Qualified Remodeler helps independent remodeling firms to survive, become more professional and more profitable by providing must-have business information, namely best business practices, new product information and timely design ideas.
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BUSINESS SOLUTIONS When Leads Come In Great Lead Management Means Greater Profits By Todd Bairstow M ost likely, you already know that it���s harder than ever to get a home improvement lead. You probably also already know that it���s more expensive than ever to drive a home improvement lead. This means that properly handling leads when they come in the door is also more important than ever before. Yet handling and managing leads is often the point where profits slip away. So, here���s a quick guide to maximizing your profits through more effective lead management. Answer the Phone ��� Quickly The first step to proper lead management should seem obvious, and that���s picking up the phone. It sounds simple enough, but time after time, remodelers simply drop the ball at this step. After studying countless remodeler phone call recordings, I���ve found that the number of unanswered phone calls is astoundingly high. Profits shrink with every ring, as homeowners get impatient, move on and call your competitors. Don���t just answer the phone ��� do it quickly because homeowners start judging you from the very first ring. If they have to wait 90 seconds for you to answer, they form the impression that you���ll always keep them waiting, that you���re not responsive and that you���re difficult to work with. But if you answer in the first 10 seconds, the homeowner forms the impression that you���re fast, you���re responsive and you���re going to listen to and take care of them. 12 February 2013 QR ForResidentialPros.com Hoby Finn]/Photodisc/Thinkstock Every second you spend not replying to an Internet lead is one second closer to an appointment being booked with a competitor. Be Friendly I���m a friendly person, and you probably are, too, and that goes a long way when talking to a homeowner. But I���ve listened to thousands of remodeler phone calls, and this, again, is not always true. Many times, I hear a remodeler answer calls with a curt ���Hello?��� or ���Can I call you back?��� You don���t want your calls answered this way. So, don���t do it to valuable prospects. Instead, use a friendly, cheerful voice to greet inbound phone calls. A great initial greeting continues to form the right impression with the homeowner, and gets them thinking, ���Hey, this is a remodeler that could be good to work with.��� Reply to Those Internet Leads You can���t be a growing remodeler these days and not embrace Internet leads. Internet leads require a different approach than inbound phone calls. Responding to Internet leads immediately is the key to success. Every second you spend not replying to an Internet lead is one second closer to an appointment being booked with a competitor. While you receive Internet leads differently than inbound phone calls, you can still create positive first impressions with homeowners. Fast callbacks result in homeowners saying, ���Wow, this company is super-responsive.��� The opposite is also true. If you take hours or even days to call back, you���ll have a much more difficult time getting that homeowner to pick up the phone. Secondly, the homeowner forms a very different impression of you, thinking, ���They���re not very responsive. I must not be important to this remodeler.���