What is a sales acronym? It’s a shortcut to remembering the key steps your Service Techs must follow to have a repeatable sales approach to running a service call.
Make no mistake. Great sales come from a great sales system. And the first thing about a great sales system is it must foster and promote an ethical sales culture at your shop.
Here’s a “30,000 ft. flyover” of the sales system I teach:
- Ask a few key questions like, “All things being equal, how long do you intend to live in your home?”
- Demonstrate you are listening to what the customer is saying by responding to them by either paraphrasing what they said when you repeat it back and/or writing down their replies so you can refer to it later in the process.
- Get permission to do a survey of the whole system so you can see the whole picture not just the current problem you are there to address.
- Present a menu of options starting with what must be addressed and what are smart things to consider to improve things like reliability, comfort and energy-savings (when applicable).
- Based on what the customer says yes to, write up a clear, legible agreement (ensure that it’s legal). Make sure you get the customer to sign it!
Note: If you’re already working digitally with laptops and tablets, it is still essential to capture the customer’s signature.
The goal is not to produce sales robots but rather a sales system that allows service techs to have a process that frees them up to interact with customers in a helpful way that benefits the customer, company and themselves.
Once you have a sales system and steps to follow, employees will need help memorizing each step.
That is exactly why I created the 5 key chapters to Sales Power system. The more my clients practice it every week in class, in role-plays in their training centers and during ride alongs the better the service techs get at mastering it.
But, it’s still a lot to remember and it’s easy for a service tech to get lost along the way as to where they are in the process. That’s when having a great sales acronym is so helpful.
Here are my basic steps for a repeatable customer-oriented experience:
- Opening the Call
- Permission to do Survey
- Pricing the Job
- Presenting the Menu
- Writing the Invoice that Gets Signed
Remember, it’s not a replacement for the full Sales Power process or the effort needed to coach your techs. It is a helpful quick start reminder and it can become indispensable.
Here’s the acronym that I’ve used for Appleseed Business Plumbing, Heating and Cooling:
A.P.P.L.E.
A – Appear at the door and open the call the right way
P – Permission to do the Survey
P – Price the job
L – Lead with a menu of solutions
E – Execute the proper sign off on the invoice
Regardless of your current sales system, a sales acronym will help your service techs always know where they are in the sales process and will be less likely to miss steps essential to providing the best customer-focused experience.