Page 6 - The Compass 2017 | Volume 12 | Issue 4

throughout the whole process while we’re building their ex-
citement, so they know there are options to afford it. And I’m
watching their reactions to the seeds I plant. It’s important to
continually plant the seeds because it helps you lead right into
that financing topic when the correct time comes. Generally,
that’s at the end when we’re talking hard business.
cAN YOU OffER A SEEd YOU wOULd USE tO
dIScUSS fINANcING?
If we’re talking about a rewire and it’s going to be $40,000, I’m
watching their eyes and how they respond to that number. I’ll
immediately say, “There are state programs out there that can
assist you, and I’m going to tell you all about it.” Then I keep
on talking about the project, not money. That’s an example of a
little seed, it’s rhetorical statement they’re not going to answer.
The key is to keep on talking, but you know they heard it.

YOU tALk PRIcE RIGht AwAY whEN It cOmES
Dave beinG honoreD on staGe at the awarDs Gala at the
recent las veGas exPo. tO A REwIRE? YOU dON’t wAIt tO SIt dOwN
wIth thE cLIENt tO dROP thAt bOmb?
through all this stuff, you’re building them into the presenta-
tion. You can see them get really excited. It sells itself. Absolutely. I throw that number out there gently. I’m not trying
to close them. I’m just throwing it out there as we’re talking.
whEN YOU GEt INtO ESthEtIcS Of LIGhtING. I’m doing it to watch their reaction. When it comes time to
sit down and write out a contract, it’s going to help me gauge
thERE ARE SO mANY OPtIONS. hOw dO YOU PIck where to go on options. One of the things that’s really beautiful
PROdUct OUt fOR SOmEbOdY? hOw dO thEY about a rewire is you can customize it to any price limit that
PIck It OUt? they want. You can do a partial. You can do a hybrid. I’m a big
You have general fixtures and you have more personalized fix- believer in options. I’m giving them the option for the standard
tures. For example, recessed cans are something I generally national electrical-code rewire versus complete custom rewire
will give options for and pick out for the client. But when it versus just install the safety features. I can gear all that based
comes to dining fixtures and chandeliers, it’s extremely import- upon their comfort level and financial abilities.
ant they get what they like. For those, I have a few local light-
ing stores and web locations that I’ve used many times. I’ll give
them the links to those sites, and I’ll tell them to go shopping YOU cAN jUdGE bASEd UPON PhYSIcAL
for what they want. I give them a price margin to use, rough- REActIONS hOw tO StEER A cUStOmER?
ly $200 per fixture. Of course, they can pick something more Correct. You don’t want to sell something to someone who
expensive, we’ll just add a little to the cost if they go over the can’t afford it. Because how’s that going to make them feel?
budget. But with $200, you can buy some really nice fixtures.
Yeah, it’s like giving them an allowance and letting them shop, dO YOU hAVE ANY tRIckS ON whAt tO LOOk fOR
which people love. When it comes in, we install it. This way wIth cUStOmERS’ bOdY LANGUAGE? OR IS It AN
they get exactly what they want.
INNAtE SkILL thAt YOU hAVE?
dO YOU USE fINANcING? I ASSUmE SO, There’s no simple trick other than bringing it up. Often, they’ll
reveal an objection right off the bat or concern. You’ll hear it early.
cONSIdERING hOw bIG thESE jObS ARE… When you’re planting seeds, it eliminates a confrontation at the
Oh, yes. That’s another big angle. We have a lot of options end and makes the entire process much easier. One thing I’m a big
for them because you can convince someone all day long that a
Ferrari is a great purchase, but if they don’t have the money, believer in is I’m going to stay there and talk as long as they’ll let
what good is it? So, once I get people excited about the poten- me be there. But I don’t want to go into conversations that are go-
tial things we can do for their home, the conversation naturally ing to take away from the goal of meeting their needs. People only
drifts to the question, “How can I afford it?” Here in the Bay have so much attention span. That means even when it comes to
Area, if they own a home, they have a big asset. We have a pro- the options, I gauge it as I go through the call. Sometimes I know
gram here in the state of California—and I know a few other what the person is going to pick…
states have it, too—where the state backs the loans and will To be honest, I would say at least half the time people will close
fund a lot of these projects. It’s guaranteed funding through themselves. They’ll say, “Yes, when can you start?” And I haven’t
the house. It’s the house that gets the loan. So, we have that we even written anything on paper yet. That literally happens half
can use with customers… the time. That happens by being an influencer throughout the call.
We also have four other programs we offer—each one has I hit benefits and value extremely well. So much so that they don’t
something good and bad about it, as far as what would appeal have objections at that point. There’s an old saying that has always
to somebody. We help them navigate through that process to be stuck with me. It’s from ancient Babylon, the author is unknown,
able to afford the work we’re proposing.
but it says, “Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.”
I’m a big believe in that quote. Nothing is ever about price—
whEN dO YOU bRING UP fINANcING? dO YOU it’s about the value you build in it, and the value you’re building
dROP hINtS thROUGhOUt thE cALL? through your customer service, guarantees, and everything else. I
The verbal seeds are planted immediately. I don’t go heavy rely on that heavily.
into the financing talk until the end, but I’m planting the seeds

6 THE COMPASS | Issue 4 | 2017