Qualifying and Setting Sales Leads, Part 1
Maximize your sales potential by mastering lead qualification and setting! Don’t chase your tail with leads that are a bad fit or might not be ready to purchase. Instead, focus your efforts on qualifying prospects and engage with those most likely to convert and add to your sales success.
This week, Weldon Long shares valuable insights on identifying quality leads, prioritizing prospects, and guiding leads over the finish line. You’ll learn effective strategies for engaging customers and gain practical tools to jump-start sales.
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Audio Transcription (in beta, please be wary of typos)
On today’s show, we’re going to wrap up our series on air.
00:00:00:00 – 00:00:10:20
On today’s show, learn how to qualify and set leads for maximum sales. Result.
00:00:10:22 – 00:00:21:17
In order to be productive, we must learn how to qualify and set sales leads properly. Today. Yours truly. Me. I’m going to show you how exactly how to do this. Let’s dive right in.
00:00:21:20 – 00:00:43:27
There’s a lot of things you got to do to be successful. In our business, we know that a lot of a lot of moving parts. But I want to talk to you today about one of the simple things you can do to dramatically improve cash flow margins and profitability. You can do it today, and that is simply by giving your sales advisors your comfort advisors, a better opportunity to be successful at the kitchen table.
00:00:43:29 – 00:01:05:19
We all know that when we go into a house, there’s a litany of objections we’re going to face. I want to think about it. I need cheaper price. I got three bids coming. Whatever the case may be, we get this stuff from homeowners all the time, but there’s nothing more frustrating than building a great relationship with your homeowner and getting down to the end and asking for the water, and the homeowner says, well, that sounds great, but, I got to talk to my spouse, right?
00:01:05:19 – 00:01:27:12
There’s hardly any way to get over that. Sometimes you can get them to get this house on the phone, but, you know, they don’t really get the value proposition that you spend an hour. You know, you not wanting to the homeowner. That’s present. Right? And as I tell homeowners, oftentimes when they want to try to sell their spouse on my company, I always tell them, you know, there’s a big difference between knowing me well enough to buy my product and knowing me well enough to sell it.
00:01:27:15 – 00:01:44:28
And you cannot count on the husband to sell to the wife of the wife of the husband. You have to be able to let yourself. So I want to talk to you about how we qualify and set an A lead to give our comfort advisors the best opportunity. I’m going to bring up a little sheet here. And by the way, if you want this sheet off, you can go and bring that up right there.
00:01:45:00 – 00:02:11:26
We will, get you guys a copy of this, and it’s just a very simple script, a couple of ideas that I think can be really, really helpful. And three simple steps to setting a qualified lead. Now, you got to keep in mind the importance of setting a qualified lead. Like you can dramatically improve sales performance simply by getting both people at the kitchen table and making sure the appropriate amount of time has been qualified.
00:02:12:02 – 00:02:34:08
So the comfort advisor can do their job. There’s nothing worse than getting to a sales call, and I’ve been on about a million of them and getting there, and the homeowner saying, I’ve got 15 minutes or, you know, my husband’s not here. Just dropped. Can you email us the bid, that kind of stuff? We have to properly set and qualify these leads because that’s going to give our comfort advisor the best opportunity to be successful.
00:02:34:11 – 00:02:52:03
And obviously, the better situation we put them in, the more often they’re going to close the deal, the more often they’re going to get that install, they’re going to get that revenue. And so this is something you can start today, by the way, if you’d like a copy of the script I’m going to show you, you can just shoot me an email at Weldon at Weldon long.com or info at well along.com.
00:02:52:03 – 00:03:06:27
And we’ll make sure and get you a copy of this little script. Very simple. It’s just a matter of, of doing as I say, it’s very easy, to set a qualified lead. The problem is it’s always a little bit easier not to. It’s always a little easier to say, okay, we’ll be out there at 2:00 with no qualification.
00:03:06:29 – 00:03:30:22
So these three steps I outline with the acronym RCB Relationship Authority and qualify. And I like acronyms because they help me remember stuff because I’m not the brightest tool in the shed. As they say. So let’s talk about building the relationship. So when your lead coordinator has a sales opportunity, a lead opportunity that they need to understand, that’s the single most important thing in the world in that moment.
00:03:30:22 – 00:03:48:21
That’s the single most important thing. In fact, not in my company these days because we have a separate lead coordinator. But back in the day, at one of my companies, we had a lead coordinator who also was kind of a CSR and she had other activities. But whenever she was setting a lead, we had a little flag on her desk, and she would raise that flag.
00:03:48:23 – 00:04:13:22
And that flag was a signal to everybody in the office, don’t jack with her, because she’s doing the single most important thing that could be done right now, which is properly qualifying and setting a sales lead. So your lead coordinator needs to understand the importance of this role. They need to understand that, you know, there’s an old saying nothing happens till something gets old, but nothing gets sold until somebody sets a qualified lead.
00:04:13:25 – 00:04:28:27
And so when they’re doing that, at this point in my companies now, we have designated lead. That’s all they do is set leads, right? If they’re not set leaves, they can read a book. I don’t care what they do. They can do some rehash and some follow up and stuff, but that is their job. That is the extent of their job because it’s so important.
00:04:28:29 – 00:04:49:03
So when your lead coordinator get somebody on the line, get somebody on the phone, the single most important thing they can do initially is to start building the relationship, which means we need to have conversations with that homeowner that have nothing to do with heating and air conditioning, nothing whatsoever. No plumbing, no electrical, no nothing. We want them to build a relationship.
00:04:49:03 – 00:05:05:29
So how did they do that? Well, number one, ask questions. Right. You’ve got to you’ve got to ask questions and show genuine interest. It’s important you know, we always talk about in sales that people buy from people they like. Well guess what. People also buy from people who like them. So it’s really helpful if your lead coordinator can start conversations.
00:05:05:29 – 00:05:19:22
You need a good personality in this role, by the way. They got to be able to ask questions about the family, about pets. They hear a dog barking, ask the dog’s name. Oh, what kind of dog is it? What kind of puppy is it? Get information. If you hear a baby crying. And what’s the baby’s name? Always. You’ve been sick.
00:05:19:25 – 00:05:38:18
You have to start conversations with your homeowners about whatever’s going on in their world. If you have, if they’re in a particular area of town and you’ve done some installs, you might say, do you know the Joneses? Do you know the Smiths? That type of thing. Anything you can talk about except heating and air conditioning? Because you want to differentiate yourself, you have to understand and do yourself a favor.
00:05:38:18 – 00:05:56:03
By the way, go get five of your competitors phone numbers and go find a friend, cell phone or somebody where they can’t identify you on the caller ID and call five companies and you will be shocked at the the response that you’re getting for these companies. Out of five, you’ll probably get 2 or 3 to go to voicemail.
00:05:56:05 – 00:06:13:02
You’ll probably get one that says, hey, Joe, I’m in the attic. What do you want? You might get one that has a human being that shows some interest and, and and, you know, and the customer calling. And so you can differentiate yourself because keep in mind, so many of your customers, they’re calling multiple companies are getting multiple bids in many cases.
00:06:13:02 – 00:06:27:01
Right. So we want to have someone to answer the phone. For example, one of my favorites is, you know, thank you for calling ABC. How can we make you smile today? Or how can we save you money today? Or how can we serve you today? How can we make you more comfortable today? Like surprise people when you answer the phone.
00:06:27:03 – 00:06:42:19
Right. They’re not expect they’re hidden. Jose Tim Cheatham I’m any addict. What do you want? Please leave a voicemail and they call you. And it’s like, hey, thank you for calling ABC Heating and Cooling. How can we make you smile today? Right? A pleasant voice, a pleasant greeting. It makes people feel better. And then, of course, we initiate that conversation.
00:06:42:25 – 00:06:57:20
And again, we got to start building a relationship, start asking questions about the homeowner. Not necessarily related to the heating and air conditioning, but you know how many people live in the home? How many kids do you have? You know, do you have any pets? These are things at all. Ultimately, by the way, will affect the the heat, the heat calc.
00:06:57:20 – 00:07:16:21
Right. So there’s questions that we need to know anyway, at some point, start building that relationship. And as you start building the relationship and you initiate conversations that have nothing to do with the heating and air conditioning, again, listen for cues. Dogs barking, babies crying. Whatever the case may be, there may be construction in the background. Hey, what are you having going on?
00:07:16:25 – 00:07:32:24
Get information and personal information. And this is so important because you want to take that information and put it in your notes, right? Because now you put yourself in a situation with the, with your comfort advisor when they go to the house and they review the notes, right? They knock on the door and they say, hi. Oh, this must be spot.
00:07:32:24 – 00:07:48:16
I heard that he was, at the vet yesterday. You want to talk about earning the trust and loyalty of a homeowner? Start talking about their kids. Are their pets, right? So, you know, again, if the leak when it hears a baby crying, what’s the baby’s name? Oh, has he been sick? Pass that information on the under the sales advisor.
00:07:48:23 – 00:08:15:04
Right. They walk in the house. Oh, this must be a little. Little Bobby. How’s he doing? I heard he went to the doctor yesterday. These are things that ingratiate you to the homeowners. They build enormous value, and they start to build the relationship. And the relationship is the single most important thing in any sales transaction, right? Whether it’s setting a lead or seller lead, you have to make sure that you’re getting personal information, ask questions, you know, show genuine interest.
00:08:15:04 – 00:08:30:13
These are all things that we start build a relationship. Right. And as I said there, as you can see, the bottom of the page right there, listen to let them know you like them. Listen with the intent to understand, not with the intent to respond. This is habit five from the seven Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey, one of my favorite books.
00:08:30:16 – 00:08:50:20
But try to identify with them any way you can and listen to what they’re saying. So many times, homeowners, are calling and the lead coordinator is busy and they’re just they just want to get like, what time do you want something to come out? You have to be more patient. You have to let this little organic relationship develop over the series of 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or ten minutes, whatever it is.
00:08:50:20 – 00:09:10:14
Right? But show people genuine interest and listen to them and listen closely, right? Because people can tell when you’re listening, just you just waiting for a brief moment for them to pause. You can jump back in and get this lead set and get on with your day. You have to be patient, listen with the intent to understand, not with the intention to respond critically important.
00:09:10:17 – 00:09:32:09
Okay, so that’s the relationship component. It’s a very simple concept. It just takes effort. It’s very easy to do. As I mentioned. The problem is it’s a little bit easier not to do. So we got to make sure that we’re taking the time. The next thing is we want to establish ourselves as the authority. Now, one of the things that’s really important to understand is I mentioned before, your homeowner may be calling, multiple companies.
00:09:32:09 – 00:09:51:11
Right. And you really want to make sure that they understand that you are the authority. You’re not some fly by night operation, that you are a professional organization of professional heating and air conditioning company and not some Yahoo doing it on the weekends. The side that you’re the authority, you’re legit. Right. So you want to explain how and why we conduct our energy on it.
00:09:51:11 – 00:10:08:14
So once we have the initial conversation about the baby, about the dog, about the neighbors, blah, blah, blah, blah, at some point we want to kind of, you know, kind of segue into setting the lead. And here’s an easy script that you can use. Again, we can email us still, you just shoot us an email and get you a copy of this Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner, whomever we’re speaking with.
00:10:08:14 – 00:10:26:11
Right. When we come out, we’re going to perform a comprehensive energy audit at no charge to you. This process was recommended by the US Department of Energy and Consumer Reports. We’re going to measure your house. We’re going to measure windows, check the type of construction, check out your ductwork and attic insulation. All of these things are critical to properly sizing your system.
00:10:26:13 – 00:10:41:25
We are required to do it on every job, but don’t worry because it’s a complimentary service. So you want them to understand like, wow, these guys aren’t just coming out to shoot me a number like they’re going to be giving me some value. They’re going to do this, that there’s heat gain, heat loss analysis. And by the way, it’s complimentary.
00:10:41:27 – 00:10:59:05
So the expectation already is changing because they talk to the two companies that we’ll have Joe out there at 2:00 on Tuesday. And already you establish yourself as a professional organization, as the authority in heating and air conditioning, right? Not just some person who’s doing it. Some company is doing it right. You’re the authority. You’re the expert in this situation.
00:10:59:12 – 00:11:16:17
You want them to know that they’re getting a lot of value. It’s also really important they understand this is not going to be a 15 minute conversation. Right. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting to a lead. And your homeowner says, I got to leave in 15 minutes. And let’s face it, they call some other Hvac companies and they probably did take 15 minutes.
00:11:16:21 – 00:11:31:20
They could come in on their lunch break real quick and somebody comes and drops off a bid. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re going to run a professional sales call. And by the way, if you don’t know how to run a professional sales call, go to contract university. And my entire sales training system is on there. Drew Cameron also has some sales training on there.
00:11:31:23 – 00:11:55:12
Learn how to run a sales call as a professional, not as somebody dropping off bids, not as somebody just dropping off quotes, but a professional sales process. Right? Once we explain the basics, we go on. The reason we do that is very simple. We offer a one year unconditional money back guarantee. If you do whatever guarantee you offer, you offer some kind of satisfaction guarantee, money back guarantee, test, drive, whatever you call it, doesn’t matter what it is.
00:11:55:12 – 00:12:16:04
Doesn’t have to be a, a money back guarantee. Whatever your guarantee is, the reason we do that, Mr. Homeowner, is we offer a satisfaction guarantee. So we must make sure the job is done perfectly. If you don’t like the system and we can’t fix it, we’ll remove the system, we’ll fix it, whatever we have to do. So it does take a little bit longer to do it properly, but I’m sure that’s the kind of service and quality that you expect from a professional organization, correct?
00:12:16:06 – 00:12:32:26
Yes. Now they are they are telling you that they want this. They want this service right? It’s a big difference for a comfort advisor. When you walk into a house and a homeowner wants to see you because they’re trying to make this decision, they have a lot of questions. They want the education. There’s a big difference between that and walking into a house.
00:12:32:26 – 00:12:56:16
And a homeowner is like, I’m not even sure why you’re here, right? So you want to make sure and establish yourself as the authority. Again, you can use this exact script. You can take this, you can modify it, do whatever you want to do. But you have to make sure that you are establishing yourself as the authority, as a professional organization, because this will differentiate you from the competition and all the other people that are out there doing this stuff and dropping off bids right?
00:12:56:18 – 00:13:27:14
So build a relationship. Establish yourself as the authority, right? Awesome content right there. As always, be sure to share this on Facebook. And if you’re not a member, click the button below to get a free trial. I’ll give you access to all of our amazing content. Well, that’s our show for this week, folks. We’ll see you soon. And till then, bye bye for now.
