Selling Home Services Online
We begin with these lessons, together.
After almost six years of planning, designing, developing, testing, and iterating, coupled with 100,000+ interactions, we have learned a lot of lessons worth sharing. These lessons have become a driving force in the ongoing design & refinement of the Click to Buy Services product. These lessons will help us, as an industry, charge forward with courage to change the way home services are bought and sold the world over.
We will rethink what it means to sell.
Paradigm shifts happen slowly and then suddenly.
The word “selling” stems from the product world – we have an inventory, product skews, and items sitting on a shelf ready for consumption. “Hey you – here’s a thing, here’s what it costs – take it or leave it.”
Lacking a technological solution, home services companies have not been able to provide homeowners with many options. One service fits all houses. One pricing model fits all homeowners.
Homeowners, technology, and payment systems are now extremely advanced and our services need to be packaged in ways that empower homeowners to purchase a variety of services, in different quantities, and pay in different increments that are right for each home, family, and budget.
Only when we actively rethink how we sell our services can we break the mold of the legacy models and evolve from free estimates to online sales.
We will build trust.
Successful businesses are built on a bedrock of trust.
A circle of trust exists in our businesses. Prospects become customers when they trust we will do what we say. When we deliver on our promise and earn their trust, they become raving fans. We trust that happy customers will come back to help our businesses grow. And, when our business flourishes, it builds trust with our staff that we know what we’re doing and will provide security to their families. In turn, our staff delivers great service.
And the cycle repeats…
For this circle of trust to work, we must focus on creating better connections with prospects by removing the mystique around our services. We must go out of our way to make that first experience amazing. We must listen to questions and concerns, seize opportunities for transparency, and dedicate time and resources to explain what goes into the delivery of our services before they ask.
We must unpack how we’re different and why we’re better in an authentic, approachable way.
Businesses built on trust can enjoy greater profit, more freedom, deeper connections, room for forgiveness (when/if needed), and will win consistently – even when they’re not the cheapest option.
We will show our prices.
With courage comes cash.
We acknowledge that “how much does it cost?” is the most important answer that prospects seek. We must find every opportunity to fearlessly present our prices and educate homeowners on why our prices “are what they are”. This saves them time, reduces buying anxiety, and removes pricing comparisons.
When we help homeowners quickly determine if we’re a good fit or not it underscores that we respect their time. It adds credibility to our brand. It provides a positive customer experience. It builds a cornerstone of trust that results in long-term relationships.
We will get paid first.
With cash comes courage.
When cash is not readily available and our accounts receivables grow too large, it can easily debilitate an otherwise successful company. When payments are late or delayed, we can get pulled back into the day-to-day block & tackling of operations and lose sight of our longer-term vision and goals.
To allow for growth and experimentation, we must take some of the power back in the customer relationship by getting paid upfront for as many services as possible. We acknowledge that not all services may allow for online estimation. When they do, however, our businesses will move to get paid first and flip the traditional model around.
We will present options.
One size does not fit all.
We will seek new ways to sell, package, and promote our services in ways that fit the needs of homeowners, both new and old. We will think creatively and embrace the lessons learned from decades of selling products online and seek to better understand pricing and buyer psychology.
We will provide options where we can to give homeowners choices. We will evolve from quote forms to detailed services offerings and bundle services differently. We will surprise homeowners with a greater experience and delight them through selling services otherwise thought to be impossible. We will provide flexible payment terms to diversify our service subscription models.
We understand that when we embrace a more creative model it allows homeowners to select a good fit for their families which in turn builds a deeper appreciation, relationships, and acknowledgment that we understand our customers’ needs.
We will be brave.
The time for innovation is now.
We acknowledge that there are two types of businesses – those who listen to the customers and act and those who maintain the status quo. Time and time again history has shown that those who listen to their customers and courageously change their business models, regardless of what others may say, set the standard for their space. We will lead and reap the rewards.
We will create the rules that others will follow.
As leaders, we acknowledge that trailblazing and innovation require patience, humility, and most importantly, a tenacious grit that few embody – these will continue to be our copilots. We know the lessons and battle scars we earn through our exploration and innovation will separate us from the pack and propel us into a world of unimaginable profit and freedom.