The 6 Most Important Customer Expectations You Might Be Missing
Long gone are the days when a promise to do good work was all it took to earn a customer's trust. Today, customers expect a great price, details of how you will do the job, proof of previous success, and much more. We've outlined the six most important things you can do to ensure you meet your customer's expectations and win more jobs.
1. Calm Fears
In today's technology-driven world, many customers go to the internet for information before calling on a professional like you. They search to diagnose an issue, find contractor pricing, or even how to do it themselves. By the time they speak with you, they have some preconceived expectations that may or may not be in line with reality. Keep that in mind as you talk with them. Your job is to calm their fears and ensure they feel confident. Let them know you are there to help them and that your goal is the same as theirs. You can do this by asking them questions, listening, and allowing them to speak their concerns.
2. Stand Out
Think about how your company stacks up against the competition. What do you do better? Maybe it is the way your team works, the attention to detail, your teams' education or years of experience, you always use the best high-quality products, or you don't push high-end products when a value-priced item will do the job. Whatever sets you apart, highlight it in your proposal.
3. Be Detailed
As we mentioned previously, most customers have done some searching before meeting with you and likely have an opinion on what should happen with the job. Discuss all the options and include photographs of the project, videos of your process, drawings of your plan, and flyers about the products you will use. Explain why you choose this plan and what makes a different option less attractive. Then, if they get another bid from someone recommending a different solution, they fully understand their options and will pick the person who educated them to do the work.
4. Earn Trust
Customers are looking for reasons to trust you because it means they can stop searching for a contractor. Providing proof is the best way to earn that trust. You can start by including before and after photos of previous work. Ask past customers to write reviews on Google, Facebook, Angie's List, or Thumbtack. These are just a few free ways to show a history of success.
5. Know Your Value
Nobody wants to overpay for something, but you have likely been taught that when the price seems too good to be true, it often is. Your customers have probably learned the same lesson. If your bid comes in at an astonishingly lower rate than a competitor, it can cause doubts about your work quality. Know where your service, products, and reputation put you in comparison to others in your industry and price yourself accordingly. Don't overcharge or undercharge for your work. Most customers don't mind paying a little extra for professional service and a job done right. The ones that aren't willing to pay for value are likely not worth your time.
6. Be Humbly Honest
The old saying, "Mean what you say and say what you mean," is a great starting place, but a lot of contractors get caught in accidental lies. Accidental lies happened when we thought we were telling the truth, something changed, or the plan shifted. For example, when we believe a project will take one week but takes two weeks to complete, or when you say you will call at a particular time, and the day got away from you. These mistakes can ruin a reputation quickly. Despite your best efforts, mistakes happen. Still, the real problem comes from what we do after the error was made. It's always best to proactively take ownership of your mistake and apologize sincerely. Then, evaluate your process and make a change to ensure it doesn't happen again. This will prevent you from being caught in an accidental lie.
Learn How Contractor Accelerator Can Help
Thanks for reading our Blog. We love getting to know contractors so please reach out and let us know how we can help! Contractor Accelerator is a leading mobile software provider for residential contractors that seamlessly integrates job estimates, digital drawings, customer management, appointment scheduling, and more features in a single platform. The Kansas City based company focuses on creating easy-to-use technology for residential repair contractors to help them organize and automate their business and become more efficient to grow without sacrificing work-life balance. For more information, visit Contractor Accelerator at www.contractoraccelerator.com.