Need Help resolving a client complaint.

[stevef1201]

having given estimates for many different things that looked like they need being done has not only gotten me the 'upsale', but calls from friends of thiers about upsale items. Have made a lot of money wit out selling becasue of this. also my cusotmers have expressed thanks for pointing out little problems that they could take care of before they got big. Also by letting them know about small problems, and how they can take care of those problems, thereby savingthem money, they will approach you for some of the expensive upsale items. I hope that this makes sense.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Two keys here, you cover your butt, if you want your lawn mowed and I notice it has an insect or maybe is compacted and will not turn itself around, I give you a quote, that way down the road you can't come back and say why didn't you tell me. So would you suggest when creating the bid, create the bid for what the customer asks for but also include somehow on the bid, additional services they could use and may elect to hire you to perform? Or should the bid only show services you have gotten the customer's ok to put on the bid? Also by letting them know about small problems, and how they can take care of those problems, thereby savingthem money, they will approach you for some of the expensive upsale items. I hope that this makes sense. This is a very interesting point too. As part of your sales presentation, if you point out small issues to the customer you have found, by explaining to them how to do the small projects, you actually build a better bond with the customer? Once you explain the process to resolve the issue, the customer may or may not choose to do it themselves? Maybe by knowing what is involved, they can make a better educated decision and where they might initially have thought the job would be easy for them to do, after you explained it, it might seem more difficult and they therefor would choose you to perform it?

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[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

So would you suggest when creating the bid, create the bid for what the customer asks for but also include somehow on the bid, additional services they could use and may elect to hire you to perform? Or should the bid only show services you have gotten the customer's ok to put on the bid?




This is a very interesting point too. As part of your sales presentation, if you point out small issues to the customer you have found, by explaining to them how to do the small projects, you actually build a better bond with the customer? Once you explain the process to resolve the issue, the customer may or may not choose to do it themselves?

Maybe by knowing what is involved, they can make a better educated decision and where they might initially have thought the job would be easy for them to do, after you explained it, it might seem more difficult and they therefor would choose you to perform it?

Your bid should contain a thank you for meeting with me today and allowing my company to provide an estimate for each of the following services you contacted us for...... then a We also noticed you would benefit from the following....

I personally brake each service down, what I noticed, what we can do, why and the cost, I quite often mention this when meeting the prospect.

Your second point sends a message in several ways, we noticed, we can provide etc. As a homeowner I may not notice everything when I call a service fellow, same as taking your vehicle in, if they suggest something should be fixed, why and here is the cost, it is a tremendous way to build the relationship.

In some cases maybe the client will do it, there are many ways to explain in a very suttle way, why hiring one of us would be in their best interest, not always but quite often, pressure washing comes to mind, the client is not going to get the desired results with a $99.00 big box store washer, I have a suttle line for this that generally works, more often than not if they try, they call us to do it right for them.

[Growing Green]

Great stuff! I've actually been doing that as I meet with the customers, but when I send them the estimate just to have it in writing I haven't been adding my prices for everything else.

Thanks for the info.

Matt

[Steve]

Your bid should contain a thank you for meeting with me today and allowing my company to provide an estimate for each of the following services you contacted us for...... then a We also noticed you would benefit from the following....

Andy,

Do you recommend this be giving on the spot while you are there with the customer?

Also, should the thank you and estimate be separate or on the same paper?

[picframer]

Originally Posted by Steve

Andy,

Do you recommend this be giving on the spot while you are there with the customer?

Also, should the thank you and estimate be separate or on the same paper?

Every client is a bit different, some you know from the start they only want/can afford to have what they asked for, I will always try to mention other things I see that we can do, I tell them I will provide an estimate for what they asked for and what other things we can do.

I have a laptop and printer in the truck and I have standard paragraph's covering a service that I tweak, I will sometimes provide a verbal quote on the spot and then email it from the truck or if I can't get wireless I can print it, in short every quote is in email or writing.

The thank you should be in person and in follow up email, in my opinion.