Why You Get Resistance At The Door and How to Handle It
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Summary
The lead starts when you get the appointment, not at the pitch.
Resistance = interest, not rejection.
Cold leads can be easier to close than warm ones.
Being let inside means they need help.
Mirror their energy, build rapport, ask good questions.
Understanding the Truth About Home Improvement Leads
When Does the Sales Lead Really Begin?
I always hear home improvement salespeople say that they never got in, and it was a bad lead. When does the lead start? It doesn’t start when you present. It actually starts when you get the lead from your company. Then you have to make it to the home, get there on time, and do your sales presentation. That’s all part of it. If you want me to be nice, then it starts when the door opens. If they are home, then you need to be able to take control, get them involved, and create enough interest that you can go through all the steps necessary to make the sale. If they open the door and you can’t do your whole sales call, then that’s on you.
Is Lead Quality Really Dropping?
I’ve had a lot of salespeople tell me that the quality of their leads is dropping. What does that actually mean? To me, the only way the quality of the leads would be dropping is if there was nobody home, the addresses were vacant lots, or the home improvement quote was for a business. Everything else is up to you, and it is a good lead. What most people mean when they say the lead quality is dropping means the level of interest the customer shows you, or how nice they are to you when you get there.
Warm vs. Cold Leads
I have run all kinds of leads in my 35 years in the business. This has put me in over 16,000 homes, and I have run leads that are considered warm, ie, they called in for the estimate, and leads that are considered cold, ie, somebody called them or emailed them cold and asked if they wanted a free estimate on something. If you really want to know the truth, I would probably rather run a cold call than a warm lead. The cold calls are harder to get in, but easier to sell, whereas the warm leads are easier to get in but harder to sell. For example, if you get a lead where they were at a home show or got a brochure and called in for the estimate, they were nice when I got there, but probably called 5 other companies, and I was number 3 on a list. It actually scares me when I get there and there, and they lead me to the kitchen table, where there is water and snacks. Some of these people are like professional shoppers.
The cold call probably called nobody else, and once I did my job, I could sell them without any competition. The key point to remember is that, regardless of the situation that put me there, the fact that I am in their home means they have a problem that they are not happy with, and no valid solution, or I wouldn’t be there. Period. There is no other reason I would be there unless they were starting a home improvement company and wanted to learn how to sell. By the way, I was being sarcastic 😊 So when you learn to get through initial resistance to you being there and how to do your sales call the way you were trained without skipping anything, you will make more money. The important thing is that you know the truth of why you are there, and nothing they can say can close you and make you think that you are wasting your time.
You’re in the Home—That’s Already a Buying Signal
You have to understand that to let someone into your home is a big time buying sign, regardless of how you act when you get there. When was the last time you let a total stranger come into your home to give you an estimate on something? Would you do that on a whim, or would it have to be something you were really interested in to set an appointment for them to come inside your cocoon? There is a huge difference between you going to a store to see something vs you letting someone into your home to see something. Understanding that alone will make you rich in this business. The fact that you are there is proof of their interest and need. Do you think that because they show you no interest or give you a lot of resistance at the start, it means it is a bad lead and hard to sell? What it means is that you were closed instead of you closing them.
Resistance Is Not Rejection
The reality is that resistance at the door or in the initial warmup is a good sign to me. It is a big-time buying sign. Rookies think it is the opposite. For one, if they are fighting you at the door, it means they don’t like the whole idea of a salesperson coming to their home trying to sell them something. Yet they still set the appointment. What does that tell you? To me, if they don’t like salespeople coming to their home and still set the appointment, it means they must be borderline desperate. The other thing, and this may be politically incorrect, but a lot of time, initial resistance tells me that as a customer, they are weak and know it. They know that if a good salesperson got into their home, they would probably buy. Why else would they be telling me their excuse if they weren’t buying anything up front? If you came to my home and I was definitely not doing anything, I wouldn’t say anything. I would be nice to you and at the end I would politely say no. In fact, depending on my mood, I would tell them how I know how hard their job was, and if they wanted to practice their closing on me, that I would let them 😊
Common Objections You’ll Hear
Typical resistance you hear can be… “I want to let you know that I’m going to do anything today.” “You know, I got a phone call or email, and they said it was a free estimate. That’s the only reason you are here.” “The person on the phone was pushy and I finally said yes to get them off the phone.” I love hearing this stuff. The best one is “ I want to let you know that I’m not going to buy anything today.” Anyone in the business for a while knows that the people who tell you that they aren’t going to buy anything today are usually the easiest sale.
How to Respond to Sales Resistance
So, how do you get past these? The first is the understanding that there is an interest, and all I am hearing is sales resistance. Really, what it is a fear of you high pressuring and trying to sell them. Here are some things I use that have worked well for me. “You know the people on the phone were pushy and kept calling et…. “My favorite response to that and other similar comments is usually…. “I’m sorry, do you mind if I ask you a question.” “Am I here against your will then?” I have never had anyone tell me yes…they usually always back off a little and say things like “well not really because at some point we may have to replace our windows just not now” Then you can say great because all I am going to do is show you what we do and how much then you can decide when you want to do this.
Spin the “Not Buying Today” Objection
Another thing that will help you defuse the resistance and get rapport is to mirror their level of interest. If they seem to show low interest. I.e., I’m not planning on doing anything right now. Mirror that back with “that’s fine. I’ll just show you what we do, and you can do it when you’re ready.” Way better than “What if we could make it affordable then would you do it now?” That will raise their guard, not lower it. You need to lower their guard to be able to sell them.
Understand Their Real Problem with a Needs Assessment
My style is probably a little more direct than yours, but one time I had a person who kept saying that the only reason I was there was because it was free. A free estimate. I then politely asked him, “That’s fine, do you mind if I ask you a question…..” Sure… “If we were selling dead rats and they told you that it was a free estimate would I still be here then?”…welllll probably not… “Then why am I here?” My windows are old and cracked, and I have plastic all over them, and it’s horrible. Learning how to get past these will put you at the top of your sales force and make you more money.
When they say they aren’t going to buy anything today, I have a couple of options. Sometimes I spin them with “Buy something today? “Did they tell you over the phone that you were to buy something today?” “If that’s the case, I'm going to have to talk to someone about the information you were given because this is just to give you information so that if you ever do buy something, you know what’s involved, how much, and hopefully hire us. So you don’t have to buy anything today, do you? No… Great because that way I don’t have to worry about you pressuring me to put in the windows tomorrow like everyone else, and this can be less stressful and more fun for me and you…ok”
Or sometimes my favorite thing to say when they say they are not going to buy anything today is “Great, because the last thing I am going to do today is ask you to buy something. We can just have fun and I will show you what we do.” It is the truth because the last thing I do before I leave will be to ask them to buy. If that went over your head, replay this until it makes sense.
Conclusion: Build Trust, Identify Needs, and Close
Remember, the main reason they give you resistance at the beginning is that they are scared of being sold and pressured. You need to get past that or you won’t be able to get rapport. When you get rapport, you have more control to take them where you want. Now, once you get past that, it is important to do a good needs assessment by asking the right questions. Why do you want information on replacing your bathroom? The answers to questions like that will give you the problem and help amplify the desire for what you do. “My bathroom is outdated, and the shower is leaking.” There ..that’s far better than you’re here because it’s a free estimate. Remember that you have to break down their initial guard so you can get rapport, then get them into the sales presentation, then, by using a good needs analysis, you will bring the need and desire to the surface and allow you to make the sales.
If you like this type of post and want to dive deeper, check out the post on “Is It A Good Lead?” or theses posts on Home Improvement Sales Closing.
Happy Selling!
