Like it or not, the sales process is a big part of the game - This is how you can master it
You probably decided to become an Electrician because you like to work with your hands - not because you like to sell.
We get that.
A lot of tradies are put off by the idea of talking up their services, or themselves, because they think there’s something sleazy about sales, and sales-people.
They’re not comfortable with upselling, charging call-out fees, or even raising their prices to reflect a changing economy - we get sparkies showing us rates which would’ve raised eyebrows in 2003.
The bottom line is that if you’re uncomfortable with sales, you’re probably undervaluing your service, and undercutting your profits.
But here’s what you’ve got to wrap your head around;
If it wasn’t for the sales process, the Academy wouldn’t have been able to help thousands of sparkies transform their businesses, grow their client base, and help them charge what their service is actually worth.
If it wasn’t for the sales process, the many people who rely on tradies to keep their homes and businesses running smoothly, wouldn’t be getting the high-quality electrical service they need.
There are techniques involved in selling, but the first shift you need to make is in your approach; embrace the sales side of your trade. Accept that you can be a good salesman without being a bow-tie wearing sleazeball.
You actually shouldn’t think of yourself as a “salesperson” at all - you’re a value-delivery person. Always providing more value in time, feeling, and the quality of your service and products than what your clients pay you.
It’s not really about what you say, it’s about your authenticity - and if you believe you’re ripping people off when you suggest an upgrade, it will come across like that.
You need to rid yourself of the mentality that knowing how to sell your services will make you a less honest tradie. At the end of the day, your clients just want great service, and great value - they’ll take this over the cheapest option any day of the week.
We’re not saying selling is easy, either - it can be fucking tough, and nerve-wracking, and you won’t master the process overnight. But you’ve got to do it anyway.
Why?
Because it’s part of being an electrical professional.
That’s why today’s article outlines the mental shift you need to make to be a great value-delivery person, and we even reveal a key Academy technique at the core of mastering the sales process.
Alright, so how do I become more comfortable with the sales process?
I’m a horrible salesman - I sell people out of stuff. I tell them they don’t need the extras
Electricians always tell us this.
Don’t get us wrong; There’s nothing wrong with identifying your weaknesses and for many tradies, sales is a weak-point. That’s fine.
But what have you done to work on it?
There is no manipulation, deception, or lies inherent in the sales process. When it’s done right, sales is actually an act of service of the highest level.
It’s not about scripts, and rehearsals, and tricks - sales is about understanding your value, and learning how to communicate it so that you can maximise your profits.
When you’re speaking to clients, never forget that you’re the expert, and you’re the authority - they’re feeding on your body language.
So you should always be confident in what you present to them. The “Um, I don’t know’s” are hurting you. Weed out the uncertain language, because sales is all about certainty.
You also need to get good at justifying what you charge - we discussed this in detail in our article on mastering your quote letter. The same principles apply when you’re communicating face to face.
The bottom line is this;
If you’re committed to becoming a better value-delivery person, you’ll increase your quote conversions, bump up your billable hours, and pad your bottom line.
Okay, I get it, I’d like to be a better salesman or value-delivery person, but I’ve got no idea what to do.
There’s one core concept you’ve got to wrap your head around before you can learn how to command the sales process at a high-level.
It’s understanding the difference between value and price-point. At the Academy, we call it value-setting.
Imagine you walk into your local JB Hifi. You see 65 inch big-screen TV with a price-tag of $1500.
The following week, an e-mail brochure shows the TV on sale for $1200.
You’re immediately led to believe you’d be saving $300 if you bought it now, because the value has been set at $1500.
This is how consumers perceive value based on the way products are priced; the value is set in the initial price you raise for the product. Not what you actually end up paying for it.
It’s the difference between the discount and the full price which drives people to buy.
Check out this script;
Look, your switchboard is outdated, and there’s an old asbestos panel - it should really be upgraded. A switchboard of this size would normally cost you $1850, but I’ll see what I can do for you because we’re passionate about removing these from the market since they’re pretty dangerous. I’m just going to check with the office to see if I can get the price down a bit for you. *call office, return to client* Awesome, they’re normally $1850, but today I can do it for you for $1500.
Your client will feel like they are being looked after, and getting great value. Compared to;
Look your switchboard is outdated, and there’s an asbestos panel - it should really be upgraded. We charge $1450 for these. Yeh I know it’s expensive, but there’s really no wriggle room around that pricing. Feel free to shop around.
The value-setting principle is;
Extremely simple, and extremely effective
Used in every single industry where things are sold
Very underutilised by tradies
Once you understand the difference between value and price-point, you’re on the way.
I tried, but some customers won’t have it. They just haggle me into the ground.
Yeh, some customers are more difficult than others. You won’t make the same profit margin on every job. You’ve just got to accept that.
There will be jobs where you lose money. Maybe you have to go back and can’t bill for the additional time, or maybe you get drilled down on price.
That’s the reality for every sparky, and that’s why you’ve got to maximise your profit wherever you can by implementing a solid sales and pricing strategy.
There’ll be wins and losses, that’s just the way it is.
What else is important to learn about the sales process?
There’s too much to cover in detail in this article, because it’s a long road to becoming a great value-delivery person. There will always be aspects of your sales strategy to improve on.
The Academy’s Shopping List Pricing Strategy is one of the key things we teach to streamline and sharpen the sales process - it’s one of our most valuable tools for sparkies of all experience levels.
But as we said, a lot of what you need to work on is intrinsic - changing the way you think about sales, sub-communicating confidence, and really understanding what you’re worth as a tradesman.
A big part of the Academy’s coaching is centred around developing this confidence.
At the end of the day, like everything, you’ll need to get the reps in to grow. Learn the right techniques, focus on improving and over time, you will.
So how can I learn to sell well?
Learning to sell is one of the areas where good quality coaching is extremely valuable, and will provide fast, measurable results.
If you’re uncomfortable with selling your services, or you’re struggling to get better, or you just want to develop your confidence, feel free to drop me a line on Facebook.
Otherwise, checkout our Profitable Electrical Engineers community for daily electrical content, tutorials, and discussion.
If you learn to sell well, your business will boom - at the end of the day, that’s all there is to it.