6 Ways to Make the Most of Every Customer
There’s much more to a successful business than installing units. It’s crucial to nurture your customer relationships to keep them coming back. For service, for repairs... but why stop there? It should be your goal to have them think of you first when it comes to anything that integrates with your installation.
From getting to know your customers, to improving upon your business model, here are 6 ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of every customer.
1. Get to Know the Customer and Their Needs
There’s a good chance that upselling is already part of your business model: You offer a baseline product and plan to sell a quieter, more efficient (and pricier) unit. How much more can you find to install for a customer while you're in their home? Pay attention to what your customer currently owns and tailor your suggestions to products that are of real interest to them. Ask yourself how else you can be of service to each customer you visit.
Tip: Create an online questionnaire that asks about your customer’s current products and ask them to complete it before your appointment so you can learn more about their needs. You’ll be more prepared to discuss add-ons at your appointment.
2. Stay Aware of Compatible Products
It’s important to stay on top of the latest home automation releases. More and more products integrate with the HVAC controller and system every month – Know what is available on the market and have relationships with vendors so that you're ready to make an additional sale while you're in the home.
If you’re installing a Nest thermostat, have a brochure ready for the customer that lists other home automation products that integrate with their new thermostat. NuBryte is a great all-in-one home automation platform that will soon integrate with Nest and gives customers several different smart home features.
Tip: Keep a spreadsheet of the home automation products you’ve installed in each customer’s residence and send an email when there’s a new product available that integrates with their current technologies.
3. Share Personal Experiences
Share, share, share! Whether it’s about your own home automation or how your friend’s brother has an innovative setup for his home security, customers will relate to you better when you’re sharing a real experience. Sharing cold information and facts about new products can cause some customers to zone out, so try sharing information in an engaging and relatable way.
4. Use an E-mail List
In this day and age, an e-mail list is arguably the most useful tool for keeping in touch with customers. In fact, a 2015 study from MarketingSherpa showed that over 70% of people prefer email over all other forms of communication. Whether you’re telling them about a new product or service (like #2!), promoting a sale, or checking in on their needs, email is currently the most effective method.
Believe it or not, there are several different FREE email management platforms that will help you maintain your email list and send professional-looking emails. MailChimp is one of the most popular and easy-to-use email platforms. Their Forever Free plan lets you have up to 2,000 subscribers and send 12,000 emails per month. Easily design emails with a drag and drop editor and keep track of who opens and clicks on your emails for more efficient follow-up.
5. Have a Functional Website
There are few things more frustrating than trying to find information about a business, only to be taken to a website that looks like it was created in 1998. Just like your email platform, there are several FREE website creation platforms that are surprisingly easy to use (without hiring a web designer!). Simple websites can be created using Wix, which features a drag and drop editor and many templates to make your website look professional.
Tip: Make sure to have your contact information and services on your website. Bonus points for setting up scheduling on your website so customers can easily create appointments.
6. Pay Attention to Online Reviews
Have you checked your online reviews lately? Yelp, Google, and Facebook are a few of the most-used platforms for customers to share reviews, and often a first-stop for potential new customers. In fact, according to Invesp, 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business and customers are likely to spend 31% more on a business with “excellent” reviews. If your business has less than 4 stars on any platform, it could be seriously affecting your inflow of customers.
If your business has less-than-desirable ratings, Invesp gives several great tips for improving your star power.
Tip: Offer an incentive for past customers to leave you a positive review, such as $50 off their next installation or an entry to win a free Nest thermostat. Use your email list to inform them of the promotion and give them clear instructions for leaving a review.
Learn more about NuBryte’s upcoming Nest integration and getting exclusive PRO-only deals here.
