Are You Making It Easy For Customers To Buy From You?

A few months ago, my wife and I decided it was time to update our window coverings. We just needed to figure out what we could afford on our budget and which company was going to do it. I never would have guessed how difficult some folks make it to do business with their companies. It made me think about how many businesses out there trip over similar roadblocks and what we can to do make sure we avoid them.

The Initial Phone Call

The first challenge we ran into was getting someone on the phone. I called a dozen window covering companies in my area. Let me back up for a second. I don’t know about you, but when I’m looking for anything, my first stop is Google. I haven’t opened a physical phone book in the past decade. My search gave me 1900 results. I was surprised to find customer reviews next to some of the company links. I clicked the first few links, read reviews, and called a couple of companies based on the search results.

My next stop was my “go-to” site for anything contractor related, kudzu.com. It is a free service where customers login and rate contractors they’ve had experience with. There are a lot of similar sites out there. When you get a moment, you may want to visit sites like servicemagic.com, citysearch.com, insiderpages.com, or angieslist.com. Search for solar panels, solar power or green energy and see where your company comes up. More importantly, find out what customers have to say about your work.

These days, your web presence is so much more than just your actual website. Taking the time to search for your own company may help you uncover a bad review that’s costing you appointments, or a raving fan that deserves a thank you.

After putting a list together based on my web search, I began calling companies. It was frustrating to find about half sent me directly to voicemail. I ended up leaving 5 messages, but only 2 were ever returned. One of them at 9:30PM!

The other half had a live person for me to talk to, but no ability to schedule the appointment. I was told, “Our salesman will have to call you back”, “The guy who handles that isn’t in right now, would you mind calling back?”, or immediately transferred to voicemail.

Only one company I called had someone answering the phone who could schedule an appointment. She was courteous, asked some basic questions, and made sure the time worked for all the decision-makers. This company was ahead of the competition before they even knocked on my door.

What happens when a customer calls your office today? Will they talk to a live person, or get a recording? Do you have a process for setting the appointment? Does the person answering the phone have the ability to schedule an appointment? What are the chances you’re killing your closure rate before you even see your customer across the kitchen table? Is the way you’re handling the phone a competitive advantage, or a roadblock to doing business with your company?

For a lot of companies, implementing an effective phone script can be the first step toward competitive advantage. You can request an example phone script to get you started by clicking here.