Don’t Let a Prospect “Slip Slide” Away Without a Fight!
Don’t let price shoppers slip away! Learn how focusing on customer lifetime value turns one-time calls into repeat clients and long-term profits.
KickStart: STOP letting prospects get away! Instead, continue the conversation by 1) understanding their situation and 2) tactfully asking about their “projected budget”.
Look, we all love 💖 doing great work. KUDOS! 👍 But seriously…
Good work alone doesn’t pay the bills. Especially if your prospects, as Paul Simon used to sing, “keep on slip sliding away” before you can close the sale! 🙄
So, how do you handle a homeowner that ghosts you after a pre-inspection or says, “Let me talk with my spouse and I’ll get back to you”?
Do you meekly acquiesce by saying, “Okay, call me if you decide”? (While you mentally excuse YOUR failure to close with “She’s just another lousy price shopper”?😢
NOPE! Not anymore. Not if you want to build a High Profit Residential Services Business!
I tell every tech, office manager, and business owner I work with — get OCD about every single prospect. Every. Single. One. Why? Because of one magic phrase…
Customer Lifetime Value! Here’s why every call counts…
Let’s break it down:
1. Every prospect costs money. $$$
NEWS FLASH! Making your phone ring isn’t free. If you’re spending on ads, SEO, postcards, or a call service, each new prospect represents an investment. NOTE: Years ago, one of my coaching clients calculated it cost him over 80 bucks just to get a new residential lead to call.
That’s eighty bucks invested before you even get the job. Don’t let this prospect (and your $80.00+ outlay) go to waste.
2. Small jobs turn into big ones — and repeat ones.
Maybe you think, “It’s just a $150 service call, not worth chasing.” But this same client can easily spend thousands over the next few years — repairs, maintenance, replacements. It all adds up. 😁
3. Happy customers become Cheerleaders.
And these “raving fans” talk AND even better? Post 5-star online reviews! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ So, this delighted “small job” homeowner will refer you to friends, family, property managers, even insurance adjusters!
This word-of-mouth networking from just one “Raving Fan” homeowner can easily turn into $100,000.00+ for your company over time. That’s the real power of Customer Lifetime Value!
So how can you convert a “slip, sliding away” prospect into a booked job?
Here’s how to respond when (after you present the price) your prospect starts “bailing out” on you…
Homeowner says: “Let me check with my husband and I’ll get back to you.” 😮
You reply: “I totally understand, Mrs. Smith. But while I’m here, though — does the way I’ve written this work order fit your projected budget?”
Reminder: This phrase “projected budget” is oh-so-very-important! Nobody likes to feel cheap and/or denigrated for their economic circumstances. But this word budget “depersonalizes” your question because all businesses have a “budget”. 🤷🏼♀️
💡This reply keeps the conversation going. You’re showing respect and keeping control of the sale. (Memorize this reply or even tattoo it on the back of your hand!) 👌
Bottom Line
Don’t let leads go cold without giving it everything you’ve got. Every call, every inquiry, every “maybe later slip-slider” is a potential long-term relationship worth $1,000.00’s… IF you close the sale right then. (We’ll be talking more about this soon!)
When you think in terms of Customer Lifetime Value, you’ll stop seeing “price shoppers” and start seeing Lifetime “Raving Fan” Clients in every home you walk into — and that’s where the real money is. 😎
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