Do you have a genuine interest in your customers and their lives?
Lets say you’re in the market for a new TV and you have a friend who sells TV’s. Where do you go to get your TV? Your friend in the TV sales industry that you trust, of course. (There is the exception of a few with “interesting” personalities who may look elsewhere.)
If someone wants you to bid a wood flooring job, guess what? They don't have a “friend in the industry” (if they do, maybe you don't want that customer). This potential customer will, more than likely, be getting several contractors to also bid on the job.
How do you get the job? Some do it with marketing tools, some with an extensive sales presentation, websites and referrals, while others will do it with price. What I like to do is get to know the customer. When I'm walking up the drive, do they have a great car or bike they take pride in? I look at what’s hanging on the wall. I try to always find common ground to start a conversation. A person’s home will always have on display something they love or take a lot of enjoyment from. It can be photos from trips overseas. I will ask about the photo on the fridge of the kid playing footy, or the trophy over the fireplace. But here is the important bit: Don't ask if you’re not interested. People always smell BS.
One of the last things I talk about when selling wood floors is wood floors. I want to get to know my customer. I will be in their home for a while, and also, for me, I want to know if they deserve one of my floors. We only have a limited number of floors we can do in our lives. There needs to be a relationship built, not just a transaction. I will always become their “friend in the industry.”
People ask about how many jobs I convert. It’s 99 percent of the people I want to give one of my floors to. The other bidders never stand a chance.
