Convert MORE calls into paying customers

Andy
No, not really. But I could talk about the weather.

Ange
Really?

Andy
Rain. Rain and more rain. But I do have a book recommendation for everyone.

Ange
Okay. Hang on. Hold up, Mr. I don’t read, but I have a book recommendation. Must be good.

Andy
Yeah. But I love a good audio book and this is definitely a must read. It’s an oldie, but it’s super relevant still today and it’s also really well known. The book is called How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Ange
Yeah, I love that book. And it is an oldie.

Andy
It’s good. It’s so old.

Ange
So tell me, what did you actually love about it?

Andy
I loved that I received it as a gift for my 21st birthday from some close entrepreneurial mates of mine, and they said, you have to read this book. And I’m not a reading type of guy and I started the book, but it really basically taught me how to connect with people and build relationships. And that is such an important thing when it comes to being a growing business these days. And it’s basically learning how you can become a more likable person.

Ange
Well, you’re not a likable person. Is that why you like the book?

Andy
Whoa, whoa, that’s a bit harsh. It’s a bit harsh. I found it a great reminder about those small things that are really, really important. And even just remembering someone’s name and making them feel good about themselves is a really good start to building a long-term relationship.

Ange
Yeah, agreed. Look, it seems crazy that we are humans who are actually built to make connections. Yeah. Should read a book to teach you how to make connections and be likable.

Andy
I tell you what, I think every kid under 25 years of age that sits there with their head stuck in their phone, has to read this book about making connections. But the thing is, we’re really not taught how to make friends when you’re a kid these days. You know? So if you’re shy or you struggle to talk a little bit, then often you grow up and you’ve got quite a few hangups and it can be tough communicating with people.

Ange
Yeah. And as a trade business owner, then the importance of knowing how to hold a conversation and build these strong relationships, not just with your team, but with your customers, your suppliers. In fact, anyone you actually come in contact with on a day-to-day basis can make for a much smoother business experience. Becoming liked and therefore I guess a bit influential is key to being a great trade business owner.

Andy
Absolutely. And also to be a leader. And the book is built around exactly that. You know, it teaches you heaps of tips on how to be friendlier, how to make more relationships, and as they say, how to win people with your way of thinking and become influential.

Ange
Yeah, look, it’s one thing to be likable, but it’s quite another to be considered a leader who others will follow. So I guess to sum it up, if you are looking for some tips on communication in general and how to build relationships to ultimately become a great leader, then I agree, Andy, this is a great book to check out.

Andy
Absolutely. So let’s get back to today’s episode.

Ange
Today’s topic is all about influencing leads to convert into a job.

Andy
Right. But the first thing I wanna start with is a question for the listeners. When you are answering your work phone, what is the sole purpose? So Ange, what’s your answer?

Ange
Well, to turn them into a job or correction for some tradies, the first step is actually to get the potential customer on the phone to say yes to them coming on site to even give a quote.

Andy
Exactly, and that’s the name of the game in the trade business to complete multiple profitable jobs within a week, within a month, within a year. So what I ask you, how well are you converting every single call and making them a paying customer?

Ange
Look, that’s a really good question. I’d say that most trade business owners are super hungry for work when they first start their business. They’re desperate for work in general, just to fill the week and make money, and therefore they’re super keen to answer the phone.

Andy
Yes, it’s true. You know, I used to fall over myself answering that phone thinking this is the next paying customer. Yeah, baby. You know, I was seriously like a hungry dog.

Ange
But then you get super busy on the tools completing the work. So let me ask you this. What happens to the calls then?

Andy
You know, you can get super busy and you think, ah, this bloody phone, does it ever stop ringing? You know? But over the years past, sometimes you become complacent as well because you have a lot of work. You’ve been in business for a long time. You’re like, ah, yeah, they’ll probably ring back. And both of these being lazy or complacent is not a good thing at all.

Ange
Basically your interest in answering the phone the right way completely goes by the wayside.

Andy
Definitely.

Ange
And your enthusiasm gets lost.

Andy
It exactly does. And you’re on the phone and potentially you could lose that job opportunity just by the way you answer the phone.

Ange
Yeah. Like simple things like not answering the phone saying your company name or even your name.

Andy
Yeah, you really just need to have a process to ensure you’ve captured all the right information as well, and that really helps with the conversion.

Ange
So we seem to be right back where we started talking about this word conversion.

Andy
Yes.

Ange
So basically what you say and how you say it can increase the chances of that potential customer to say YES to you coming on site to either do the job or quote the job. And you know what? That’s what we want in its simplest form.

Andy
Yeah, exactly. And to ensure our team answered the phone correctly every time we created the call converter. It’s our exact nine steps that you need to follow in order to ensure that every phone call turns into a job.

Ange
Exactly. And you know what, my friends, that’s what we’re gonna share with you today. So what is the call converter? And we wanna share with you the exact nine steps.

Andy
Okay! I can hear you guys out there thinking right now, do they think we are dumb? How hard is it to answer a bloody telephone mate? But guess what? You gotta listen to this because a lot of you aren’t answering the phone the right way and it’s costing you potential sales.

Ange
Exactly how you answer that phone can make or break the sale.

Andy
And there’s some businesses out there that are spending a bucket load of money or marketing to actually make the phone ring. And then on the flip side, they’re not answering the phone the right way and they’re losing the sale, so they’re literally just flashing their money down the drain.

Ange
Absolutely. I recently recorded some training with some of our members in our free Facebook group, which is called Together in Trade Business on this exact topic.

Andy
Yeah.

Ange
I actually took them through the entire process in a video and shared a download that explained each step. So you guys, listeners, if you want access to the training plus a bunch of other resources that we’ve shared, then search in Facebook Together in Trade Business and join and or you know, check the show notes cuz I’ll put in a link to the group in there too.

Andy
Alright, so let’s get stuck in! The nine steps in the call converter are divided into three stages. Each stage is designed to move the customer closer and closer to saying yes to you coming out on site. Drum roll please. So the three stages are to build immediate rapport, be heard, and book the job. So let’s look at the first stage of, build immediate rapport by building trust with the customer. Because the reality is people buy from people they like and they trust. We all do it ourselves, don’t we Ange? We love it when we go to our local coffee shop and they’re like, Hey, Andy. How Ange? He sort of makes you feel special, doesn’t it?

Ange
Yeah, it does. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is important. It does make you go back and,

Andy
and I know that if I’ve got two coffee shops to go to and they’re similar coffee, but one of them makes me feel special, then I go to that coffee shop.

Ange
So true. I’ll even go out of my way to go there. So for a trade business owner, you don’t have the luxury of having these five minute chats about the customer’s life. Instead, you are building this connection through the tone of your voice and the language you choose.

Andy
Yeah, and you can do this by starting with step one, and that is a happy welcome. This means answering the phones with a warm, happy tone in your voice and saying something professional along the lines of, good morning, good afternoon. ABC Plumbing. This is Andy. You must include the business name and you must use your name last. So that’s the last thing that they hear.

Ange
So tell me why.

Andy
Because you’ve just given your name, and not only have you made the conversation personal pretty quickly, meaning you are now an immediate friend, you know, they say behavioral science tells us that when you do that, you feel inclined to say the same thing in return. Hi Andy. My name is Joanne. I’m calling because, blah.

Ange
Yeah, so it’s kind of like when someone says, how are you? And your immediate response is something like, I’m good, thanks. How are you? It’s kind of automatic. It actually just rolls off the tongue.

Andy
Yeah, exactly. And it’s not that hard. It’s actually the first step to building rapport.

Ange
Yes. And another important note to make is the tone you use. So a lot of the time the person answering the phone is often you, the business owner, but you are also perhaps on the tools. So when the phone does ring, you’re often in the middle of something, like maybe you’re under a sink or you’re up a ladder, and the phone ringing is actually a nuisance.

Andy
Yeah. And the natural response for like a lot of us, that bloody phone doesn’t ever stop, you know? And you take a really long time to answer it, and sometimes you don’t even answer it and you let it go to voicemail or you answer it with a, Hello! Ah, yeah, what do you want, mate? And you don’t mention your name or your business name and you know all because you are a bit frustrated that the phone rang in the first place when reality is this is a really great problem to have. Remember you paid for the expensive marketing to make the phone ring, so be happy and answer it.

Ange
Yeah. And the customer cops the brunt of it. Yes. They can actually hear your frustration. And guess what they actually say to themselves, hmm, he doesn’t sound very nice. I won’t get this guy to come to my house. And just like that, you’ve lost the sale. Ouch.

Andy
Yeah. And it is so true, and everyone these days, it’s just so easy to Google it or make another phone call just really quickly. So I find these days that a lot of people aren’t leaving voice messages. Maybe repeat customers are, but new customers, they’re not even leaving voice messages that are going on to the next phone number. So what you should do is change the tone and actually sound like you care. You know, they want you to be happy when you’re answering the phone with a flat delivery. Like, hi, ABC plumbing versus, hi, good morning, ABC Plumbing. This is Andy. Makes a huge difference whether they take the next step to saying YES for you to come on site.

Ange
Exactly. And if it’s too hard for you to answer the phone, you probably need to think about who might be better to do that. You may even need to outsource this to perhaps a VA or hire someone within the business to do it because you don’t wanna be missing these phone calls.

Andy
And if it’s still you and you’re a one man show and you are the business owner and you find it hard to answer the phone all the time, another option is you could have a really good scripted voicemail. But as I mentioned before, I just think society and life these days is, people want an immediate answer and if you don’t ring them back straight away, there’s a real good chance you’ve lost them.

Ange
Agreed. Okay. Let’s move on to step two.

Andy
Which is, clarify the problem. You know when customers are ringing you, they’ve got a problem and they wanna tell you about it, and sometimes you don’t even need to ask because naturally it rolls off the tongue. I’m giving you a call because I need help with this.

Ange
Yes. You do really wanna listen to them and take note of their problem, but it’s important to roll quickly into the third step, which is about asking for their details, like their name and best contact phone number.

Andy
Yeah. We go straight into the name in their mobile number straight at the very start. And for us, that just sort of stops the time wasters of people asking a million questions. I go, well actually I just need a tap fixed and go, that’s okay. If we can just start with your name and start with your mobile number and they go, oh, I’m just looking at a price. And we go, that’s okay. Mrs. Jones, if we can just start with your name and your mobile phone number, and then you get their address and you follow the same procedure every time. Because if you don’t do that, sometimes they’re just complete time wasters and they are gone.

Ange
Well, they’re often actually hunting for your hourly rate. So it is important that you keep pushing back about getting their phone number and they’re, we’ve already given your name because we don’t wanna be wasting anyone’s time. They’re literally just starting to shop around for the best price. And so don’t ever tell your price over the phone. Yeah. It’s literally a race to the bottom.

Andy
Yeah. There’s so many tradies that still tell their price over the phone and, and you know what? I’m really not a fan of it. You know, if you are telling people a price over the phone, not always, but a lot of them are price shopping, and they’ll just ring another three or four guys. And if they’re saying the price over the phone as well, at the end, you could have even been the cheapest. But they’ll just go with the last person they called. You’re just doing yourself an injustice.

Ange
Well, they won’t remember the fact that they’ve made four phone calls and you were number two even though you were the cheapest price.

Andy
Yep. And, and not always, but a lot of them are D-customers.

Ange
Correct.

Andy
Not always though.

Ange
So that’s the first of the three stages of the call converter. Done yeeepeey!

Andy
Woohoo.

Ange
So let’s move on to the next one. So the second stage is, be heard, and it’s all about making the customer feel like you’ve really listened to them and that you understand the work completely. So this is gonna cover steps four, five, and six. So the fourth step is gathering the facts and digging into the customer’s problem a little bit more.

Andy
Yeah. So I’ll give you an example, you know, that may have mentioned they’ve got a leaking tap. You know, I, we like to dig a little by asking questions like, where is the tap located? What type of tap is it? Is it a quarter turn tap or a half turn tap? Is it a mixer tap? It proves to them that you know a little bit about what they’re talking about, but it also adds a little bit of confusion at the same time.

Ange
So it might seem a bit savage, I guess, confusing the customer on purpose, but it makes them realize that their problem might not be as simple as just fixing a tap. It’s actually a little more technical than that, and that you are the right person for the job because you know what you’re talking about through the questions that you’ve asked. So if you’ve got an admin or dispatch person answering the phone for you, then you need to arm them with a few specific questions that they can ask to gather information on your behalf. And then this flows into step five, which is feedback. The facts.

Andy
Yeah. This step means that you’re repeating the problem that they’ve got, you know, like a leaking tap in the main bathroom and it’s a mixer tap. It just gives the customer confidence that you’ve actually heard what they’ve said and you understand exactly what the issue is. And once they confirm, That’s the problem. You roll into step six, which is setting the rules, and this is one of the most important bits.

Ange
Yes, I was gonna say exactly that. So setting customer expectations on how you and your team work is super important. So for example, in our plumbing business, Dr. Drip, we would literally say to the customer, so how we work Mrs. Jones is we charge $55 diagnostic fee, which includes the master plumbing coming to your house, having a look at the problem, and providing you with an upfront cost for any work or testing required. And when you go ahead with the work on the day, the $55 is waived. We also require payment on completion via cash or credit card. And you know what I understand, not all businesses operate this way, but prepping a customer on what’s required from them before you set foot on site, makes for a much smoother process once the trades person is actually on site. So even using the words. When you go ahead, for instance, is being presumptuous that they’re actually gonna say yes to the work.

Andy
Yeah. And I also wanna clarify that we did charge a $55 diagnostic fee. I know those fees have gone up a little bit now, but if they didn’t go ahead with the job, it was important that you needed the charge and that. And some people would push back and say, I don’t wanna pay for a quote, I want a free quote. Which we would respond with something like, we understand, but we only charge a $55 diagnostic fee to drive to your house. Spend half an hour to an hour with you. Go through what needs to be done, and if you need to go ahead with the job anyway, don’t you, Mrs. Jones? And they go, yes. And go. Well then it is free.

Ange
Yes, because it’s waived. So would anyone push even further after that?

Andy
Yeah, for sure. Some people were like, well, if you’re gonna charge me for that, I’m not gonna go ahead with the job. And you say, well, we’re, we’re sorry that you think that way. Um, you know, for the amount of time and effort and the cost of running our vehicles and coming to onsite to give you half an hour, an hour of our time of professional advice, we actually think $55 is very fair. And then sometimes after that people go, oh, when you put it that way, it is really fair.

Ange
And if they still kicked up a stink?

Andy
Well, that was definitely a D-customer and would say to them, listen, Mrs. Jones, thank you for your phone call today. It sounds like our company’s not suited for you, but we wish you the best.

Ange
Correct. So in this, set the rules part, I do wanna add that we also made sure that every customer was aware that we took payment on completion of every job. No excuses.

Andy
No excuses to the point that our boys knew that we’d say that and we’d trained everyone to know, because some customers are trying to throw a little bit at the end, they go, oh no, the office said I could pay later. And our boys would say, well, that’s definitely not the case. We have a strict policy. And they go, oh. Well, we can give the officer a call now. They go, oh no, don’t worry, we’ll pay. And they say, but I’ll direct deposit later tonight. And we were even at the stage, we go, that’s okay Mrs. Jones. I’m happy for you to direct deposit, but if you can go and do it now and we’ll just wait and if you can just show us where the money’s got, like we really would take it to the next level. And I know that almost feels like we’re not trusting our customer, but we had less than a few thousand dollars outstanding on a company that was turning over a lot of money. And it was the only way to fly and, and they understood it cuz our jobs, everything was done on the job. And that just saves all that rubbish amount of time that happens in the office for most businesses.

Ange
Well, the expense that you have of your office person now chasing that debt that now turns into 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. And the customer now actually has all the power because the job is finite and it’s over.

Andy
Exactly.

Ange
So it is a ridiculous amount of time chasing invoices that you don’t wanna do. So it is important, especially if you are a maintenance business like us, or you have a capability of collecting money on completion of a job at any point. You must change your processes and your technology to allow it.

Andy
And that’s why it’s so important that we started a business to be able to be in control. And we wanted a business that we could run like we wanted. Don’t let your customers dictate what you really want. And so many business owners out there, the dead set pushovers and, and the customers treat them like dog shit. And we’re the business owner. It’s our business. This is how we work. You do it in a very polite way. This is how we work, and this is exactly what’s gonna happen, and that is the best way to run a business. And that saves all the drama in the back office and wasted time like you just said.

Ange
That’s right. So setting these rules and you agreeing on what they are for your trade business is important so that you are saying that at this point on the course, so the customer is aware. But inclusive of that, ensuring that you’ve done all your training with your team. So they are really confident and give them even language to say to a customer in different circumstances they might find them in to ensure that the money actually gets collected.

Andy
Well, that’s where also, you know, we teach, we train our boys to such a degree that any response the customers have, we’ve always got a response that we’ve trained the guys on how to react.

Ange
Correct. And delivering those sentences with calm and confidence.

Andy
Ah, yeah, that’s important.

Ange
So this helps us move now into the last stage of the core converter, which is all around booking the job. So this is gonna be step seven, eight, and nine. These steps sound really simple, but there’s a bit of science around them.

Andy
Well, there is, because a lot of times, uh, the customers ring up and then we say to them, so when would you like us to come? But then the customer dictates what is perfect for them. But as a business that maybe has a scheduler or you do this dispatching, you might do a broad area. So you need to make sure you’re, you’re slotting these jobs in near, other jobs that are around the area. And so you’ve gotta be very smart about how you do this. So for us, we never really let the customers dictate. We give them opportunities, and what we do is we start with step seven, which is, suggest the time and a day. And we’d always give them a yes or yes question. So it’s really important to say something like, we have a spot either on Wednesday at 7:00 AM or we’ve got a spot on Thursday between 9 and 11 AM. You know what you don’t say is one of the best days suited to you because it’s such an open-ended question. And a lot of the time they’ll pick something that doesn’t suit and then you’re saying no to them.

Ange
Yes. And if I looked at this question through the eyes of the customer, your question of, and which day is best for you? My mind’s drifted into my entire messy week about everything that I actually have to get done. And guess what? Confusion leads to no sale.

Andy
Yeah. And giving them two options is great. They can say that one works and that one doesn’t, and just stops them, as you said, from being confused and or overwhelmed.

Ange
Yes. So once you’ve chosen a time slot, we move on to step eight, which is, add the Wow. Basically what you want is the customer to be left thinking I’ve made the right decision. So how do you do that and what do you say to make them think that?

Andy
Well, just like the coffee shop we talked about earlier, you wanna make sure you use their name. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but people love that you personalize what you say. And our last sentence would be, okay, Mrs. Jones, we have you booked in between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM tomorrow. The plumber will give you a call when he’s on his way to give you an exact time of arrival.

Ange
And hypothetically, if I was that customer, I’d now be super impressed that that trades business would even stay in contact. Normally I’ll be there on X day between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM and expect me to stay in the house all day waiting for you to arrive. I’m way too busy for that and you know what, these are those one percenters that make a huge difference to building trust when dealing with your customers. It’s what leaves them thinking, I’ve made the right choice.

Andy
And I just wanna add there that we actually, before we made the phone call to them, we found that if our tradies just made a phone call to the customer, the customer wouldn’t recognize the mobile number and they pick up the phone maybe 50% of the time. So then we changed it, that we’d send a text message from the office first, letting them know that David was gonna give them a call in the next five minutes, and then that phone call was uh, answered about 90% of the time. And this is all about building this amazing experience and connection with the tradie arriving at the door.

Ange
Absolutely. So then to put the cherry on the top, we are going to move to step nine, which is end on a high.

Andy
Yeah, exactly. It ends the call politely with a simple, Thank you so much for calling Mrs. Jones. Look forward to seeing you soon and have a great day. And you know, as we mentioned, when they hang up they think, oh my God, that’s such a nice person. Um, I’m gonna tell my family and friends about this because you’re building this really good trust with this potential new customer.

Ange
Yes. So this is the steps of the call converter. It’s actually the exact nine steps you need to follow in order every single time to give your business the best chance of converting the prospect to a paying customer. It’s all gotta be delivered really, genuinely, politely, and with a smile on your face. Because the ultimate goal is having the customer say yes to you coming on site to either do the work or provide a quote.

Andy
Exactly. And then when you’re on site, there’s a whole nother process to follow to make sure you are increasing your quote conversion. But you know what Ange? That’s a story for another day.

Ange
Now you are jumping the gun, Andy.

Andy
Oh.

Ange
One thing at a time. So like I said earlier, the call converter process is super simple to implement but can reap massive rewards. So if you wanna watch a video where I take you through the call converter in detail and a template to help you craft your rules and your scripts, then head to our free Facebook group Together in Trade Business to watch the training today. So search together in trade business on Facebook, or head to the show notes for the link.

Andy
And I must say this call converter is top level training and it is really critical to do what we’ve explained and to be able to watch that video and go through it more on a step-by-step basis. You will definitely love it. So I think that’s getting close to a bit of a wrap, and I would love to hear your stories out there and how the call converter worked for you in your trade business. So drop us an email at podcast@lifestyletradie.com.au and we’ll catch you next week.

Ange
See you then.