Q&A: Technicians, salespeople and company perception

Photo: ©istock.com/YinYang

Q: How can I get my technicians to be more productive at selling?

Most technicians don’t like to sell; that’s why they’re technicians, not salespeople. However, you can take the following steps to help encourage and support them:

1. Provide significant incentives and bonuses.
2. Provide regular in-house training with role-playing.
3. Monitor them regularly by conducting quality assurance ride alongs.

Q: Are there any recommendations that you can make to help improve the customer’s value perception of my company?

There are four individual points of influence where you can have an impact on customer perceptions:

1. Tangibles — The impact you make on customers through advertising, invoicing, etc.
2. Assurance — Your reputation; the level of trust felt by your customers resulting from their contact with you.
3. Empathy — The amount of understanding and compassion displayed by employees when mishaps occur.
4. Responsiveness — The response time to service requests and problems.

If your company is successful delivering perceived value, the end result will be a sale, renewal or referral.
 

Q: How important are online reviews and ratings?

Very! According to research from Vee Popat, founder and chief SEO strategist at VPDM Digital Marketing:

• 69 percent of all consumers will search the internet for online reviews before making a decision to purchase.
• 72 percent of consumers will consider buying a product or service with a three-star rating.
• 27 percent of consumers will consider a product or service with a two-star rating.
• Most consumers will read between an average of five online reviews before they fully trust a business.

Email your industry marketing questions to Harvey at hgpcmcinc@aol.com. Your questions may be printed and answered in one of Pest Management Professional’s upcoming Marketing Matters columns.