher costs associated with the service packages I am offering, I feel like I am attempting to care for my suspects/prospects/customers in a way that they want to be cared for. I am trying to get you all to look past the smaller issues of this thread.
I personally feel, that we are somewhat in this recession because no one wants to offer personalized service to their customers. No one wants to get out there and show people that they care for others. No one is willing to spend that time answering questions and asking for closes when they can take the easy way out and offer a price, aim for the target, and hope that they don’t miss. Well, to tell you the truth, I am setting my target higher and further than anyone expects. And, when you set a higher target, it innevitably leads to higher growth rates and bigger bottom line. I may be crazy on some of these issues. BUt thats ok.
I want their money. I am hungry for it. I am willing to stick my neck out there to make it too. These suspects have money that they want to spend on luxuries such as window cleaning. People are hungry for someone that wants to work hard for them. People want someone to put them on a pedistal and show them something. No one tells their neighbors, friends, and family about the guy that just gave an estimate, cleaned the windows,and moved on to the next job without surveying his clients. They tell everyone about the great experience they had with a local contractor that did an outstanding job, from start to finish, and how he follows up and continues to offer the same level of care that they are wanting for the entire year, and subsequent years following.
This country has become spoiled to getting what we want. Unfortunately, the people that offer services to others are partly to blame. The level of customer service has dropped, yet expectations across the nation have remained high regarding standards of quality service. Folks want the best value for their money. That is the goal of this whole notion of begining the consultation with a presentation of this magnitude.
When the dust settles and the economic health is back were it was, I’m gonna be the one on top of the pile waving my flag. I am fired up. I am hungry for enormous success. I will not settle for status quo.
I think all of you that have comments have really valid points. I think that some of you may be 100% correct. But I am going to play the part of dreamer and believer in the process I am endeavoring to grow on. I may end up being the martyr and die a horrid business death also. People said that Einstein was crazy. People thought the Napoleon Bonaparte was over-sexed and testosteroned psychotic. People thought that a black man could not be President of our country. The point here is that they all believed in what they were selling. I am certainly no Einstein, Napoleon, or Obama, but I am a little guy that has the urge to not only succeed in business, but to one day retire with a huge pile of money in the bank and a business that the kids can continue to work until they retire, all the while serving others.
Sorry for the rant. Its early and I got no sleep at the fire station tonight.
Bert,
I think I will have to disagree with you when you say we are partially in this recession because people dont give good service. People just got loans who were not supposed to, couldnt or wouldnt pay it back= then we got a problem.
I cant speak for the others, but to me, putting all the time and effort into a large proposal package- sure its a great idea- if the customer is willing to sit there and listen with the mindset of “this guy really cares for his customers”. The way I read- it sounds like we are wondering about the vast majority of other customers who may have a different mindset like “how much is this really gonna be”. So many shysters out there that talk a good game in other industries, that have alot of material in print, do it just to get the cash out of peoples’ wallets.
You can still show great customer service without what you are talking about, by other methods. Actions will always speak louder than words.
I do understand what you are saying and I think you are on to something and truley are a person who will stand out from the rest.
I’m hearing a lot of good idea’s here. Micah woild like to make DVD’s on his PC to give to potential clients, Someone puts his info on a USB device as a give away, nice! I’ve been thinking of putting something together myself. Any one of us with a decent digital video camera and a PC can build a real nice video presentation. I’ve used a company to duplicate my audio CD’s before called Discmakers. They will duplicate your video production on 3 color printed discs in bulk for as little as $.58 each. They will play on any PC or DVD player and look as wellas sound great. I’ve been thinking of doing just that for use at home improvement shows as well as larger commercial bid packages. Here is the link to thier bulk duplication page.
If you wanted to spend a bit more for a more polished look, they can put your DVD in a 4 or 6 page jacket which is like a DVD in a brochure for as little as $1.74 each (including thier graphics fee) or $1.98 for 6 panel.
I still havn’t decided on just what I’m going to do as of yet, but I’ll have to get on track soon as the home improvement shows are coming up in a few months.
I agree with both. Being a window cleaner and also a saleswoman. There will be some customers that want the inexpensive approach of a quick bid. No fuss. You need to decide which is which. As far as residential I could care less if they think we’re making too much money to market. I think you should always give a cover letter, an estimate sheet and some references. It shows your different from the low ball window cleaner for one and two aren’t we all in the business to make money. Why be afraid of that? If a customer feels your more expensive in some way, give him/her reason to want to pay for it. Good customer service is beyond any type of discount a person can offer and let them know that. I’ve used the quick estimate way and you seem to get a few people. But when you give a good estimate sheet, describing a little about your company, your services along with a few references, I have seen alot better results and people seem to respect you more than " you’re just a window cleaner attitude". It’s also good because many times an owner or manager is not at a commercial business, that way they get the message. But then again I’m new at having this business we’ll see what happens. Right.
