If you’re in the home improvement services industry, you know that delivering high-quality service is only half the battle. The other half? Convincing potential clients to choose your home improvement services over those of your competitors. You can effectively sell your services and significantly grow your business with the right approach.
We have created a strategic road map to help you navigate the competitive home improvement services market. We’ll discuss the importance of prioritizing sales, investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool, creating vivid project visions for your clients, and seeking feedback for continuous improvement.
We’ll also share tips on responding swiftly to leads, tackling client objections head-on, differentiating yourself from the competition, developing a referral program, and capitalizing on online reviews. In short, we’re here to help you elevate your sales game and turn potential clients into satisfied customers.
Let’s dive into the essential strategies you need to sell your home improvement services better — turning those bids into contracts and those one-time jobs into long-term relationships.
Make Selling a Priority
Although the quality of your home improvement services speaks for themselves, customers only experience that aspect once the sale has been made. Therefore, to win the bid in the first place, your organization must shift the focus from simply providing home improvement services to being a sales-oriented organization. You can do this by mapping your sales process, filling in any gaps hindering your win rate, investing in sales training, and tracking sales data.
Invest in a CRM
Investing in a quality Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is critical as your home improvement services organization grows its customer and lead network. This will help you keep track of all the pertinent contact and sales info and help your marketing, sales, and service teams better reach your target customers.
Paint Them a Picture
Ok, we don’t mean literally hand your customer a canvas you painted. Instead, help your potential customers see the end vision of their project by describing it in detail, showing them pictures of completed projects, walking through the space with them, gathering their vision for the area, and then helping them see that vision become a reality.
Ask for Feedback
You won’t win every project you bid on. That’s ok. But what you can do is learn from every project you bid on. For example, if the potential customer declines your bid, ask for feedback and why they weren’t interested in moving forward. This can help you tweak your sales process for future bids.
Don’t Leave Your Leads Waiting
Whether a lead comes to you via phone call, social media, or a form on your website, it’s essential to reach back out in a timely manner. These potential customers often look for quick answers, and the more responsive you are, the better your chances of winning the bid.
Address Objections Early
According to construction industry data, the average win rate for general contractors bidding private jobs is 25%. That means three out of four clients will have objections to your bid that stop them from moving forward. Start collecting the objections and building a game plan to address these objections early on during the sales process. This will help you flip the script and may turn an objection into a benefit.
Make Yourself Memorable
Your potential customers will be collecting bids from several of your competitors. This is your chance to set yourself apart from your competition. Ensure your quotes include your contact info and business logo and look professionally designed. We also recommend leaving behind helpful collateral, a branded pen, or another small item to remind them of your company.
Create a Referral Program
Finding leads and new jobs to bid on is time-consuming. By creating a referral program, you can turn your customers into a community of salespeople for you. Not only will this help you expand your market reach, but people are more likely to trust friends with personal experiences with your home improvement services organization rather than your sales staff.
Curate Online Reviews
Like a referral program, curating online reviews from your happy customers will help provide valuable social proof for your company when potential customers are researching your home improvement services online. Even if some of the reviews are negative, you can respond in a positive, helpful manner to show that your company is dedicated to keeping customers happy.
Partner Forward with Salal Dealer Direct
We team up with contractors nationwide to provide their customers with affordable financing for various solar and home improvement services.
We can offer some of the most competitive rates and dealer fees because we’re part of a member-owned credit union. That means our profits return to our members—and business partners—through lower rates and fewer fees.
Our Dealer Direct Financing programs feature:
- An online loan application with fast credit decisions and a high approval rate.
- Terms and loan amounts are available to fit various budgets and project sizes.
- Partners pay ZERO dealer fees on our standard program.
How to Start Offering Salal Dealer Financing to Customers
We’re serious about helping your business grow with fast funding times and personalized support from a dedicated and experienced team of lending specialists. To get started, our dealer application process requires these documents:
- Completed dealer questionnaire[
- Current income statement and balance sheet
- Copy of business license and/or contractor’s license
