Things change in the blink of an eye – and that’s rung especially true these last couple of weeks. Globally, and right here at home, so much is changing and businesses, families, and individuals are having to adapt and react on the fly.
Overhauling your sales process in the face of a pandemic is … overwhelming, to say the least. Luckily, there’s a lot you can start doing right now that doesn’t completely upend the way you do business.
You can view all of our COVID-19 resources here.
In our Selling During Social Distancing webinar, we heard from a wide array of industry leaders and their advice on how to pivot during this time of social distancing. One of the great resources during that webinar was Ben Fisher’s take on how his company, Big Fish Contracting, is making sales as contact-less as possible.
Let’s break down his advice.
1. Address the elephant in the room. Ignoring COVID-19 and not addressing how it’s changing virtually every aspect of how we do business and live our lives is foolish. Instead, tackle the issue head on and let your customers know exactly what you’re doing to keep them, their families, and their homes safe. Outline your improved sanitation and cleaning processes, let customers know their options to communicate with you digitally, and be understanding of any customers who may need to reevaluate whether or not they want you to enter or work on their home. Remember — you don’t know everyone’s story, so don’t brush off concerns and be patient.
2. Start implementing as much technology as possible. Now is the time to lean heavy on technology in your business. With most people exercising extra caution around who they interact with closely, offering options for contact-less appointments, estimates, and work is going to be huge.
Some Ideas:
- Give potential customers the option to book their appointments online.
- Offer appointment confirmation and reminders via text message.
- Ask the homeowner to take photos and videos of the project in question, when possible.
TIP: Adding a homeowner as a Guest User to your CompanyCam account is super simple! - Give homeowners a call when you arrive on site, instead of knocking on the door.
- Thoroughly document each job with photos, and video when necessary, to keep the customer informed
TIP: CompanyCam keeps all your photos organized by project location and gives you the ability to add notes and drawings to photos, and even build custom reports. - Implement video-calls when you need to walk through paperwork, detailed estimates or plans, and to answer any customer questions.
TIP: Zoom is a great service that we use here at CompanyCam for all of our remote meetings. You can share a link via email or text with the homeowner for them to join the call, and you have the ability to share your screen for when you need to walk through plans. - Collect e‑signatures on any required paperwork to keep projects moving and keep customers comfortable.
3. Be adaptable. Things have already changed a great deal in the last week, and they’re going to keep changing. It’s in your company’s, and your customer’s, best interest to be adaptable and ready for anything.
We know there’s a lot of uncertainty right now, and you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by the looming what-ifs that all of this brings – but you’re not alone. We’ll be here providing as many resources as we can to help your business adjust and adapt to the quickly changing world we’re in right now.
Above all else, keep yourself, your family, and your teams healthy and safe. And wash your hands.
