{"id":638,"date":"2021-11-20T09:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T20:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawnmowing101.com\/?p=638"},"modified":"2024-03-23T17:56:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-23T04:56:22","slug":"effective-commutation-with-lawn-care-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawnmowing101.com\/effective-commutation-with-lawn-care-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Effectively Communicate With Your Lawn Care Customers."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
When you are talking about a good experience with a business, then communication is everything. Your job with the customer does not finish when you sign them up. In fact, that is only just beginning. A growing business needs to retain existing clients as well as bring on new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world of lawn care is a competitive place, and your company needs to stand out from the start. When dealing with customers, you need to be polite at all times. If you meet them on the job, then do the following things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more information on managing quotes, you can read this article I wrote called HOW TO QUOTE ON LAWN CARE JOBS \u2013 THE COMPLETE GUIDE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you disagree with the customer and you feel that they are unreasonable with their expectations you still need to handle yourself professionally. It is all too easy for them to jump online and give you a scathing review if you fail to handle things properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will be surprised how much work you can secure by just turning up. Not only is this a problem in the lawn care industry it is happening more and more in the service industry in general. My company advertises “Good Old-fashioned Service,” and we get a lot of calls. What a sad reflection to the state of the industry today that we can stand out from the crowd by advertising that we do basically what every company should be doing anyway. A lot of the time a potential customer has made three to four calls, and only one person is going to turn up. Make that person be you. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you are working on a lawn, and the customer drives in or out smile and wave. Be genuine with the customer. When I meet a client for the first time, I smile, and I instantly liked them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of being indifferent until the customer gives you a reason to like them, how about instantly liking the customer unless they give you a good reason not to. This line of thinking is a lot more productive for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn your customer’s name and use it often <\/strong>-Your customers will love this. Put the customers’ first names on the job sheet so any workers you send to the site know their names too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try not to use negative words <\/strong>– When talking with your customers (or potential customers of that matter) try not to use negative words. Stay positive. It doesn’t matter to the customer what kind of day you are having. They are only going to remember the five minutes they spent talking to you. Make it a good interaction every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a customer says to me “hows, it going” I say “pretty good” I don’t say “not bad.” The customer very rarely wants to know how your day is going; they are just being polite. Be polite and speak in a positive way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen actively <\/strong>– You may have heard this before, but that is not going to stop me from repeating it here. When a customer is talking, don’t spend your time thinking about what you are going to say next. Think about what they are saying. Pause for a few seconds before you reply. By doing this, it shows you are considering what they are saying. If they say something don’t understand then clarify it by repeating in your own words saying you think they have said. If you get it right, they will be impressed. If you get it wrong, they will correct you and you have just avoided a miscommunication. Its a win-win for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t interrupt<\/strong> – Never interrupt the customer when they are speaking. You interrupting is rude and also shows them that you are not actively listening. Every time you interrupt someone you are devaluing the relationship so get in the habit of letting people finish talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be patient with customers<\/strong> – Do not rush customers on the phone. If a client or potential customer feels that you are rushing them through the call, then that will leave a bad taste in their mouths. You may start losing customers or not getting quotes. Always take your time with a customer. If you do need to get off the phone urgently then tell the customer something has happened and you need to deal with it immediately and you will call them back in five minutes, then do that. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Always use layman’s terms or analogies unless the customer is familiar with your industry’s terminologies<\/strong> – When communicating with the customer use plain English, not industry slang. If I need to use industry slang as there is no other choice I will make sure the customer understands. For example. I get a lot of people to ask me what a mulch cut is? So I have a standard reply that is simplified so anyone can understand. You don’t want to book a mulch cut and then have them complain about the grass not being bagged because the customer did not understand the word “mulch.” <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the customer for their preferred contact method<\/strong> – This is a bit of a double-edged sword as their answer may not be your preferred method. Still, this is worth knowing and noting down. We prefer texting but if a customer says their preferred method is an email we will always ask if texting is okay. We may point out the benefits of texting, but if they still want email, we will accommodate their wishes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may be saying “I know how to answer the phone” if so feel free to skip this bit, but I think if you take the time to read this you may come across something you didn’t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you know that the phone is still the most common tool for turning leads into quotes? According to Forbes<\/a> companies are losing up to 71% of leads by not following up in a timely manner. You may hate the phone (I know I do) but that doesn’t mean you can avoid it as a business tool. You need to make a habit of returning any missed calls as soon as possible. That also applies to online leads as well, even if it’s just a quick email to say “I got your message thanks, I will get hold of you later today”. Just touching base will increase your conversion rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try to answer your phone every time within three rings. Doing this may be a bit tricky but it will increase your leads and customer satisfaction by a huge amount. If you are out in the field a lot, then try running a separate number to your mobile that is used in advertising only and gives it a different ringtone. By doing this you will be able to capture all the new leads as they come in and it will enable you to secure more new customers. Your regular customers are usually okay with you responding to their calls when you get home so the answerphone can work there. They can always text your mobile if it’s urgent. Make sure you go through all your messages each day as soon as you arrive home. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, make sure the information you collect is accurate – Double check names and addresses<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n For further reading on this subject, I have written an article on this subject called HOW TO TURN INCOMING CALLS INTO QUALITY LAWN CARE LEADS.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nTurn up when you say you will.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Give your customers a reason to like you.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to talk to a customer.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to answer the phone.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Other methods of communicating with customers.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using Facebook for communicating.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n