Easy Does It

Photo Credit: Mark Robert Halper

Back then, most homeowners wanted to “just do it.” Now they seem to want to “just discuss it.” This attitude is difficult to read and can generate some “false positives.” You can waste a tremendous amount of time and energy only to have the project postponed or shelved altogether. In many cases, your potential clients may be looking for excuses not to proceed, more than reasons to buy.

In circumstances like these, you need to look beyond familiar solutions to new approaches that make doing business with you easier. Here are three areas that you should shine a spotlight on.

Schedule Flexibility

In the past, remodelers reinforced the value of their services by scheduling appointments during business hours.

This is still the best approach, but these days you may not be getting all the decision-makers to your meeting. It may also be the case that prospects find it easier to justify canceling a business-hours meeting if other priorities crop up. (Check your records and compare the number of cancellations now versus five years ago. Most companies discover that cancellations have gone up.)

Think about adjusting your schedule to better accommodate that of your prospects. Yes, this will almost certainly mean working more evenings and weekends, but making it easier on potential clients will reduce the risk of cancellation and ensure that everyone attends.

Clear Communication

A theme we adopted many years ago is: “It is our obligation to communicate, not the responsibility of others to understand.” Nine times out of 10, remodeling challenges are rooted in miscommunication. Does the language you use make it easy for your prospect to understand exactly what they are buying? Do your processes acknowledge that different people comprehend things differently? Some do better with pictures than words; some prefer e-mail to phone calls or vice versa.

Give some thought to the key words you use to communicate important concepts, and look for ways that your company can use alternative methods, such as diagrams or even physical models, to illustrate processes and concepts. The easier your communications are to understand, the more likely your potential clients are to buy from you.

How a Client Buys

In this market, you need to match the way you sell to the many different ways your prospects want to buy. That may mean allowing them both “all you can eat” and “à la carte.” For example, you might consider offering time and material billing, not just fixed price. Or you could become less dogmatic about not allowing clients to save by doing some of the work themselves, even when it is in their best interests to let you do it all. Or you might bend on your policy against owner-supplied materials.

You might also offer to do some handyman services on needs-driven items as an “appetizer” before diving into the main meal. If you require a design retainer or fee, consider letting prospects “test drive” the relationship by offering several hours of design consultation for free. Some of these ideas may fit and some may not, but the point is to make sure you eliminate anything that is getting in the way of prospects doing business with you.

Don’t underestimate the importance of making things easy. Every day you make buying decisions based on the ease of the transaction. Whether the decision is for a few small items at the grocery store or for $20,000 worth of windows, you often act based on how easy it is to do business. Take some time to look at every little step in your process through the “Is it easy?” lens. I’m sure the things you make easier will generate positive results today as well as down the road.

—Mark Richardson is president of Case Design/Remodel and author of the book How Fit Is Your Business? mrichardson@casedesign.com.