Silent Phone Syndrome

We recently received a question from a contractor.  Here is the question and what our suggestion was for him:

Q:  My phones are colder than the winter weather has been.  How can I get my phones ringing again?

A:  Spring is right around the corner and so are better times for your phone, but you don’t have to sit around and wait for your phone to start ringing when you need calls.  Here are a few quick ways to get your phone ringing when you need it most:

• Pick it up – The great thing about a phone if that it works both ways! Pick it up and start dialing.  If you need calls, call your current customers with a special offer.  If you haven’t seen them in a year or more, it’s probably time for an inspection to ensure their comfort and safety, so make them and offer they can’t resist.
• Revisit the past – Chances are, your team has seen and recommended some work in the past month or two that hasn’t been given the green light by clients.  Go through your past invoices and call any homeowners that turned down recommendations.  Offer them a special incentive to take care of the work today!
• Knock, knock – Don’t depend on the phone when you have an advertising army in the streets.  Have your technicians knock on doors and offer tune-up or inspection specials.  Leave special offers on doors.  If your phones aren’t ringing, keep your teams busy looking for additional work.
• Send out your secret weapon – This only works if you keep track of your advertising results.  If you do, you can see what piece draws the best response.  Print that one up and mail it out.  Track your results so you know what pulls in calls when you need it most.
• Call in the clubs – If you have maintenance agreements, the slow times are the perfect time to schedule their annual inspection or tune-up.  You give them great service and they provide work to keep your team busy.  And while your team is in the home, they might notice something else that could help that homeowner.

Those are just a few quick ways that you can combat “silent phone syndrome” and get your company hopping again.