YOUR PHONE SALES ABILITY CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR BUSINESS! - AND MOST OWNERS / MANAGERS DON’T EVEN REALIZE THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR BUSINESS BY SIMPLY IMPROVING ON THIS ONE SKILL.
We’ve listened to hundreds of phone sales calls and one of the biggest realizations we’ve had, is that the person responsible for taking those calls can drastically improve ROI on Ads or Inbound Leads just by doing some training and having a phone call game plan. This can dramatically impact your ability to scale the business, especially if the owner isn’t on the phones anymore.
We know what the comments will say “I’m the best, I can close anybody”. And for some of you, that might be true, but for most of you, we can add a few steps to improve your process. While operators and managers are usually great at running the day to day and know everything about pool maintenance, most of them need a little help developing these important phone skills and systems.
This was our framework that was very successful for us and our staff:
Our Phone Sales Process:
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Opening the Call (Building Friendly Rapport)
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Answer the phone professionally and in a friendly tone. The customer should not feel like they are interrupting your busy day.
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Ask them how they are doing, use some friendly banter to lower the pressure of the call. Make them feel like you are just 2 friends chatting.
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Discovery (Identify Pain Points, Hot Buttons, Use Maps and Pool Details)
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Usually the customer will get straight to the point and say I live in “X” city and need a price on Pool Service. 1st ask them for the address to see if you service that area. If you do, tell them, “good news we have some availability that area” - Instill the idea of some scarcity right away.
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When they provide the address, look it up using Google Maps and use Satellite View setting (can do this on mobile phones and desktop). These are usually fairly up to date images and can give you a visual on the property and pool. Take note if it’s a huge property that will be hard to get to the pool, if there are large trees near the pool (even at the neighbors house), if the pool itself seems very large. All these factors will potentially impact pricing.
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Ask them about the pool. How many gallons? How old is the pool? How old is the equipment? Equipment running? Type of filter? When was it last drained and refilled? Is it currently green? Most likely, they won’t know the answers to most of those questions other than is it green. The point of the questions is to paint a better picture of any extra details you might need and to show the customer you are a true professional who doesn’t skip steps. The last guy probably didn’t do this.
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If they don’t know the answers to any of the questions and the pool is brand new (so not on maps), then don’t hesitate to ask for a couple pictures. For example, pictures of the backyard, pool and equipment. Usually customers are okay with this, especially if they failed to give you most of the previous info.
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Next, ask them if they are servicing the pool themselves or if they have a company now? If they have a company now, ask them what is going wrong. They will tell you everything you need to know. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Make notes on what they say. Has the previous company been skipping visits and not saying so, are they not brushing the walls? Are they very unprofessional, Way overcharged on a repair? etc.
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Tell them “so sorry you had to deal with that” no matter what they say. Show them some empathy.
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Present the Solution (Highlight Why You’re a Better Fit) and Price
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Now that you have all of the pool info, knowledge about the previous servicer and any possible problems, start presenting solutions, for example:
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Tell them how your team uses mobile apps that require pictures and notes to complete service so they wont skip steps.
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Tell them they can reach your company in multiple ways so they always can reach you if any problems come up.
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Tell them you have a rigorous screening process for the team to ensure they get a friendly, certified and safe technician.
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Provide them any solutions you can to fix their current problems. Show them you were listening!
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Close the Sale (Move Toward Commitment) and Book Them
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By presenting these solutions first, then providing your price, you’ve built a strong footing to get your price.
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Don't be afraid to ask for their business and just assume that it is fine with them.
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Say the price and then ask them if Thursday (Or your next available day) would work for them? If they need someone right away, then go and do a first time visit and then switch them to their regular day.
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The point here is to present the solutions and price, then quickly move towards the booking and setting up the payment.
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If they argue about the price and say the last guy was cheaper, mention that by using your service and paying a few bucks more per week (break it down in weeks, say $5 bucks more per week / NOT $20 a month etc.) then they can resolve all those previous issues with your more professional team.
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Keep moving towards booking, if needed provide a small discount or one extra service (filter clean etc.) to close the deal.
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VERY IMPORTANT: Give yourself an OUT. Tell them that when you come for the first visit, that you will do a full evaluation with pictures and will point out if there are any issues discovered that were not mentioned today or not previously known. Tell them that if any small adjustments in price need to be made, then we can do them at that point and it will be an easy adjustment. Also, mention to them that if any critical repairs need to be done, that we will alert them to it right away and they will get a discount on those service as a way to welcome them as a new customer.
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Finish and Follow-Up (Stay Connected and Deliver What You Promised)
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Once the booking is completed, service agreement is signed (if you use one), then thank them again and mention again when they will see you next to reinforce that date.
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Also, our company would do the first monthly charge right at that time, on the first call. Just pro-rate the amount if it is a half month for example.
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Lastly, show up and do the work as promised, when promised. Don’t be like the last guy they just fired.
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Yes, this will be a long phone call.
But after this call, you will have a new customer and not just the next appointment. The length of the phone call builds rapport and gets the customer mentally committed to your company. They feel welcomed, a bit tired and less likely to switch to someone else who might call them afterward. They are now YOUR new customer. Done deal. Any problems that come up afterwards will be easy to deal with, even, worst case scenario, a refund if they lied about everything and you have to drop them.
Key Tips for Success:
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Be empathetic and solution-focused.
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Keep moving the process forward after every solution presented
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Use their own words when addressing pain points to show you’re listening.
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Keep the tone friendly but professional, ensuring they feel valued and understood.
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Follow up promptly after the call via text to reinforce their decision. Thank them for completing the service agreement. Text a reminder the day before their first scheduled service to remind them.