Originally Posted By: aorear This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
This topic may or may not be of interest to the veteran home inspectors out there. However, your experience is worth a great deal to those of us just starting out. I talked to Nick today who suggested I post this to see what we get. Here goes…
WHEN THE PHONE RINGS, HOW DO YOU LEAD A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER INTO CHOOSING YOUR SERVICE?
Nick promises to re-post "A copy of the world's best telephone flow-chart script is available to members. This flow-chart is guaranteed to "convert" most price-shoppers into scheduled clients.", which has been out for revision.
Your experiences could be immeasurably valuable to our rapidly growing organization. Dare I suggest maybe a NACHI publication or training course?
Originally Posted By: Russell Stephens This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I would like to know to. Naturally since I am starting a business I checked out some of my competition in my area, and needless to say they talked so fast or rambled on about a bunch of crap that did not interest me (or home buyer). Seriously I was ready to shoot my self after a minute on the phone with one of these guys. lol. I just don?t want to bore my potential customers. I do have a lot of phone sales knowledge so I hope that will help me.
Originally Posted By: jmyers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Using a cell phone as your office phone will help you not miss out on inspections, the downside is that while you are on a job you do not always have time to talk and write down information. I offer to call them back when I am finished and I give them a time frame when I will be able to do that. I have never missed out on an inspection because of it, most are glad then can get ahold of me any time of day, or night. As you might have figured out, they called inspectors before me and only got an answer machine.
Originally Posted By: rray This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
When I was considering buying this franchise, I researched my competition to see if there was room for me.
In our five "Yellow Pages," I found 189 entities claiming to do home inspections. Wow! No room for me.
Then I called 51 of them one day.
40 did not answer the phone in any form or fashion; no person, no voice mail, no nothing.
10 of them had an answering machine. I left a message stating that I was buying a home, needed a home inspection, and to call me back. It is almost two years later, and I'm still waiting for any of them to call me back.
1 answered with a person, the largest of my local companies; they have six full-time CREIA/ASHI inspectors.
I bought the franchise and am having a wonderful time answering the phone and chatting with people about real estate and home inspections.
Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Remember that a lot of people don’t know any questions to ask other than “How much does it cost?”
Spend some time educating them about the other issues before you give them your price.
I usually reply to the cost question with something like:
"It depends on the size of the home, the type of foundation, where it's at, etc. How familiar are you with home inspections?"
They usually reply "Not very."
I say "May I take a few minutes to help you understand them better so you'll understand the difference between our services and others, if you decide to call other home inspectors after talking with me?"
We go from there
Price is usually the last thing we discuss.
If they refuse the education, I usually jack the price because they'll be difficult to deal with at the inspection to. I usually don't hear back from those, but occassionally some of them will come around after I quote the price, start asking questions, and book the inspection with me.
Main thing is, DON'T just give them the price. Sell them on your services.
Originally Posted By: jhorton This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Being a one man shop in a small market I can’t be here to answer the phone. So I have added my cell phone number to my message. My message states that due to the nature of my work I am often out in the field and asks them to leave a message. If they have an urgent need to call my cell phone.
Can not say how effective it is but it gives them an option to reach me.
-- Jeff <*\\><
The man who tells the truth doesn't have to remember what he said.
Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Get call forwarding (with remote access) on your office line.
Forward your office line to the cell phone.
That way, even when driving to & from inspections, running to the post office, marketing, having a beer at the strip joint, golfing, fishing, etc, you are available to answer the phone.
The remote access lets you turn the call forwarding on & off as needed right from your cell phone.
My office phone is almost always forwarded to the cell as I am not always in the house when at home, but I almost always have my cell phone close to me.
Originally Posted By: rray This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Jeff, sounds like you need to get a wireless plan with more minutes so you don’t have to pay to talk to all those solicitors. Or sign up with the national “do not call” list.
Originally Posted By: jmyers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Alan,
Hello always helps! HA HA HA
No one here can tell you how to sell yourself, that is something you have to do. It helps to let them know you are intelligent and thorough but again if you are not that won't help you much, maybe even get you sued.
Keep it simple Alan, tell them about the good job you can do for them. Give them something no one else can give them.
Originally Posted By: ecrofutt This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
My phone and fax share the same line also, but I still keep it forwarded.
When I answer the phone and hear a fax tone, I just use the remote access to turn off the call forwarding. When the fax machine tries it's second, third, attempts (as most fax machines are set to do) it rings thru to the office and the fax machine picks up.
I wait about 15 or 20 minutes and turn the call forwarding back on using the remote access.
When the phone isn't forwarded, I have voice messaging on it thru the phone company and if someone leaves a message on the office line, the voice messaging calls my cell phone to tell me I have a message and then plays the message for me.
I'm not very polite to solicitors on my cell phone. As soon as I know it's a solicitor, I just say No thanks and hang up.
Bottom line is most customers just keep calling down the list until someone answers and that's who they go with. I want to be the one that answers the phone as much as possible.
I take the cell phone (set to vibrate instead of ring) into the inspection with me.
I don't usually answer it if the customer is with me, but I've booked several inspections when I answered the phone in the far corner of the crawl space or attic.
Be the one to answer the phone. It'll improve your bottom line.
Originally Posted By: rwills This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Erby, Thanks for the tip on call forwarding with remote access. I too forward calls to my cell phone before leaving the office each day. The problem was when someone tried to fax me (office and fax# is the same) it would forward to my cell phone. I called Verizon today and sure enough you can upgrade your call forwarding to include remote accessing. I never thought of it before since they mention nothing like it on their website. I know what you mean about booking jobs from crawlspaces, attic, roof, etc. By the way, ever notice that your always in one of these awkward places every time the darn thing rings? Thanks again, BW
