5 Tips for making a good first impression
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All trades businesspeople that I've ever talked to advocate word of mouth as your strongest marketing tool, but that also means that the first impression you make may not be your website or Service Central web profile. Unless of course it's Word of Mouse (which we talk about here).
Making a good first impression creates stronger, longer lasting relationships because (as is often said) 'first impressions last'. It's also most likely to close the first sale ie win the first job. And that one job is just the tip of the iceberg of years providing your new customer with excellent service. But it all starts at the very beginning, so here are 5 tips to making a great first impression.
Great first impression Tip#1 Make a promise up front
Very often in a trades business, you're actually on the job when a customer calls or you accept a job. Service Central communicates that you'll be in touch within 24 hours, but your other customers won't know how long they may be waiting if they just get voicemail. Let your customers know when they can expect a call back - promise a call back within 2 hours, the same day, or in the next 24 hours.
Do the same for your email - send an auto response with a friendly acknowledgement of their email and let them know when they'll get an answer.
Brilliant - you haven't even done anything yet and already you've given them great service and useful information. Plus, if they know how quick the response will be, your prospective customer is unlikely to go looking for another business or accept the other business's quote.
Great first impression Tip#2 - Respond faster than they expect
The first step was to make the promise. We've all heard the maxim "Under promise and over-deliver" and that's what this one's all about. Of course, don't promise to get back to someone in 10 working days and then respond in 9 - that's just ridiculous (and common in some entirely non-customer focused organisations). A good yardstick (and one we use at Service Central) is to promise to call within 24 hours. That's 1 day, not 3 days of 8 working hours! Then, respond more quickly.
If you're really pushed for time, send an SMS or email letting them know you'll be late. Try not to though, because if the first promise you make is broken, you're probably not going to get to make more promises!
Great first impression Tip#3 - Be enthusiastic
Think of this first contact as a hot date with a gorgeous prospect. You're enthusiastic, right? Don't play games, don't play hard to get or make them wait for you to show how important and busy you are. If you've answered the phone, you've communicated that you've got time to talk. If you've called them, even more so! Also, lots of people multi-task during telephone conversations. Fine when you're talking to your partner or buddy, but not your customers. Customers can sense your lack of attention, especially when they can hear you drilling/typing/lifting heavy things in the background.
Great first impression Tip#4 - Eye contact
Okay, so not always possible on the FIRST impression but when you do meet someone face to face, LOOK at their face. Your phone isn't more important, neither is the job. Of course, extended eye contact can be seen as threatening so don't do the Hannibal Lector stare.
Give customers your full attention. Feeling like their opinions and insights are valued is important to customers, and if they are certain you're listening they'll also tend not to repeat themselves!
Great first impression Tip#5 - Leave good voice mail messages
First, don't leave a missed call without a voicemail. If a customer's set one up, they want you to use it. Many people don't return 'missed calls' on principle. Second, when you leave a voicemail message make sure it's smart and professional. Don't ramble, and keep it short and simple. At the beginning of the message, say your name first, then company name (time you called isn't really necessary) and phone number. Then speak your message and end with the same intro at the end (name, business name, and number).
If you're playing that ever-annoying game of voicemail tag (you're it!) then rather take control of the situation and leave a time that you'll call back or when you expect to be available.
It's a hard world out there, and business is too competitive to risk losing customers. Remember, even if you didn't purchase a job lead from Service Central, you've paid for that customer in some way - so don't throw away your dollars. It's not hard to make a positive impression - just think about the way you like to be treated as a customer. Follow the 5 tips above to stand out from the crowd and be more competitive.
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