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Are you looking for ways to close more deals and bring in more business? If so, you’re not alone. For tree service companies, closing more deals is essential for maintaining and growing your business. That’s why we’ve put together a list of seven sales tips that can help you do just that. Keep reading to learn more!

For most tree service companies, landing new leads is generally not as complicated as turning the new leads into bottom-line revenue for the business.

Having a great tree service company marketing strategy, having previous customers who are willing to refer new clients to you, and crushing it with your Facebook advertising is not enough. You still need to understand how to close deals.

Winning tree service companies basically consider each new lead a potential customer. They focus on making the best first impression to stand out from the competition. This often increases their chances of closing the deal.

On the other hand, tree service companies who do not do well when it comes to closing deals usually blame the leads they get. Instead of considering the fact that they are actually the reason they could not close the deal, they assume that the leads were weak.

If you are looking for ideal tips to help you boost your lead closing rate, then, this article is for you. We will share the top 7 tips you need to keep in mind in order to start turning your new roofing, remodeling, or HVAC leads into a source of revenue for the home service business. By simply following the tips you will read in the following sections, you should be able to turn a bigger percentage of your leads into booked jobs.

Tip 1: Contact New Leads Within an Hour

This is a tip you have probably heard about numerous times. To close more deals, you need to reach out to the new leads quickly; immediately, if possible.

An analysis conducted on over 2,200 American companies proved that the companies focusing on contacting their new leads within the first 60 minutes were approximately 7X more likely to have conversations which can be considered meaningful with the decision-makers. The likelihood of having meaningful conversations decreased significantly after the first hour had elapsed.

To put it simply, you should never wait for more than an hour before contacting your new lead. And as you have probably already guessed, contacting the new leads sooner is usually much better.

Focus on doing everything that has to be done to ensure that your new leads are contacted within 60 minutes. Even if you have to hire a dedicated sales rep or an office manager, the cost is worth it.

Ensure that you have a reliable person to answer the business’s phone every time it rings. Also, ensure that your sale’s rep is following on chat requests and form submissions – don’t assume that you just need to focus on the phone calls, you need to focus on every mode of communication that your new leads can use.

Tip 2: Be Sure to Greet All Leads Professionally

This doesn’t even need an explanation. However, not greeting leads professionally is one of the main reasons tree service companies lose potential clients. Using “yeah, hello?” won’t work if your goal is to close the deal.

Studies have already proven that tone is generally responsible for more than 86% of phone communications. Hence, if you end up losing a lead after talking on the phone, there is a chance that your tone caused the loss.

If someone (a new prospect who has never met you before) has to trust you with his or her money (hard-earned, by the way), you have to be both courteous and professional when answering the phone.

If you are not very great with words, consider keeping everything simple. For example, you could use the following words:

“Hi! You have reached David from D&H Roofing. How can we help you today?”

Next, relax and listen to the person as he or she explains what the problem is. You should be able to figure out whether you can help him or her by the time he/she finishes explaining the problem.

Note: For bonus points, consider answering the phone with both enthusiasm and energy. Try to avoid being monotone and flat.

Tip 3: Before Objections Come Up, Address Them

If you are addressing all objections before they even arise, the rate at which you close deals should skyrocket.

To give you an example, if your company features higher prices compared to competitors in the same niche, be sure to bring up the price before the new lead enquires about it. Next, proceed to justify the price. Here is an example:

“While we may not be the cheapest, we never cut any corners. If there is an issue/problem, which is extremely rare, we will send a team to fix the problem, without asking you any questions. With us, you will get exactly what you have paid for. Our team never stops, until you are 100% satisfied.”

As you will soon figure out, most customers are willing to pay higher prices, when you justify them.

Keep in mind that price is not the only objection. During the tree service sales pitch process, it is your job to figure out other objections that the new leads may have. Similar to the example given above, come up with answers to justify the objections.

When you can address the new leads’ objections before they even raise them, you will have them thinking that you already understand them. This will build both rapport and trust, leading to more closed deals and overall, increased revenue for the business.

Tip 4: Be Sure to Get Your Foot in the Door As Soon As Possible

Whatever you do when selling via phone calls is generally not enough. This is why you should schedule a meetup the moment you determine that the individual you have been talking to over the phone is a qualified lead.

You have to schedule the meetup ASAP. If you wait for too long before getting your foot in the door (say, an in-house quote/inspection/estimate), you will be reducing the chances of landing the new lead as a customer/client.

There are a number of reasons why this happens. These include:

  • Unexpected bills do creep up. The new windows you had assumed you will get to may end up being forced in the backseat.
  • Another company, offering the same services, could underbid you. Most homeowners will always jump at any opportunity that allows them to save some money.
  • The new lead can find a neighbor who does not really know what he is doing (say, uncle Bob) but accepts to be paid with beer.

If you fail to get your foot in the door as soon as you possibly can, you will risk losing the new lead due to numerous reasons you cannot control. Do not allow this to happen – set up a meetup time immediately you deem the new lead fit as a possible client.

On top of helping you boost the closing rate; this should help you shorten the sales cycle – allowing you to close the deals much faster.

Tip 5: Offer Pricing Options

Before closing the deal, your potential customer will be comparing the estimates and bids you offer with those offered by competing companies. This is how the customer will make his or her purchase decision.

But what if it is possible to force the new leads to choose between you and… wait for it, you?

Well, this is possible. It can be done by offering pricing options.

If you only have a single price, you will be presenting the customer with the “you can take-it-or-leave-it” scenario. This is not a good scenario to place a lead, especially when they have access to your competitors.

The customer can either accept your price or reject it. Since an in-between is non-existent, if the customer does not like the price, he/she will have to work with the next company offering what appears to be a better or more affordable price.

If you have pricing options, you should be able to change this.

To give you an example, if your company offers landscaping services, you can offer your customer 3 pricing options – one high-priced, one in the mid-range, and one in the lower end. This will force the new lead to choose between the 3 options – not between you and a different company.

Tip 6: Your Quotes Should be Sexy. Also, Be Sure to Leave Something Behind

Being professional does not end with answering the phone. You have to make sure that your estimates, quotes, and bids are designed professionally.

If your company is using generic documents which end up blending with a dozen other quotes that the customer has already received, you won’t be doing your business any favors. If your documents are not standing out, they will be forgotten.

While the quotes and other documents do not need to be perfect works of art, let them have the following:

  • Your slogan
  • Your logo – this should be in color
  • The phone number used by your business
  • Your (personal) cell phone number
  • Your website URL

In addition to the estimate, quote, or the bid, go the extra mile and leave something behind – something that showcases your company and also makes it appear as the only ideal logical option/choice.

To give you an example, you could leave a manual featuring what you do, the materials you use and maybe some comments from customers you have already worked with.

The take-home tip is that if your documents are focusing more on blending in than standing out, they will end up in a pile. This will reduce the chances of closing the deal to the bare minimum. Make the documents stand out and leave something showing you are an expert in what you do. This will increase the odds of landing the deal.

Tip 7: Follow Up – Early and Often

If you fail to follow up on chat requests made via your website, form submissions, and missed calls, you will keep missing out on numerous opportunities to close deals.

You need to keep in mind that not all first conversations result in new contracts. If the first conversation did not go very well, this does not mean that you have to assume the prospect is not worth your time.

After conducting a study, Leadfuze.com discovered that 80% of the sales need a minimum of five follow-up calls (touchpoints) after the first conversation. This tells you that giving up after that initial conversation is not an option. If you do give up, you will be leaving money behind, on the table.

Call your leads back. Send them an email. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop by. Make use of retargeting to ensure that you are always on top of their mind.

If you can manage to occupy space in the new lead’s mind, you will be on your way to closing the deal.

Conclusion

If your deal closing rate has not been as impressive as you would want, the tips in this article should help change this. Mix up the tips and combine them with an ideal tree service company marketing strategy. Before you know it, you will be closing more deals than you can possibly imagine.

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