What Do You Say To This...

We have all had this question before. It can be phrased several different ways, “Ball Park Pricing” or “Approximately” are the most common examples. I personally get this from several different kinds of buyers weekly. My first buyer is just looking for pricing for whatever reason. They might be closing on a house and looking for costs or budgeting for income tax refund day. In my case this past week, I visited an investor who just bought a 2 bedroom house and wanted to make it a 3 bedroom house and add a bathroom.

Read More...http://www.contractortalk.com/articles/2014/08/what-do-you-say-to-this-what-do-you-think-this-will-cost/

Justin

What To DO With Upset Customers..

Man I had a doozy today...

A good close customer to me went nuts today. I had to stop and listen to the concerns and knod my head. Listen to their argument while keeping eye contact the entire time.

Complaint: My A+ Trim carpenter screwed some crown molding up and made a mess. Come to find out he got real busy and subcontracted the job and his sub screwed up. Marked up freshly painted walls, smeared fingerprints on new doors..The works.

I had to just sit and take the lashing like a man.

Here is the steps I used when getting a good lashing:

1. Keep Calm: My body language during the lashing was arms down and not aggressive what so ever.

2. Listen: Maintaining eye contact and nodding my head showed engagement and I was listening.

3. Response: Maintain control of the situation and explain how you will rectify. I like to take personal responsibility even if its not my direct fault.

4. Commitment: This mess will be cleaned up by tomorrow and I will make sure everything is taken care.

I saw a switch in their face and body language when I took these steps. I maintained the job and was able to gain trust back.

Please add your story below?
Justin

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Can You Get A Crew Together?

I love getting the calls every week from prospects looking for me to get a crew together. Typical conversations dont start with "Can you get a crew together?". This past week I decided to have some fun with the person on the other line. Here is the conversations:

ME: "Hello, this is Justin how can I help you"

Bill: " Hey Justin, my name is Bill and I got several properties were looking to rehab and I wanted to know if you have a crew or can put a crew together?"

ME: "WOW, Bill where did you get my information?" "I would love to help you, tell me more"

Bill: Goes on and on about investors, and addresses, and working with tight budgets, etcccc...(Minimum 7.5 minute explanation)

ME: "So, who referred me to you?"

Bill: "I got your info online and I like the name of your company, are you interested in these project?"

If you have been in business for decent amount of time you have come across this type call. They have no clue what you do and really have no interest in knowing about you or the value you bring to the deal. I am not interested in going through the hiring process for someone I dont know. Testing strangers out on customers I have never worked with before. Supervising multiple jobs and being pulled away from existing customers. What do people really think about what I do? Do they devalue my trade so much that they think I wave a magic get er done wond and the project comes together..

I usually let them off with I am too busy or I am just not interested. I decided to see how far Bill wanted to go with this. I meet him today and will follow up with everyone next week.

How do you handle this, tell me your story?

Comments welcome.

Are You Selling What People Want?

In my everyday business I run across a lot of people who think they know what they want. In truth, they have no idea.

I recently polled all my current jobs and the past thirty jobs completed. I had two customers that knew what they wanted. Two out of Forty, Approximately 5% knew what they wanted.

My question to you, how do you know your selling what people want, if only 5% know what they want?

Do you sell your products? Do you sell what you think they need?

My formula to make sure your selling what people want:

1. Sell based on results. (This is my secret sauce.) 
• Listen to what people want. 
• Reiterate to them what they want. 
• Add your professional opinion and thoughts. 
• The customer will get what there asking for and you add value by giving a professional opinion to re affirm the customers choice.

ReNegotiating After The Sale..

Have you ever had to renegotiate after a signed contract?

My usual experience with Re-Negotiating is Lose/Win. In business we go for the Win-Win, everybody gets what they want and everybody is happy.

Recent Experience: An existing customers of mine wanted a better deal after we signed a contract for several thousand and finished the same day. There justification was "Wait, I am paying you like $300/HR. That isn't right."

I know if you have been in business for any amount of time you have come across this.

This is my 4th or 5th experience with renegotiating and every time the customer wants to revise the contract nobody wins.

My latest experience ended in Win/Lose. I did not negotiate after the job was complete and the customer was upset. My justification, "I have been doing this same scope of work for 7 years and I know exactly how to complete all tasks efficiently. If I didn't know what I was doing and spent longer figuring out what to do on your house would that make you feel better served and justify the contract?"

Tell me your experience and solution outcomes?