Top 3 Ways to Convert Callers into Clients
By Victor Mataraso, M.B.A.
For all the time, money and effort you spend trying to get prospective clients to call your small business, how much time have you spent thinking about their experience when they call? When you factor dollars spent on advertising, time spent on marketing strategies, ad creation, networking, etc, it can easily cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to get your phone to ring. The key question then becomes how to convert these callers into clients in the most efficient manner possible.
If you’re in the service industry, there are some simple strategies you can employ to convert your callers into clients. Regardless of whether you are an attorney attempting to secure a new client, a contractor looking for the opportunity to bid on a job, or a computer repair specialist trying to nab a service call before your competition, the steps are fairly straightforward.
1) Answer your phone live, particularly during business hours. There is no way around it. Typically, by the time a prospect calls your business, they have been thinking about your business for days, and have had an awareness about you for weeks, months or years. Now they have a need to contact you…TODAY…NOW…THIS MINUTE! Nothing is more disheartening for a prospect that is ready to take the next step than to be greeted by a voicemail and forced to leave a message (many don’t).
2) Prepare a system to introduce them to your business. Nothing inspires confidence in your caller more than demonstrating you have thought about their needs in advance, have dealt with their type of inquiry before, and have a procedure in place to get them what they need in the most efficient manner possible. The objective is not necessarily to close the deal on this call, but to move them to the next step in the purchase process, whether it is arranging for an estimate, scheduling a consultation, or capturing their contact information to send more detailed information.
3) Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Even the most interested and well-intentioned prospect is easily distracted by the myriad obligations in our lives and competition for our time and attention. Whatever next step was promised in the initial call, make sure you follow through. This requires showing up for, or confirming, a scheduled appointment, sending out requested information in a timely fashion, or placing a follow-up phone call at an agreed upon time.
Don’t convince yourself you don’t have the time or resources to get this done. It is critical to your business success. Hire a receptionist, outsource with a telephone answering service, recruit your spouse or partner. Consult with an expert who can guide you on the specifics of creating this process. Now, more than ever, make every call count.
Victor Mataraso, M.B.A. is the founder and president of Reliable Receptionist, an off-site telephone reception and appointment scheduling service with expertise in converting callers into clients. Based in the San Francisco East Bay Area city of Walnut Creek, CA, Reliable Receptionist works with small business owners to enhance their professional image, improve customer service and manage their workload more effectively. For more information, call (925) 627-4200, visit www.ReliableReceptionist.com, or read our blog at www.ReliableReceptionist.info.
