The New Flat Rate

Danielle Putnam to lead discussion on the importance of eliminating slow seasons with strategic marketing in the home service industry

Danielle Putnam, president of The New Flat Rate, the first menu-pricing system for home service contractors, will teach owners how to eliminate the “slow seasons” during her keynote presentation at Barefoot Roundtable in Palm Spring, California, April 6.

Putnam’s presentation titled “No Slow Season in Business” will take place in the opening session on the main stage from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. local time. During her presentation, Putnam will explain how marketing can help home service business owners keep the phones ringing by building a predictable revenue and profit engine.

“One of the main barriers to scaling up for many in the home service industry is the lack of an effective marketing strategy,” Putnam said. “Oftentimes, we don’t approach marketing proactively, and that can create a deficit that’s hard to overcome when traditionally busy seasons subside. This presentation is designed to provide tools that will ease the stress for contractors and effectively end the slow seasons for their business.”

Putnam is an established thought leader in the HVACR industry, recently being named 2021 Woman of the Year by Service World Expo. Putnam has also been named to The ACHR News Top 40 Under 40 and is an advisory board member and past president of Women in HVACR.

The New Flat Rate’s software-based menu pricing system helps contractors in the service industry transition to business experts by providing technicians with tools that help increase sales pressure-free. By offering service providers done-for-you pricing for residential service calls, technicians can present prices instantly with the confidence of knowing in advance what to charge.

“From the moment we opened the doors at The New Flat Rate, our main objective has been to minimize the stress of selling services for contractors and increase their revenue,” Putnam said. “We’ve done this by providing an easy-to-use solution that presents the customers with multiple options to choose from. Through the efforts of our team, we’ve set the contractor up for success by increasing their sales and creating both business and personal freedom.”

The Barefoot Roundtable is a conference that brings all members of Service Roundtable, Service Nation Alliance, and associated members together to learn tools for business success and take their companies to the next level. Taking place April 5-7, attendees have access to the top contractors in the nation and learn from them and make connections.

For more information on Barefoot Roundtable, please visit https://barefootroundtable.com/.

For more information about The New Flat Rate, please visit https://thenewflatrate.com/.

“You called the right place! How can we make you smile?”

See how easy it was to catch your attention with a simple greeting? You would be surprised how often a simple acknowledgment of the customer will improve an online review. When working in the home service industry, customer service is your brand. It’s what people remember about you long after a job is completed. It’s the thing that can help drive your business to the next level.

As service providers, it is important to realize that, in today’s world, communicating with your customer directly, has become a necessity. With people finally getting a chance to converse face-to-face after a long period of strict social distancing guidelines, the customer wants to get to know you. No longer can we as service providers hide behind the bag in 2021. Which means it’s the perfect season for sharpening our soft skills such as controlling voice patterns and body language now that we are spending more time face to face. These skills are vital when communicating with customers.

Communicating with a customer is about building professional trust. When a customer feels that you have listened to them and understood what they need, they trust that you can accomplish the job and that expectations are clear. That is when the skills we’ve mastered as service providers come into play, and we follow through with what we promised our customers. This allows your team to ask the customer for additional and referral business, as well as that five-star review that will help create credibility online.

The Wow Factor

The No. 1 rule of any service provider is to go above and beyond expectations. We call this the “wow factor.” The wow factor is doing something extra without expectation; meaning don’t tell the customer you’re going to do it as part of the job. Instead, tell them you did it to say, “thank you.” These don’t have to be major jobs either. It can be as simple as changing air filters when repairing an HVAC unit. The key to this is to start the job the customer paid you to do, add something extra to the deal and then let the customer know at the end. Effectively communicating this is also paramount. Don’t make it look like the extra job was a hassle. Use proper body language and tone to show the customer you were excited and happy to do the job. The technician needs to list this “wow factor” on their invoice at full price then discount it off showing the customer that you are saying “thank you” by going ahead and covering that expense today.

The Good, The Bad, The Lost Customer

It’s funny. Research shows us that the No. 1 reason a customer leaves any company and finds a replacement is a lack of customer service. When there is poor communication, the customer doesn’t feel that he or she has been truly heard. Customer service is about communicating with the customer in a simple form and ensuring they know you’re listening. Using soft skills to keep the customer engaged is key. Not only will it reaffirm they are your No. 1 priority, but it will also help avoid potential conflicts with the customer. If they feel listened to and acknowledged, they will become customers for life and begin to send referrals your way.

The Golden 3

So, after all this discussion, you are probably wondering what are the most important soft skills a service provider should understand and master to improve customer service and satisfaction. In my experience, there are three:

• Listening to the customer: Listen to the customer’s whole question before thinking about how you are going to respond. If a customer finishes their entire question and you already know the answer, then there is a good chance you didn’t actually listen. One thing that we have learned is most field staff stop listening to the customer in the first 10 words that are said. Most customers don’t say what they mean until the last 10 words. So, oftentimes technicians think they are working in the right direction, and they’re working on the completely wrong thing. Following this rule helps ensure all parties’ expectations are clear.
• Skillset training, both technical and communications: We are creatures of regression. We automatically lose things that we don’t practice or sharpen. Making sure you are setting time aside as a company for all your field staff to sharpen their technical and soft skills multiple times a week (even if it’s only 15-30 minutes) helps to limit their loss of knowledge.
• The ability to shut up: This is probably the most important skill a field tech can learn. When you ask a customer a question, STOP and wait for their response. When a technician asks a question, they tend to get uncomfortable with the silence. So, the tech ends up asking another question to break the silence, which in turn completely breaks the customer’s train of thought. It’s important to know that when you ask a question and then SHUT UP it may be uncomfortable for you, but it’s not for the customer. It doesn’t register as silence to the customer because they are still processing the information you just presented. So, learn to shut up and let them finish their process…respectfully.

If you can follow these three simple rules and processes, I’m confident you will improve your customer service skills and help retain customers while gaining some new ones, too.

Matt Koop is Vice President of Training and Implementation for The New Flat Rate, a home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors. For more information visit www.thenewflatrate.com or email info@menupricing.com.

We all see those posts on chat boards about, “My phone doesn’t ring, I’m desperate, what should I do?” Even those of you who have been in business for a few years have those dry spells don’t you? So, what do you do? You don’t throw a gazillion dollars into SEO marketing, get a new website or get a new Facebook page. The reason all that doesn’t help is because you run out of money before it can start to work. Statistics say that you have to see an ad seven to 35 times before you call for the product or service. That’s why you see the same commercials over and over on TV. But who can afford that?

Marketing and advertising are good, of course. You need your name out there. So how do you get business fast? You must understand that we are in a very different situation today than a lot of us grew up with. Here’s what’s different now:

1. Customers in most of the USA only want to know three things:
   • Will you answer the phone?
   • Will you show up?
   • Will you actually do the work if I say yes?
2. It’s so hard to get a contractor to do even one of those things, when 30 years ago it was a given that all three would take place. It’s not about money anymore, it’s about finding someone to do the work. As long as your price isn’t crazy, you should get the job.  The number of actual companies with call takers, dispatchers, managers and service techs is closer to 10% now, compared with 80% that was the norm 30 years ago. But Facebook advertising makes the one-truck guy often look like the big company. That means the technician is trying to fix your equipment, while taking calls for three more service jobs. Not only is that not professional, it means your equipment is not getting his full attention. He is going to do a quick fix and likely still charge you as if he actually tested it completely before closing it up.
3. The companies that do have management staff are often only concerned with sales numbers. This means they are pushing the techs to sell sell sell and get done fast. This has been the worst thing for the service industry, and it is a big reason manufacturers are going full steam into DIY equipment, like mini-splits.
4. And here is one of the toughest changes. When you don’t have a part for your customer, who’s fault is it? Today, it’s the fault of a system that has some holes in it. Here’s an example. Yesterday I got a hankering for a peach iced tea, so I stopped into one of those gas stations with the huge convenience store. Their choices were massive, but there was no Snapple Peach Tea. I finally chose some other brand of tea, but not peach. When the only cashier in this huge store finally showed up, I asked her if they normally carry Snapple products. She pointed to a cooler that was mostly empty. “That’s the Snapple area, but the distributor can’t find any drivers so we have to wait.” Imagine that, a distributor who can’t get products delivered to them because somewhere out there a bunch of people just don’t want to work. These are really different times.

So how do you get work today when your phones won’t ring?

In this economy the customers are desperate, waiting days and sometimes weeks to find a skilled tradesman. They are tired of unanswered phones, broken promises, and time wasted waiting for someone to show up. So, here’s the fastest way to get business when you need it today. Get on the telephone – pole. Yes, staple your message on telephone poles in neighborhoods you want to work in. Place yard signs on corners going into neighborhoods you want to work in. Your message should be simple, because it is for the frustrated people who can’t get an HVAC guy or plumber to call them back.

“We Fix Air Conditioning”

Call (number)

Simple as that.

Your yard sign can be prettier with your logo, but make sure the phone number is big. Why does it work? Because they see it seven to 35 times. And they see it when they need someone right now. So, they call.

The beginning of friendship marketing is “Get business IN the neighborhood that you want to work in!”

Now, once you start getting work and you like the neighborhood, then get something you can set on the driveway on the driver’s side. When they come home, they see it. Why is that so special? Because what do people look for when they come home today, that they didn’t 30 years ago? Packages from Amazon. They are already looking for a package, so make one for them.

About the package:

• It doesn’t have to actually look like an Amazon package. Be creative.
• If you are a plumber, set out a plunger with your name and phone number laminated to the handle.
• If you are not a plumber, you can still use the plunger because it’s an excellent place to zip-tie a zip lock bag with your stickers, coupons, gifts, nice stuff. Who doesn’t like gifts?
• Inside the bag should be a magnet that says, “My Personal Cell Phone Number” then your number.
• Do NOT put candy in the bag, because pets will think it’s for them.
• Don’t be salesy or give out coupons like every other company. It is time for someone different. The goal is to be the neighborhood’s friend. Make a “Get out of the heat free!” card for AC, with a line under it that says, “Free service call with repair.” That last phrase has worked for 30 years, and still does.
• If you don’t use a plunger, you can use a 2’ long pole of some kind. But if you are going to stick something in someone’s yard, you better put something nice in it.
• You can test ads, test yard signs, test phone pole signs, test driveway gifts. Test test test. You will be the only one doing it.

When you have selected particular neighborhoods, your marketing can be targeted and directed to that neighborhood. This skyrockets the efficiency of your marketing dollar. Why is that so important? Because efficient marketing can be sustained, and you don’t run out of money. What else do you need to know? Getting the customers you want is spelled w-o-r-k. Here’s the good news: it’s pretty easy work, easier than crawling through attics. Ask me, I know.

Pricing enthusiast Rodney Koop is the founder and CEO of The New Flat Rate, a home service menu-selling system designed to put profit directly into the hands of plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors. Rodney can be reached at (706)581-0622 or rodney@menupricing.com.

Leading menu pricing software company to host annual conference at Westin Chattanooga

The New Flat Rate, the first menu-pricing system for home service contractors, is gearing up for its third annual Business Uncensored conference in Chattanooga. The two-and-a-half-day event will take place from Oct. 18-20 at the Westin Chattanooga kicking off with a reception on the night of the 18^th.

This high-level business conference offers attendees the opportunity for comprehensive training that will help home service business owners in a multitude of ways, from learning how to utilize online marketing to recognizing business plateaus. This year’s theme is “Drive,” which places an emphasis on helping business leaders drive their money, marketing, team and purpose.

“Since we started The New Flat Rate, our goal has been to help make the lives of contractors easier while also allowing them to be profitable as a company,” said Rodney Koop, founder and CEO of The New Flat Rate. “With Business Uncensored, we can do that by providing tools and knowledge that will not only help them increase profits but also unleash their full potential.”

Throughout the conference, attendees will gain lessons on a variety of different topics that will teach contractors how to develop successful business methods that drive the company overall. There will be several breakout sessions that are geared toward increasing focus on topics that can help business owners address needs in specific areas, such as friendship marketing or how to supercharge your service department.

“Many business owners in the home service industry place their focus on revenue-generating areas such as the number of service calls they receive on a regular basis, oftentimes missing out on opportunities by rushing to finish the job,” said Danielle Putnam, president of The New Flat Rate. “We have sessions that will help contractors uncover those lost opportunities, act on them, and follow up for future business during the slow season.”

“While keeping a steady flow of business is important, it isn’t the only thing that makes a company successful. Understanding what drives your team or the overall success of your customers is just as important. Those are some of the areas that we also focus on during Business Uncensored to help contractors grow and be successful.”

Speakers from The New Flat Rate will include Rodney Koop; Danielle Putnam; and Matt Koop, vice president. Also speaking at the event are contractors Roger Daviston, John Ellis, Rob Matheny, Steve Moon and Christopher Gibbons.

For more information about Business Uncensored, visit www.2021BU.com

For more information about The New Flat Rate, visit https://www.thenewflatrate.com.