The return call. As usual this is no different than any other business. where follow up is a key factor to successfully closing business. The "how to" is two fold. What you need and want on your end; which usually is some semblance of control over your life! The other is what your customers want and need. If you leave it up to them they want and need you at their beck and call, any time of the day or night.
On your end, in order to maintain a degree of organization and control over your schedule you need to establish a monthly/weekly/daily structure. Easier than it sounds but goes something like this: What are the things you need to do monthly, e.g., monthly bill payments, equipment maintenance, etc... Put them into categories such as admin, shop duty, marketing, learning. Then set them on a calendar by the week and then the day. Do this for weekly stuff and then daily. Patterns will start to emerge for when things need to be done, like the work itself, other things will float with no particular time they need to be done in. From this you can start to build blocks of time for general categories through the week. Then allocate them to the day. What this does is force you to think about how YOU want your day to look. Within all this will be blocks of time for sales duties which include calls to clients and prospective clients. Having time blocks gives you enough control over the process while still leaving flexibility to meet the client's needs. With calls you can set several blocks throughout the day. early morning, afternoon, evening. The challenge is sticking to your new structure.
On the customer end, standardize your approach with them. Never end a call without establishing a specific date and time for the next contact. This can be something like what has been suggested in your voice mail message where the contact is indirect. In your online appt request form. This can be linked to your schedule where you have suggested call back times based on how you have blocked out your days as discussed above. In a direct contact situation. Ask them for a best day to contact them then suggest the time based on your schedule. Narrowing it down like this gives you the opportunity to keep a handle on your time management and for them to think about their schedule and availability. You don't have to guess about their special scheduling needs, they'll tell you. If they suggest a time outside of your blocks you can then explain that you would be unavailable at that time but could call them at whatever time block is closest. Once agreed upon, put it on your schedule with a reminder. Then you don't have to worry about the gamut of possible reasons you can't call someone on a certain day or time and more importantly you are in command of your own time.
I learned and utilized this at a custom management training consulting firm. In just following this I closed business with some major corporations as they judged the quality of our products based on the skills exhibited.
If you think spontaneous follow up calls land jobs, imagine your client's impressions of you when you tell them you'll do something and then do it!
Here's how I've had it play out:
Client: Give me a call in a couple of days
Me: Great, let me check my schedule. It's Thursday so do you mean Saturday?
Client: Oh yeah, forgot what day it was. No, we're at the cottage.
Me: Enjoy your weekend! I can call you on Monday or Tuesday.
Client: Uh, make it Tuesday, Monday's are too hectic.
Me: Yes, I know that feeling. Ok, Tuesday. I can schedule your call either early morning, late afternoon or, early evening.
Client: (by now you'll get the sense that they are actually looking at their schedule) Best if you call me in the evening.
Me: Ok, I usually make calls between 7 and 8 pm Does that work for you?
Client: Sure, closer to 8 though.
Me: I'll put you on my schedule for 7:45 pm, Tuesday.
Client: Works for me. Thanks.
They may sound a bit skeptical but that will change when you do what you said you're going to do. Always steer them towards the "openings" in your schedule then you can negotiate what works for both of you. There will be some clients that you'll have to make exceptions for but that'll still work in your favor and it won't happen all that often. If it does then you can make adjustments to your time blocks to better suit the needs of your clients as a whole vs. one or two.
Use a contact management app and make notes about client preferences. It may be kids and theirs school and activities scheduling, religious observances, volunteer duties, parent care duties, that shape their calendar but it will all start to add up to a clear understanding of your client's and a huge improvement in the relationship you have with them. Not only do you stand out from the other tree services but also the companies they deal with for other services at home and even at work.
