A System for Selling – Part 7: Unique Solution
As you know, we have recently been reviewing our System for Selling. This is a carefully developed system based upon best practices and successful results we have viewed from metal roofing contractors spanning over the past 35 years. One thing we find is that, while basics remain the same, each year brings new developments in this system which are better suited to meet the needs of today’s homeowners.
Fact is, consumer habits and demands are changing all the time. In particular, today’s consumers are not the same as they were prior to the crash of 2008. Consumers are much more concerned about long-term value of their purchases rather than just immediate gratification. That seeking of long term value plays very well for durable and energy efficient metal roofs.
As a reminder, here is the summary of our Selling System:
- Isaiah Industries’ Selling System is a fully-scripted process and presentation to properly evaluate homeowners’ needs and wants, and educate them on available products and companies, all while leveraging psychology and exclusivity to build maximum value in your unique solution, culminating in an exact price and proposal.
In this issue of the Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report, we want to look at the Unique Solution of our Selling System. Closely related to Exclusivity, the component of Unique Solution is how you custom design your proposal and offering to the customer and present it in a way in which they see that what you’re offering is something they can only get from you!
Really, this whole process of presenting a Unique Solution starts with the Needs Analysis of your sales presentation. Many contractors never go through a formal Needs Analysis with the prospect and that begs the obvious question – if you never really cement what the customer NEEDS, how can you possibly offer a Unique Solution to meet those needs???? By asking questions that no other contractor asks, the homeowner begins to realize that you will offer them a personal solution.
Presenting a Unique Solution involves building the anticipation of a Unique Solution. Throughout the sales process, your company is doing things that other companies are not doing. For example, you are:
- Asking them about their roof concerns when you set an appointment with them
- Preparing the prospect for a professional presentation
- Preparing them for an inspection of their attic
- Preparing them for an evaluation of their home’s ventilation
- Walking around their house with them and asking questions about their roof
- Using binoculars for close-up analysis of their roofing issues
- Taking photos of the concerns on their roof
- Going through a formal check list of Needs Analysis
- Tailoring your presentation “on the fly” to meet their needs
- Taking time to think out a proposal that will serve their needs
- Using your “Parts and Pieces” kit to “build” a roof in front of them, showing them exactly how your company does things, and explaining how your procedures differ from your competitors’ procedures
- Presenting a detailed proposal that fully explains the products and services you will provide
- Confirming that they understand and want what your company is offering
All of the above are ways to set the stage and build the anticipation for your Unique Solution. These things make customers stand up and take notice and realize that you are not going to just offer them a one size fits all cookie cutter solution like all of your competitors offered. In doing this, you make yourself an expert – the company that can meet their needs better than anyone else.
When you make your final proposal, be sure to point out the Unique Solution that you are presenting – the things you will be doing that no one else will do. When done properly, they realize the value offered by doing business with your company. Your closing ratios will increase as will your profitability.
Todd Miller has spent his entire career in the metal building products manufacturing industry. He is president of Isaiah Industries, an organization recognized as one of the world’s leading metal roofing manufacturers. Todd is currently Vice President of the MRA (Metal Roofing Association) and a Past Chair of MCA (Metal Construction Association). Through his website, he strives to raise the bar on standards and practices to provide property owners with the best possible products for successful roofing projects.
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Good morning Todd!
It’s great to be alive and well and Looking for my next Classic or Kassel Wood satisfied Customer! The photo I sent you has a great little bit of History behind it. It was a home moved from the Mountains near where they (Idahoans) built one of the largest man-made Reservoirs at that time (Started in 1941,Completed after a 9 month WW II break in 1942 in the year 1950). The Valley was flooded and several Homes were relocated, this being one of them!
The roof is now nearly 20 years old and the Photo is of the Western side where the temperatures reach 155-129 degrees in the summer. My cousin sent me this photo and says there’s no change to the sheen or color! Imagine what it would look like if it was Fiberglass or some other inferior material!