Sales

By Chris Hondl, Nexstar Network Sales Coach

Before I got into sales, I was a teacher. I taught for five years at the elementary level. My wife was also a teacher. At the time, we were newly married, with no kids, and looking ahead to how we were going to afford kids, buy a house, and put together all the other pieces that come along with the American Dream.

Unfortunately, our two little teacher paychecks didn’t add up to making that happen. So, I took a stab at getting a second job. I had seen advertisements for the Minnesota School of Bartending and I decided to enroll, with hopes of teaching by day and bartending on nights and weekends. I went through the program and achieved the lifetime certification, which proved I had mastered how to make more than 100 of the most popular cocktails and knew about all the top brand-name liquors.

That was almost two decades ago, and I have yet to make a single drink as an official and employed bartender. In fact, if you were to ask me for any of those 100+ drinks I am “certified” to make, the only one I think I would be able to make you would be one of the simplest: a rum and coke.

You see, I never adopted my newfound bartending skills into practice. I learned the skills, but I never used what I learned afterward.

We see the same thing in our own businesses, don’t we? We send an employee to a session, and they gain all of these new skills and ideas, and then what? They come back to work. And if we don’t actively apply what your employees learned in the field, it’s eventually as if the session never happened. What a waste of time and money!

Recently, I asked the 40+ previous attendees of the Sales Objection Bootcamp about the effectiveness of the bootcamp.

The results I got back from the attendees, four months after the session occurred, generally fall into three buckets:

1. We haven’t done a thing with the information we learned at the Sales Objection Bootcamp since we left, and we’re seeing the same results we were getting before the training.
2. We realized we have some process issues to fix before we continue with what we learned in the Sales Objection Bootcamp.
3. We are following the plan we learned and seeing amazing results!

These answers aren’t in the least bit surprising. It’s just like me and my experience with bartending school. Had I attended the school and then immediately gone out and begun bartending, the skills I had learned at school would have become second nature and helped me realize my goal of making money as a bartender. But since I never practiced what I learned, I ended up in the same place I was in before I attended bartending school: with no results, not retaining what I had learned, and not making money as a bartender.

Participating in the bootcamp is only half of the journey. Putting what you learn into practice is the other, more important half.

There are a lot of sales-focused training courses out there for our industry. Take time to identify the right one for you and your team. For example, the Sales Objection Bootcamp we’ve developed here at Nexstar is an intensive three-day session where your dedicated sales coach comes to your location and works with your team to master their presentations and objections such as: Price, Spouse, Shopping Around and many more.

Want proof that it all works? Here’s feedback from a member who is following the plan and currently seeing incredible results:

Nathan Andreas, owner of  , attended Sales Objection Bootcamp with his sales team. Since returning home and practicing what they learned, their closing rate has gone well above their budgeted goal, with one salesperson averaging 69% closing on tech leads and 55% closing on marketed leads. Nathan says the take-aways that have been key to their success are:

• Buying into having a strong sales process before presentation
• Maximizing skills-practice
• Clarifying the objection
• Digging deeper to uncover the real objection
• Using a trial close prior to asking for the sale
• Riding along with his team

So! Are you ready to dramatically increase your sales in FY25? It will take commitment and follow-through. Otherwise, would you prefer to keep getting the same results you’ve always gotten?

Chris Hondl serves as one of two Sales Coaches at Nexstar Network and has more than 15 years of experience in coaching, training, and sales. If you are a Nexstar member and are prepared to implement what you’ve learned in the Sales Objection Bootcamp, contact your Sales Coach for an assist. If you’re not a Nexstar member, but you’re curious to learn more, click here.

Based on survey responses, the report covers how text messaging is being used in business communications today, predicts where the market is heading in the next 12 months, and explores what challenges and opportunities this creates for businesses.

70% of people say texting is the fastest way to reach them. That’s just one of the many findings in the 2024 State of Business Texting Report published today by Text Request, the industry-leading business messaging platform. The report, anchored in more than a thousand survey responses, details how organizations are texting with customers and employees, what trends to expect over the next calendar year, and what opportunities this creates for businesses.

“Rather than blasting out promotions to subscribers, which can be very effective, most organizations are using text messaging for everyday conversations and to replace phone calls,” says Text Request VP of Marketing Kenneth Burke, who led the survey and analysis. “Businesses are seeing that text is the most effective way to connect with customers and employees quickly and get a response, so they’re taking advantage of that opportunity for everyone’s benefit.”

Significant findings in the 2024 State of Business Texting Report include:

• 74% of people read every text they get
• 54% of organizations say text message is the most effective channel for getting a response
• 75% of organizations are texting for customer service
• 87% of consumers want to receive texts about appointment scheduling and reminders
• 66% of people get 20 or fewer texts per day—far less than the average email count of 156—making text a great way to stand out in communications

“If you’re going to reach someone quickly, you’ve got to text them,” says Text Request CEO Brian Elrod. “That’s something we’ve all felt, and this data supports that experience. Think about how helpful it is to be able to reach everyone immediately, and get a response. You can get twice as much done in half the time, cut costs, and increase revenue. That’s the trifecta.”

The report goes on to show how this data can be applied throughout organizations for customer service, sales, marketing, hiring, and more. To view the complete report, go to: https://www.textrequest.com/ebooks/state-of-business-texting-2024

One of the biggest things a home service professional needs when it comes to growing their business is great customer service. And that is where more and better sales will happen. Happy customers, when it comes to home services, are repeat customers. But what else can you do to sell more? 

First Impression

No matter what the circumstances, a first impression matters. But when you are a home service provider, you need to be extra vigilant. Why? Because as a plumber, you are entering someone’s private space – as a stranger. 

It is your job to put them instantly at ease; being friendly and positive is essential. Since you never know what state the house or the person is in, being nonjudgmental and focusing on the job is necessary. Use your name to introduce yourself, and quickly find some common ground – the weather is often the easiest to use. 

Value 

When you are focused only on the upsell and increasing profits, you’re not likely to see a huge improvement. If, however, you approach it from a ‘what is value to this customer?’, things change; instead of trying to sell them the most expensive one, as them what they need and opt for the best value, often, customers will want regular maintenance, repairs, and more when they understand how it benefits them and the value it offers. 

Additional services are where your skills as a plumber shine; most customers can’t do what you do – and in some cases, they don’t even understand it. Show them the issue and explain the solution. These issues could be anything from corrosion, leaks, old heaters, bad pipes, and more. 

Training 

Confidence is key when it comes to selling more services and products, and often, that takes some dedicated sales training. A sales training LMS can be used by the entire company, no matter how big or small, to ensure that everyone gets the same training and understands what matters most to the customer. 

Clarity 

Customers need the information they receive to be clear and effective. That means that saying it might cost X and it could take Y will feel uncertain to them. Using language that makes sense to your customer is important. 

Transparency is essential; if you can go through a pricing structure and give them a strong suggestion of how long it will take, they will feel more secure in your services. You can tell them what the scope of the work is so that they are prepared for any mess, the time, and the cost in advance of agreeing to any work. 

Other Services 

Depending on the company you work for, or if you own your own company, you can talk about other services that they will need. Weave the different services into the conversation, or be bolder and suggest them and why they are beneficial. Many customers would prefer to have a single company or person do other jobs in the home once a rapport is made. 

Getting calls in the first place usually comes from using these online techniques: Top 9 Most Effective SEO Strategies for Business – Mechanical Hub | News, Product Reviews, Videos, and Resources for today’s contractors. So, a combination of in-person sales and excellent online management is a must to truly see an increase in profits. 

Arrow Fastener, the leader in manual, electric and cordless fastening tools, and manufacturer of the world’s best-selling staple gun, the T50®, announced today it has promoted Justin Sumner to vice president, sales.

In his new position, Sumner will oversee and manage all aspects of sales function for Arrow, including distribution and channel strategy, market competitiveness, pricing and compensation. He will report to chief operating officer, Roberto Izaguirre, and will provide support and strategic direction to the sales team in order to meet the company’s customer acquisition and revenue goals. Prior to moving into his new role, Sumner served as director, North American and Canadian sales at the company.

“As Arrow continues down a path of growth and expansion, it is crucial we have the necessary talent in place to lead the charge and sustain long-term success,” said Roberto Izaguirre, COO, Arrow Fastener Company, LLC. “We’re proud to celebrate Justin as he moves into this leadership role, further strengthening both our national and international sales strategies.”

Before joining Arrow in 2014, Sumner worked at Ohio-based ClosetMaid, a worldwide leader in home storage and organization, as national account manager. Sumner graduated from Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

For more information on Arrow Fastener, visit www.arrowfastener.com.