You felt that rush of excitement because this was exactly the type of build you are looking for…
So that means your marketing must be working well!
So, you pull out your phone and you call them back the very next day…
The prospect answers the phone and you confidently introduce yourself and your company expecting a warm reception from the prospect who has probably spent the last 24 hours checking their phone waiting for your call…
Only they are not excited to hear from you…
In fact, they sound a little cold and guarded…
And with that, your confidence sinks…
And now you find yourself on the back foot attempting to justify why you are calling them…
But everything you say is met with suspicion…
So you agree to send them ‘some more information’ and leave it with them to get back in touch should they be interested in speaking further about this new project that no longer sounds like a priority for them.
But they don’t call back do they?
And in your mind it was just another time-waster that had nothing better to do than to click on your advert and fill out an enquiry form when they had no real interest in building a new home at this moment in time.
You conclude that paid advertising is a waste of money and time
And you wonder why you didn’t just stick to referrals instead of wasting your hard earned money attracting more time-wasters and price-checkers!
However, this opportunity wasn’t another time-waster…
Because while that prospect was sitting in your inbox, three other builders were already responding to them while they were ‘hot’.
Let’s be honest, you didn’t really believe you were the only builder they were reaching out to, did you?
And after that prospect invests a significant amount of their time talking to three other building companies about their ideas, budget and timeline, they begin to feel that at least one if not two of them are companies that they would be more comfortable moving forward with.
After all, they already have meetings booked in with those other builders so they don’t really have the time to be going through the same lengthy discovery call and onsite meetings with more builders.
Especially one that takes so much longer to respond to an enquiry.
We live in a fast-paced world these days, we expect instant gratification for everything we do.
It’s tough, but that’s just the way it is.
So if weekends are important to you or your sales person, then the sad reality is that you will always be the second choice for consumers that reach out when you are unavailable.
But what about those times when you reach almost immediately, and the person on the other end still meets you with suspicion?
Maybe they say they can’t talk now and to call back the following week, or following month…
Or maybe it's when an enquiry is fresh, but because the consumer is in research mode they are being deliberately guarded…
They don’t think they need to be speaking with a builder just yet, they simply wanted to download some design ideas from your website…
However, as a professional builder you know different…
You know the earlier you speak to a consumer in the design process the more you can help them, which is why you asked for a phone number when they requested to download your plans or to receive your free guide, or they booked in for a free design consultation.
However, just because they submitted their phone number, it doesn't mean they are expecting your call…
So how do you deal with those awkward moments?
The answer is to use a Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) technique called Advanced Tonality.
And by using this simple technique you can change the state of the person on the other end of the phone from cold and guarded to curious and interested…
And to activate this state in your prospect, all you need to do is end each of your opening sentences with a slight inflection implying a question while maintaining a friendly casual tone…
Treat it as though you were speaking to a close friend rather than a new prospect.
“Hey John?”
“It's Russ?”
“From the Association of Professional Builders?”
When you do this, you will have the attention of your prospect and will have also activated their curiosity, so your next sentence is absolutely crucial to get right.
And this is where a lot of people go wrong, because after getting the attention of their prospect they then slip right back into generic mode and undo all of their good work!
So, at this moment, when you now have the attention of your prospect you must connect with them by using a technique known as Bridging.
What you need to do is create a bridge between their previous action and your phone call.
Getting this part right could be the difference between being told to call back next week, or continuing with the call and qualifying the prospect before progressing to the discovery process.
These are two crucial steps that enable you to take the best prospects out of the market early and away from your competitors!
So, if your prospect downloaded plans from your website you might say, “You were researching new home designs?”
Or if they were researching different design tips before they got started on designing their new home with an architect you might say, “You were looking into designing a new home?”
Ultimately, your style will reflect your own personality but the most important thing to remember here is to keep it casual, use inflections and always leave a pause because that will encourage your prospect to respond.
While this technique is extremely powerful, it can also start working against you if you over use it, so once you’ve achieved your objective, which is getting your prospect interested, then it’s time to transition into a more natural conversation.
So that is how you get the attention of a prospect that does not know you and it’s how you stand out from the two or three other builders who are also responding to a consumer request for information (RFI).
If you’d like to discover some more tips on how to master the sales process for a residential building company, check out our latest book, Professional Builders Secrets.
Inside you’ll discover how to generate more quality leads, and convert more of those leads into sales at higher margins while improving the client experience.
Click on the special link below to receive your free copy.