Too many contractors assume that prospects know they are busy. Even without availability concerns, contractors assume potential customers understand inflationary pressures, supply chain constraints and labor challenges too. Finally, many contractors get distracted during the solicitation process without realizing how to take advantage with these challenges.
There are just too many outside factors that will be next to impossible to predict – especially for contracts that take time to finalize with jobs requiring time to complete. However, it is possible to take advantage of all these challenges with the goal of zeroing in your ideal prospects and not waste time with others.
The most important aspect of capitalizing on these unique times is to realize every contractor is in the same boat. It does not matter the size; the same issues are there for everyone in the business right now. You need to recognize the challenges. Your competition may not be handling them correctly, which is your edge. Taking a proactive and professional approach to setting expectations will set you apart.
1. Expectations Are Usually Unrealistic. Society has adopted an entitlement mentality with too many expecting immediate results. That comes before they even connect with you, where they are subliminally measuring how fast you will visit, how fast you will provide an estimate, or how fast you will finish the job. There is a hidden expectation before you even make a connection. That is a dangerous position in which you need to meet expectations that are not set by you. It is made worse when the expectations remain the same yet your business environment is challenged.
2. Set the Tone for How You Are Operating. You must ensure there is a consistent message about how you are operating from the moment someone makes contact – regardless of how they make contact. You want to create an environment where real potential customers will appreciate your honesty and continue to pursue you. Hopefully annoying prospects simply go away. Done correctly, these annoying prospects will just leave and not give you a bad review.
3. Start with Your Voicemail. Expectations need to be set regardless of how a prospect may reach you. Voicemail messages are probably one of the most underutilized ways of setting expectations. Many contractors avoid answering the phone when they do not recognize a name on Caller ID. So why not set the tone beginning with your message? Let them know your timeline for booking projects and ask them to provide as many details as possible. Then get back to them at your earliest opportunity.
4. Don’t be Afraid to Share Your Availability. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you don’t want to share your availability for fear of losing an opportunity. There is no opportunity to lose if you truly cannot service the client when they need help. It is better to tell the truth and let the dialog begin with some upfront honesty. Think of yourself as being more important than a doctor when it comes to availability. Don't delay responding just because you can't take the job. Attentiveness to the customer will set it's own positive expectations when you do take a job with them
5. Leverage Your Website. No matter what advice we give, some contractors are resistant to letting other know they are busy. So if you wish to try something without being too overbearing, include a place on your website where you state in bold: "Now scheduling for XYZ." Then below the heading, include something like: "We are committed to finishing several large projects, and in some situations may have periodic availability. We are still available to discuss your needs, provided that you understand it may take a few months to address your project." This method allows you to simply reference your availability. You come off like a hero if you happen to be available sooner.
6. Reenforce Your Availability. There are other contractors who want to heavily reduce all conversations that simply are a distraction. A distraction is when there is simply no way the project can be done based on the prospect’s expectations. In that case, a contractor wants to ensure the availability message is seen anywhere someone can contact you via your website. The singular message above may be missed. A great tactic is to take some or all the text from the original notification and place it in the message field where a prospect may type. Never forget you are setting expectations to find your ideal future customers.
7. You Are Positively Booked out. There is another tactic that works when you are so booked out for an extended period of time that you are not looking to just reduce conversations, you are looking to simply eliminate all interruptions. The first thing you do is deploy both the examples above. Then you create a pop-up with the same exact message and have the potential client click “OK” before being able to enter your website.
8. Managing Negative Reviews. You can't please everyone. One of our clients complained that they got a one-star review from a prospect. They were negatively judged by someone they never did business with. The prospect was completely unreasonable, but it didn’t matter since they expected a contractor to do a site visit within days of calling with a detailed estimate shortly after. The prospect would not accept waiting more than a week. Such encounters are unavoidable. Whatever you do, do not get aggressive or abusive in your reply; keep it simple and to the point. Future real customers will appreciate how you deal with adversity.
Good contractors will remain in high demand through the new year. But many still feel they may be able to magically work around the challenges of unrealistic expectations. Confront the situation with honesty, and do not be fearful of losing those by mentioning your availability. My belief has always been customers first, future opportunities second. Being diplomatic with future opportunities that are real opportunities will allow you to have your pipeline protected for a long time, regardless of the operational challenges.
