Combine Exterior Jobs For A Bigger Ticket

If they do have the cash available to pay for it, a good argument for a combination job is that they’re not going to make anything on that money in a bank anyhow, so why not turn the money into a tangible benefit.

HOT-BUTTONS NOT BUTTONSSpeaking of money, if homeowners are open to the idea of doing additional jobs, they may change their minds if the only price you show them is the price of the total package. At Capizzi Home Improvement, combination jobs are broken out into subtotals so that homeowners can decide and, if need be, prioritize. “I am big on giving people subtotals and a total menu,” Capizzi says.

Successfully selling a combo job has to do with skill and subtlety. That the need is there is not enough. “They have to feel good about you, personally,” Capizzi says. Without rapport, a salesperson who suddenly starts talking about all kinds of other jobs comes across as less than trustworthy. “Keep it light and casual,” Hoty advises. “If you’re suddenly asking a lot of questions — What are your energy bills like? How long are you planning to be here? What’s your budget for this job? — before rapport exists, it can quickly become transparent that they’re the homeowner and you’re the salesman looking for hot-buttons.”

If you can change the way salespeople look at opportunities within the home, Hoty says, you can change the way they sell these. “They have to get past their preconceived notions that people don’t have money, that this isn’t an economy in which they’re going to be buying a large product,” he says. The most potent way to reverse the homeowner’s fear of a big price tag is to stand it on its head. Hoty says it amounts to this: “It’s going to cost you substantially more — because of price increases — to get your home re-sided two years from now than to just go ahead and get it done now. You told me you’re going to remain in your home. If that’s the case, why not go ahead and get it done? You have the means, and it’s in your best interests.”

SHARE THE VISIONFor the first few years window and siding company Exovations, in Atlanta, didn’t offer roofing. “Roofing was one of those products I didn’t really care to get into,” owner Roone Unger says. Two things changed his mind. The first was customer requests for roofing services. The second was project managers “saying we were missing the boat.”

Today Exovations offers just about every kind of exterior replacement job, including painting and porches. The company will also “exovate” prospects’ homes. Are you having trouble visualizing what your home will look like with exterior work? Exovations hands a digital image to its in-house architect who creates before-and-after renderings, using various suggested materials. The cost of that service is $350, and if you buy the job, it’s gratis. “If somebody does this, chances are 90% that we’re going to sell the job,” Unger says.

The majority of Exovations’ jobs are a combination of its services. “Stucco’s big down here,” Unger says, “and we have a lot of people who say they want to get rid of their stucco but can’t imagine what the house would look like with the materials changed.” But as much as the company promotes its ability to do design work and exterior face-lifts, calls still come in from people who say: “We didn’t know you did that.” Which is why salespeople always need to remind them.