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SELLING PEACE of MIND

When the product in your customers’ homes or businesses fails to function, it creates disorder in their lives. The first question they ask is, “How long will it take until someone restores order to my life?” The next question that your customer asks is WHO will restore that order? And who will restore the peace of mind that the repair was done professionally?

It is important to understand what you as a service company have to offer your customers. Why should you be called instead of another service company? What is your customer actually buying? In short, the commodity that you offer is SERVICE; the product you offer is peace of mind and order. You offer caring professionalism.
Since your customers can buy a commodity anywhere, they don't necessarily need you for that. But what they can't buy just anywhere is peace of mind and order. Unconsciously this is what they are shopping for and if you can convince them that order and peace of mind are the products you promise to deliver, and then you deliver on that promise, you will have a customer for life.

So, how would you describe your company to a prospective customer in terms of what they are looking for? If you manufactured a product you could describe it in terms of specific features, options and benefits that can actually be viewed and touched. The big question in any service business is how to sell your company over the competition. How do you appeal to your customer?

In a service business the product is only realized when the work is done. Order and peace of mind are your products. Before any service is provided you might be classified as being the same as all the rest because every company out there brags about providing a high quality commodity at a fair price using very professional people. If you are competing against another company for a service job how do you prove that your company is, in fact, the best choice for the customer? Convincing a customer that you are the right company is difficult. Especially when the customer has a pre-conceived idea of what they need, but in reality are looking for something intangible. Even if the customer does not know it, they are shopping for a feeling, not a commodity.

So how do you set up your service company so that your customers can actually differentiate you from all the competitors? The answer is simple: become a Certified Service Center (CSC). The words Certified Service Center just scream order and peace of mind. Validate your customer’s need to feel good about choosing your company by becoming a Certified Service Center.

A quality company has many tangible features that often we do not point out to our customers. Based on the feedback received from current Certified Service Centers, here are some tips that might help:

-Become a Certified Service Center. This shows that you have taken the time to be evaluated by an independent third party and have been found to exhibit specific, solid business practices. Once you have been certified post this information wherever your customers may see it – in your lobby, on your vehicles, letterhead, business cards, advertisements, and on your website.

- The Certified Service Center criteria speak to several tangible indicators that you should promote to your prospective customers because they will appeal to their sensibilities. Some specific examples that you should promote every chance you get are your professional facility, warranty and customer service policies, and proper insurance coverage.

- Brag about your nationally certified management and technician team.

Differentiate your service commodity from your service product by appealing to your customers’ need to feel confident they have chosen the right service company. When your company really walks the quality walk their need to know they made the right choice will help them make the final decision.