The initial phone call is one of the most important steps in the sales process. It sets the tone for the estimate and sets you apart from the competition. The average contractor will call merely to set up a time to meet, without building rapport or working off of a homeowner’s initial motivation.

We’ve found that the longer the initial call lasts, the better. In essence, spend time talking and making sure the client feels comfortable prior to the estimate. The degree to which this call goes well directly correlates to your opportunity of booking the job.

Keep in mind that an ideal initial phone call lasts roughly 10 minutes and includes the following productive elements:

Introduction

A proper introduction is critical to the success of this phone call. Introduce yourself and the name of your company. Provide a basic background of the company and briefly describe your specialties.

Establish Need

Ask questions to understand the customer’s need. What do they want to have done? Why? Each customer wants something unique and is looking for a particular type of contractor. Find out what’s important to this client. Have they had good experiences in the past with contractors? If not, this presents a great opportunity for you to surpass their expectations.

Job Qualification and Expectations

By this point, the customer is geared to reach the heart of the matter. Ask plenty of questions to establish expectations and requirements for the project at hand.

• When are they looking to have the work done?
• Have they gotten any estimates thus far? How many are they looking to get?
• When you have this information, prepare the homeowner for an estimate with the following details:
• How long the estimate will take.
• What information they should have ready.
• Encourage both decision makers to be there to ask questions.

Confirmation

Provide the customer with a few times slots for setting up an estimate. Later that day, send them a confirmation email with a link to your website and your phone number in case they have to reschedule.

Remember, if you make your initial phone call personable as well as professional, chances are the job will be yours.

Tags: client phone calls, phone call, sales

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Lead Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.