Have you ever wondered why you choose one product or service over another? What makes you finally say, “I will receive more value if I go with xyz”?
Recently, a service provider won over my business in the highly competitive roofing market.
Why exactly was I so pleased to give my business to Chris Wright from Remember Me Roofing? And what made dealing with Chris and his team such a pleasant experience?
The answers lay in the fact that right from the start Chris was able to correctly identify my pain points. He was able to convey that he was selling exactly what I needed.
Here’s what this Ottawa roofer did to create that frictionless customer experience that all businesses should strive for.
1) Identify immediate concerns and provide rapid relief solutions
It was winter and after a particularly nasty storm some of the shingles were blown off my roof by strong winds.
My family and I were to leave on vacation for a couple of weeks. I was concerned about leaving the house with the roof exposed to the elements.
The other competing roofers either minimized my worries or told me that I had to pay $500+ to fix the issue temporarily. Chris was the only one who offered to send his guys over the very next week at no cost.
On an icy Canadian winter day in January these guys were on the roof patching it up as promised.
Taking the steps to build a relationship on firm foundations is a splendid idea. By giving away free information in the form of blog content, free software trials or as in Chris’ case, minor fixes at no charge, a business is able to take the first steps toward building a relationship with potential clients.
This fact is even applicable when one takes on a new role or position in an organization. New ideas, however brilliant, may not viable if the company culture is not ready for them.
Experienced executives know better. They take time to study the organizational environment and incrementally phase in those ideas. One has to secure adequate buy-in from top to bottom and sideways.
After all doesn’t addressing the most immediate concern seem like clever way to secure buy-in?
Much like Chris did.
2) Provide the best innovative solution for the customer’s needs
When I sat down to discuss the new roof with Chris, he suggested a ridge venting system for my home. The other roofers had all proposed roof vents. Chris pointed out the house had enough ridges to make ridge vents a viable solution.
Knowing nothing about these things in the first place, I had to rely on research. This included cross checking Chris’s suggestions with the competing roofers.
Based on all the gathered information I grew comfortable about opting for the ridge venting solution proposed by Chris.
Remember Me Roofing now had two unique advantages over their competitors. The attention to my concerns and prompt answers to all my questions sealed the deal for Chris as far as my business was concerned.
It’s easy to get complacent with business processes and run the risk of not being able to identify the best solution for our customers’ needs.
While ‘innovation’ is a word that suggests paradigm changes, it could also mean smaller improvements to previous workflows and systems. Maybe a different website layout would be able to better serve customers by giving them quick access to the most sought information.
Or maybe an employee would perform better if they had specific deadlines to help them with their time-management skills.
3) Deliver as promised but exceed expectations
The excellent service from Chris continued with the selection of tiles for the roof. He provided suggestions upon request but otherwise gave us enough time to make up our minds.
When the warm weather arrived Chris’s crew were up on the roof. The work took them a couple of days but we wouldn’t know they were ever there if it weren’t for the spanking new roof.
The cleanup was impeccable.
The roofing crew had also fixed an incorrect venting issue that Chris noticed a few months ago during the winter.
Delivering as promised and always keeping the client’s needs forefront creates a lasting impression. That kind of sincerity results in increased referrals. Even an unsolicited, grateful blog post :).
Trust needs to be well earned. A fact not lost on the Remember Me Roofing team.
Chris and the team at Remember Me Roofing are also looking to give back to a family in need of a new roof, but are too stretched to be able to afford it.
Let’s give a deserving family a hand. Hop on over and cast your vote at http://www.remembermeroofing.com/contest/