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gutterdog · Aug 19, 2011

Who Qualifies their customers?

Guest

it means to see if they are serious or not in purchasing your products not taking a deposit.

RCIA Founder

We use "Uncle Vito" who asks "Do you want the Gdam Roof Cleaning or not" to qualify the customers biggrin

Aug 20, 2011

I use Chris Tuckers qualifying method.
I have-just a few times-in the last 22 years of roof cleaning, been asked to bid a roof in the woods, with 11 junk cars with the hoods all up, and 6 kids running around dirty and naked-and a wife with a black eye, cowering behind a woodpile-and the customer with a beer in each hand. I "qualified" him as "I'll call you with a price" and hoped to never hear from him again-as it was a clear-NO PAY job. { a bit of exaggeration to make a point }

opie451 · Aug 20, 2011

Qualifying to me is asking the right questions while on the phone with the potential client.

Have you ever hired a contractor(this way they have a general idea on pricing)

Who did the job last time and why are you not using them again( you get alot of info about the clients with this one)

What is your time frame for completing the job

Is there any other trades coming to do work at the same time as this project.

etc,etc.

I learned along time ago not to waste my time driving around giving estimates to price shoppers. Everybody wants a "good deal" ,but if you shop by price alone you will most likely end up with a bad experience. Alot of people think of construction is a commodity when it clearly isn't.

sweetwaterfish · Guest

The unqualified customers either 1) get a rely high bid, or 2) never get an estimate. We never shoot out a bonafide price to unqualified customers.

Guest

My customers are qualified as soon as they call. In my experience over the years,..I have determined that people don't tend to call for these "luxury" services unless they have the money. Letting the house dirty or the roof dirty falls behind electric, heat, mechanic for the car,..etc... those are the necessity services,..and those guys are more likely to get stuck in my opinion.
We as contractors need customers more than they need us. Not to mention the fact that contractors in general have added to the unwillingness for someone to hand over money and then expect service a week later,....how many customers have been burned,...or at least knows a story of a customer who paid up front,...only to be cheated by these unscrupulous contractors.

In my opinion,..if you must ask for money up front because of past issues,..do it RIGHT before the job starts and while on the property,..that way both parties should be satisfied.

Jeff

Rick2 · Guest

Very well put. That is what I have been thinking all along while reading this thread. A customer that calls you with house issues isn't just kicking tires. When it has come to a point when they know their roof has a problem... well you know that they are serious about having it taken care of. That roof is part of their greatest investment they will ever make in their life. They have a boat load of money in that investment and unless the contractor really screws the job up the chances are pretty slim you wont get paid. 18 years in this business and this has only happened to me once, just once, and it was by someone I knew. Actually it was the salesman that sold me my last truck. Turns out he owed lots of people money and moved to another state.

Aug 21, 2011

Rick2 wrote:
Very well put. That is what I have been thinking all along while reading this thread. A customer that calls you with house issues isn't just kicking tires. When it has come to a point when they know their roof has a problem... well you know that they are serious about having it taken care of. That roof is part of their greatest investment they will ever make in their life. They have a boat load of money in that investment and unless the contractor really screws the job up the chances are pretty slim you wont get paid. 18 years in this business and this has only happened to me once, just once, and it was by someone I knew. Actually it was the salesman that sold me my last truck. Turns out he owed lots of people money and moved to another state.

I NEVER TRUST A CAR SALESMAN OR THAT TYPE OF PERSON. wink wink wink wink wink wink wink wink

I wonder if Janet Jackson was singing about me, when she said "Nasty Nasty Boy?

-- Edited by Bergman Roof Cleaning Port Charlotte FL 941-698-1959 on Sunday 21st of August 2011 12:11:28 PM

Rick2 · Guest

That's him! That's him!

Aug 21, 2011

Aha! I thought so!!!

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"