Generating Leads in the First Quarter
TAMMY VASQUEZ
BDR Vice President of Coaching
Generating service and sales leads can be difficult in the first quarter. It is easy to play into the traditional first-quarter mentality of “It is always slow this time of year,” “My market is the worst,” or “Nobody wants to spend any money because the holidays just ended.”
Let’s not waste any time allowing this type of thinking to affect you and your team! If you have not done a thorough review of your lead sources, take time to do this. Look for a combination of higher closing ratios 40%+ and higher average tickets. It is about quality, not quantity. Eliminate sources that did not provide any return on investment. If you are not thoroughly tracking service and sales leads, please ask your BDR coach for assistance.
Your core marketing plan should be focused on owning neighborhoods, driving referrals, and reoccurring revenue from our existing customers, which can include accessories, maintenance, and system upgrades.
Existing Customers: Ongoing communication is very important
- Dialing for dollars: the least expensive and most effective process for generating work.
- Outbound calls to schedule maintenance visits paired with accessory offers.
- Follow up on recommended repairs by sending e-mail blasts.
- Newsletters, service reminders, and monthly contests.
- Post-install / First-year communication, for example, letters/outbound calls.
New Customers: Neighborhood Marketing Initiative
- Door hangers and yard signs.
- Radius mailers for five to seven homes.
- Internet marketing and company website updates.
- Continuous updates to content and keywords.
- Ability to track results.
- Internet reviews/blogging.
- Referral Program, aka customer loyalty program.
- Define incentives and create collateral.
Service Department
- A thorough checklist diagnostic process enables the technician to recommend replacement when appropriate.
- Ongoing training teaches the technician how to communicate the benefits of replacement over repair without feeling like a “salesperson.”
- Create an accessory sheet for technicians to review with clients. This will allow them to make recommendations that can lead to further upgrades.
- Thorough follow-up and debriefing process.
- Review the lead log each week for unclosed leads and develop an action plan for closing.
- Continue calling on unclosed leads from the past year until they say no.
- Daily review of service tickets.
- Enter all recommended repairs and accessories into a pending log.
Wahoo!
About the Author
Tammy Vasquez has built a highly successful two-decade career in the HVAC industry, spanning sales, marketing, management, operations-process development, and business management consulting. By applying concepts and techniques learned from training and through the practical education and experience gained by working in the HVAC industry, she has established a long-term track record of success and implementation follow-through.