Expert Sales Tips for Moving Businesses
- February 3, 2019
- By: Vonigo
We asked experts in the art of selling and from the moving industry what advice they had for moving businesses to help them close more sales. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Todd Miller, President of Isaiah Industries, Inc.
Don’t forget to sell yourself!
Most salespeople are good at selling product, decent at selling their company, but downright reluctant to sell themselves. But, in a home service business, it is the salesperson that the homeowner is really buying! Here are a couple of great and easy ways to do give the prospect confidence that they are in great hands with you:
Just in conversation, work in very short “sound bites” about yourself. You want to show that you are a fixture in their community, that you care about people, and that you absolutely love what you do. The homeowner needs to realize that you’re not going anywhere and that your reputation is at stake with every job you sell.
Personal Letter of Commitment
Write your own personal letter of commitment and have it printed on high-quality paper. This letter will explain exactly what the homeowner can expect from you if you’re blessed with their business. It might be things like no surprises, calls returned within 15 minutes, above and beyond service, etc. Then at the end, provide your cell phone number and tell them to call you immediately if you ever stub your toe on any of the things you have committed to.
Sign the bottom of the letter in front of the prospect and hand it to them along with you’re company’s branded pen you used to sign it!
2. Mark Ortiz, Founder, ReviewingThis
I’ve worked with a moving company as a client in the past, so I’ve become quite versed on the industry. I’ll share two of the recommendations we gave them that helped them close sales.
Tip #1
The majority of consumers have the belief that moving companies are dishonest. You’ll find horror stories of people being hit with surprise charges on moving day, or even once everything is packed in the truck. The sales department for a moving company needs to assure the customer that the quote they receive will NOT change, that it will be ironclad.
Moreso, the salesperson should ask to have a rep come by beforehand, and assess the true and final cost for the move – at no cost to the customer. This is a great way to get your “foot in the door”, and emphasize that whatever price is quoted after the inspection, will be the cost.
Tip #2
Customers are concerned about things being damaged during the move. This is a big concern, but moving companies do not place much focus here. On the phone, make sure to ensure the customer on how each valuable item is handled by the movers. Explain how things are wrapped up, what material is used, and the sort of care that would be placed. If the customer believes that you care about their items, they will be an easy close.
3. Kraig Martin, Commercial Director for Storage Vault
I always find that some of the old-fashioned sales tips still work. The most effective one I’ve found is the assumptive question – essentially, a fake-it-’til-you-make-it, approach.
This is where you make an educated statement that assumes that the customer is very near to closing the deal. Effectively, you use language that assumes the customer has already signed up to help move them closer, mentally, to accepting your deal. I’m talking about language like, “What time of day would you like the removal truck to arrive?” or “If you’re hiring, who will be returning the truck. Would you like directions?
When you’re trying to close a sale, you want to adopt a conversational strategy that inches the chat closer to the customer agreeing to the deal almost without realizing how they got there.
4. Ryan Carrigan, Co-founder of moveBuddha
When people go online to look for a moving company they typically submit inquiries to 3-4 companies. Based on our data, the first moving company to make contact with the customer has a 47% higher chance of earning the customer’s business.
