How To Create Urgency In Home Improvement Sales (Without Pressure)
Prefer To Watch: Here’s The Video
Summary (TL;DR)
• Use a formal, seated needs analysis to surface hidden desire.
• Introduce a written survey to gain control and professionalism.
• Ask basics, then dig to emotions with “why” and follow-ups.
• Close the survey with a soft commitment (minus affordability).
• Questions build trust, pace the call, and keep you in control.
Contractor Sales Training: Create Urgency in Home Improvement—Without Pressure
Why Urgency Already Exists
How would you like to make people want what you are selling before you even show them what it is. Sales people always complain about how the customers had no urgency and couldn’t build any need and desire. The key is that they do have need and desire or you wouldn’t be there. Sometimes it’s hidden because they won’t show you and you have to get them to reveal it. Sometimes they may not have the realization and you need to help them realize it and bring the spark of interest to a white hot fire of desire. The sales questions you ask a customer helps do that and it does so before they even see the product.
It’s generally called the needs analysis part of your sales call. There are different ways that I see sales people ask their customers questions. Sometimes they do it in the warm up or walk around as they are talking to their customer … almost off the cuff like” so how long have you been thinking about getting a new hvac system?” or “how soon do you want your windows installed?” It almost sounds like a sneaky way of doing it. Other companies may give you a written survey or needs analysis you can use in the home. Most sales people may use it or skip around because they really don’t understand how to use it or the questions they use are weak.
Make Needs Analysis a Formal Step
To me the most effective way to ask questions is to make it a specific step of your sales call where you are sitting down with your customer and asking questions like a professional. I introduce it and we it do it sitting at the kitchen table. You want to have specific questions written down so that you do it perfectly and don’t forget any. It’s also more professional and the customer will follow your lead more when they see it’s written down. When you do it this way you can dig deeper and it doesn’t seem like you are being too nosy than if you did it in the warm up. It’s a designed step to give you a lot of information instead of you trying to fish it out on the downlow.
For those of you who think this won’t work or alienates people I have been in home improvement sales for over 35 years and personally been in over 16,000 homes as well as training literally 1000s of sales people to do it this way and it works. Doesn’t matter if is a quicker sales call with a lower ticket like hvac or full blown $100,000 kitchen remodels. It builds your credibility with the customers and it’s deadly if done right. When you know how… doing it this way is invaluable and should never be skipped.
All professionals ask questions and if they didn’t it would destroy their credibility. Can you imagine going to a lawyer, doctor or accountant and they didn’t ask you anything and just said “okay here’s what I recommend? Selling in it’s purest sense is solving problems and the better you understand the problem the better job you can do of solving it. Plus when they tell you their problems they amplify it.
Introduce the Survey the Right Way
So normally after you first get in the home you get rapport. Then the next step should be to use the written survey or questions. A key is that you introduce it.”if you don’t mind I just have a couple of questions to ask you so we can do this faster? If you just start asking questions then it does seem weird and confuses them. They thought they were getting a free estimate what are all these question coming from. Just introducing it like that will make help it make sense and they won’t fight you on this.
Protip anytime I am trying to get control, seating arrangements, asking questions etc. I always say “so we can do this faster”. At this point they want you out as soon as possible and by saying this it’s a good way to get the customer to go along with what you want. 😊
Two Types of Questions: Basic vs. Desire Amplifiers
In general the needs analysis always has two types of questions. You have basic information questions you should always know. Are they home owner, specifics on what they want like scope of work, number of windows they wanted estimate on, if they want fascia done with siding, furnace only or furnace and air etc.
The other types of questions give you information but they also help create and amplify the need and desire.
Power Question to Spark Emotion
To me the most important question I can ask is “what’s the main reason you wanted to get information on replacing your _________? The key to this is not selling at all or being too aggressive. Why this question is so powerful is that when you say “why do you want to get information” it’s really a fancy way of saying tell me all the reasons you may want to buy a new _________. The more answers you get here the better it is for you. The key is to be able to dig deep and until you get the emotions. Answers like ”my kitchen is old” are surface level.
When you learn to dig deeper you get more information and if you dig deep enough you get to the emotions. It’s emotions that sell not logic. Let me give you an example“So why do did you want to get information on replacing your kitchen? “ it’s old “and when you say it’s old what do you mean by that?” I don’t’ like the way it looks.” In what way?’ I don’t like the colors or the style. “if you don’t mind me asking how come?’ The colors look to 70s like and the style makes it looks like my grandmothers house. “ and how does it looking like that affect you using it ?” I hate it and when my friends come over it’s embarrassing and I try to keep them out of the kitchen as much as possible.
This is just an example of the technics involved and how powerful they can be. It’s selling 101.. if someone is hungry for an ice cream sundae asking them why they want one. “its hot and I have a craving for ice cream and chocolate “ by them telling you will increase their desire. Another important question I like to use is at the end of my information survey where after they have told me why they want to replace their windows and and I’ve gotten all the other information questions like color, style, etc. I always end with .”How long have you been thinking about doing this work?” Oh about 2 years…”If if you don’t mind me asking why haven’t you done anything yet? “We haven’t got around to it or we are more serious about it now…then the final question is “So other than the affordability are you definitely going to get the work done?” Yes we need to.
That last question is key because now you are getting a firm commitment that they are going to do the work. No more getting to end and hearing well we don’t know if we are going to get this done or things like that. You aren’t asking them to buy here just getting a commitment that they will do definitely something. That’s why you want this to be a specific step where you are sitting down like a consultation with a lawyer. There is no way you can dig that deep by just talking to them in the warm up without seeming intrusive. . NOW….How you would like to go to a home where your sales presentation starts with your customer telling you how much they want your product and how much they hate theirs and that if it is affordable they definitely want to get the work done. If you do this right all of your customer say that everytime. Just be sure you don’t come across like it’s an interrogation and be gentle about it.
If you need more help with implementing this technique into your sales call and want a deeper dive into this you can check out my training program listed in the link below. It not only covers everything from A-Z on selling home improvements but it has downloads of the questionnaire with all the specific questions and exactly how I use them for every home improvement product.
Use Questions to Stay in Control
Another benefit of doing it this way is that it gives you control and allows you to set the tone and pace. It give you control because the person who is asking questions is always in control . When they start asking you questions like “how long does this take” “how much does it cost?” they are starting to take control. By asking questions I can slow the customer down. Sometimes you have what I call the wild dog customer who is all over the place in the beginning. “I want this and do you do this and what if we did this…etc. “ But using the survey I can take control and slow them down. “I can see you have a lot of great questions. Tell you what if you let me ask you a couple more questions then I can narrow down what you want even further and not only help you more but do this faster. Is that okay?
Redirect the House Tour
Another tip is that lot of times the customers try to lead you when you first get in the home. Let’s go look at my furnace or let me show you the windows I want to get to replace. Remember you are in control walking in the home. The only way they get control is if you give it to them. When they do that I always say “not a problem I definitely have to do that but before we do that do you have a table I can use because I have to do some writing and that way we can do this faster. “Then get them to the table warm up, do your needs analysis with a written survey ..Great….so how long have you lived here? And are you the sole home owner for legal reasons? And….dot dot dot.
Then go look at their bathroom for your physical walk around.
Build Trust and Rapport by Listening
Another way using a written survey can help you besides building need and desire and taking control is that helps build trust and increases rapport. When you learn to get them to explain their answers more it gets them more involved and shows that you are listening to them. Trust is built by you listening and understanding what they are saying, not talking. I also use this needs analysis to help build rapport if I get stuck.
Other than asking stupid small talk questions like “hot enough for you” or ‘what do you think of the higher prices” if you feel like your rapport is going nowhere at the beginning it’s better to move into needs analysis by saying if you don’t mind we can do this faster if I can ask you a couple of questions on what you want information on today. Then as you are going through them it’s more natural and conversational to build rapport as you ask the questions. Are you the sole homeowner? By the way what do you do for a living you if you don’t mind me asking?
I hope you take to heart what I’ve been saying and start doing the needs analysis differently if you aren’t already. If you want more information on handling resistance in the home check out the video on How To Handle Sales Resistance or the articles on one call close techniques.
Happy Selling!
