The Client Journey – The Presentation and Close

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In my last article about “The Client Journey,” I discussed “The Visit” and how important the interactive communication is with the client while at the customer’s location.
I will be the first to admit that I am not a sales professional, nor do I try to play one. However, your service technician must be able to present and close for the customer even if the only thing he did was replace a filter. “The presentation and close” is vital to successfully completing the client’s journey. You can also call this part “getting paid.”

Provided everything went well up to this point and everyone did their job, the presentation and close is just a formality of communicating completion or reason for non-completion and next steps to getting paid and/or accepting terms.

Let us regress a bit. If we go back to the original moment when the customer contacted the contracting company, they did so because they had a need that required someone else outside of their home to fulfill. At the time of that decision, they knew the pain or problem they were dealing with reached a point where they decided to spend money. The “Journey” began when the phone rep answered the phone and did everything possible to make this call turn into a profit-making situation. In addition, along the entire journey, the idea was expressed to the client of how to pay, and the possibility of costs was consistently communicated to the client. The phone rep would have said something like, “Our fees for service run anywhere from $29 to $1,500 and it really depends on what we find. Our service technician will arrive with a fully stocked truck and will give you an exact price for the repair before he begins work, may I have your address please? And how will you be paying for that? Don’t forget to ask our service tech how you can save $55 on your service fee today!

Everything previously mentioned by the phone rep is just setting the stage for the service technician to complete the objectives, and these are resolving the issue, making the customer thrilled and happy, and generating a profit.

Now we come to the moment of truth “the presentation and close”. Assuming you are simply making a repair, my previous article illustrated the importance of “walking and talking,” that is taking the time to look around, ask questions, and make recommendations. Once a determination has been made, it is time now to offer the various options and investment choices available to the client. In order for this to work properly and successfully, the service technician must be confident in his role and not appear nervous or uncomfortable. This could only be done by practicing and role-playing. The service tech must also have tools at his or her disposal to make this run easily. For example, there are a variety of flat rate pricing programs showing options, products, and accessories.

Becoming confident in sales takes practice and knowing how to use the tools available. Like I said earlier, I’m not a sales professional, however, when I managed 68 service technicians and somehow increased their sales by over 400% in less than a year, I knew I did something right. The something right was breaking it all down to basics.

1. Take time with the customer, ask questions, and look around.
2. Set up the sale by using the phone reps as a promoting group.
3. Offer options and choices.
4. Practice and role-play.

At first, give them the words to say and use. Let them practice with you or each other to gain confidence. Then give them the necessary documentation and tools to help them back up what they say. All of these will definitely make a difference on your customer journey and your bottom line. Don’t let things happen by chance, plan things in advance, get the right tools, and reward good results. Kind of like playing baseball, . . . everyone knows their role, everyone knows the rules, and everyone knows what it takes to win. We win and the customer wins.

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Posted In: ACCA Now, Customer Service