Transcription
I truly think it is the single most effective way to raise your Revenue overall by far and I don't think anything else really Compares.
Um, we saw when we implemented the call by call management program, we saw a 92% increase in their average ticket on day one.
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Hey, how's it going? It's Tim Brown and this is the Plumbing and HVAC Hustle podcast. And today I have Jason Ore, Ore, yep, uh, from Service MVP. Yep, ServiceMVP.com and they're a sponsor of ours. I'm incredibly grateful. We're talking about call by call management and you are the preeminent expert at Service MVP about this.
Yeah, yeah, thanks for putting it that way. But yeah, I manage the call by call division for Service MVP.
What is the problem that call by call management solves?
Well, uh, you know, realistically, you can put guys in training. You can expose them to the best information, the most valuable stuff. You can spend tens of thousands of dollars doing that very quickly. And then you can also spend months and months or years trying to get them up to snuff. The issue is that if they don't use that stuff that they know out in the field, it does nothing. So call by call management, performed by us as a service, this essentially takes that out of the equation in the sense that they have no choice.
Can you briefly explain what call by call management is on a tactical level for those that are just getting familiar with it?
So the most basic form of it would be, uh, three points of contact per service call. So I have a technician, they go on a service call. I'm going to go ahead and touch bases with them once they're dispatched, once they're done with the diagnosis and we're building the option sheet, and then once done with the call. That's kind of the, the thousand-foot view. But we can get as in-depth as, you know, we use say like CXC AI or Rea, um, and go ahead and in real time be able to see exactly what's going on in the call. We can even plug into like an earpiece, listen to what's happening on the call and give them feedback in real time. Like, hey, hit, hit this point of your sales process or, you know, diagnosis or whatever.
Call by call management then has to have a good person back at the office, like a real closer type, right? A perfect person?
Realistically, yeah. I mean, there's a, and there's also the risk for. So one of the risks is if you have a call by call manager and they come from like the sales world, they're going to be great at sales. And you can even have them, and we'll do this too, jump on the iPad over Zoom and then at that point go ahead and and do the presentation of the option sheet. They're going to excel at that portion. But how, how effectively can they lead? How effectively can they train the other guys that they are actually moving through this call by call process with, um, and, you know, being amicable and being able to deliver messages that could be seen as negative in a positive way that supports the individual? And we're not micromanaging. You know, we're bringing them up to our level. We're elevating the team altogether. That's the way to do it.
So, yeah, so how does that work? Like, 'cause most, most people aren't perfect. So, and like, it's hard to get that perfect person back at the office. So how do you recommend people deal with that challenge?
So, you know, the, the most important thing to look for is an effective leader. And then you can train sales. And if they're completely dedicated, you know, to the process, that's when, um, they're going to end up being an incredible salesperson anyway. And honestly, some of the greatest coaches alive never actually played a game in their life. So, you know, you want to keep that in mind and, and really hire by character, leadership, um, and even a bit of empathy in the sense that they've got to be able to relate with the guy or the girl, whoever is out there in the field. And, you know, really be sure to, um, support them and bring them up to their level. It's not a competition. You know, if, if I'm managing someone's calls, we have fun. We celebrate the wins. And even if they don't want to do it, it only lasts a few days. And again, they just don't really have a choice at that point. Like, we're going to have fun. We're going to have massive successes together.
And, you know, one thing I've learned, initially I really thought that this would be something that people would graduate out of, um, because they would learn from me. And they do get really good. The learning through osmosis is the most effective way to learn. But I'm noticing people aren't really graduating out of it. What's happening is is we end up forming this kind of bond and working relationship so that, you know, they look forward to it and, uh, they feel supported and we lean on each other.
So very different. Okay. So this might seem like an obvious question, but, you know, there's always new positions that are in companies. Can you just real quick give us an inside salesperson versus a call by call manager? I know they're totally different, but just to give some sense of these new roles that are popping up in more companies.
Well, generally speaking, you know, your inside salesperson, they're, they're going to focus on sales specifically. And, and, you know, the opportunities they deal with will vary a bit, uh, based on the company that they're working at. But most guys are, are, are probably dealing with calls that haven't been sold. You know, there was some sort of roadblock in the way and the tech or the sales guy has to get back on the road and get to the next call. So then it goes into an inside sales, uh, situation. Where with a call by call manager, what I'm actually trying to do, yes, I need sales acumen, but the most important thing is the ability to elevate the guys that I'm managing, um, and their calls and really bring everyone up to this point of being incredible, even if they are not incredible at this process.
So inside sales, they're talking to the customer. Call by call manager, ideally would never talk to the customer. They can, yeah, they definitely can. So they can function as the inside salesperson as well, if need be. But the main role, you know, of the call by call manager really does relate more to internal people, like our, our team, our technicians, our sales people, and enabling them and supporting them.
So a lot of people out there are trying to figure out, do I need this role? Is this just fancy new, or should I actually take the time to do the hard, heavy lifting to get this person into place? So the question is, is there a list of attributes? Like, you need a, you need a call by call manager if this is happening, if this is happening, if this is happening, if this is happening. What would those things, those indicators that they need that call by call manager be?
If the person is right, if you, you can pick an excellent leader who is dedicated to the process and can hold people accountable in a way that they are okay with, but you could go hunt somebody down. So I'm more saying like the problems that lead, like this problem is happening in your company, this problem is happening, this problem. What are the problems?
I would dare say though that, um, with the right person, you don't need a list of problems that need solved. This is so effective that no matter who you are or how many people you have, it will work and it will work wonders. I, I truly think it is the single most effective way to raise your revenue overall by far and I don't think anything else really compares.
And you would say that though, 'cause you're technically selling it.
Yeah, absolutely. Um, but I'll tell you, you know, I, I'm very passionate about it, which I'm sure you can tell. But I have heard from a bunch of home service business owners recently that this was pretty huge for them.
It's huge. What have you, what have you, tell us a story of a home service business that implemented this recently that saw a major lift? And what was it that really switched on for them?
I recently worked with a, um, a plumbing company that was 45 years old. And these guys, their technician that had been there the longest was there for almost 30 years. So these guys were old school, no doubt about it. They tried to do some sales training. They sent three guys to Total Immersion. One guy did okay after they came back. The other two, they did nothing with it. We saw when we implemented the call by call management program, we saw a 92% increase in their average ticket on day one. And this is us counting the entire last year. This wasn't us waiting for a dip and then jumping in right then and then elevating it. This was their average ticket over the 365 days before we put them in there. There was a 92% increase in their average ticket on, uh, day one. And then by the end of week four, a 268% increase overall. And the, the interesting thing, so they had nine techs. One of them took to it like a fish to water, just did amazing. Two of them, two or three of them were kind of half in, half out. The rest of them didn't care and didn't try. Imagine say by day 90 or, you know, one year in or whatever, when we have everyone doing as well as the guy that, uh, really took to it well, I mean, you're talking probably over 1,000% increase.
Okay. And this one's going to be harder. Can you be generous with us and share us a story of a place that you tried to implement it where it didn't take?
Man, you know what? So honestly, that has not happened. Um, which is interesting. But yeah, that, that just...
Are you serious?
I'm dead, dead positive. Yeah.
'Cause I'm a trusting guy. That's that's one pro. That's one of my problems. I'm kind of, I'm just very trusting. Yeah. But I just want to, I want to make sure I'm doing due diligence for my audience. Like, there are challenges to this, right?
Oh, of course. The, the single biggest challenge is is that, and so to be clear, we don't take everyone on. We have a waiting list right now and we've turned people down because we didn't think they had strong enough leadership. So we're, we're probably tactfully avoiding the situations where it wouldn't work.
But the thing is, what, give me some of those then. What is it where it's not going to work?
If you have weak leadership that can't hold people accountable.
And, and how do you know? Like, give me a story like, you know, don't name names or anything, but like, this happened and we kind of knew maybe this person wouldn't be the right fit.
Most recently, you know, we, we started talking with this guy. He had like 15 techs and didn't have a sales guy. He was doing his own sales. At that point, you know, he made a few comments like, well, you know, it's all about the guys and what they want. And, uh, our follow-up visit was actually in front of the entire team. You know, and it was just kind of a decision. You feel them just go flimsy. Well, a lot of them actually were okay with it. It was just, it was time to either set another, you know, appointment and follow up with everyone or or not. And, you know, I asked him the question, if we have, you know, 15 guys and let's say five guys jump in head first and they're doing amazing and the other 10 won't even make the phone call to me, they won't jump into the Zoom meetings and they just don't participate. What would happen then? And he's like, well, you know, if they don't want to do it, heck, what can I do? That's that's a dead giveaway. You know, at that point, I mean, it's pretty obvious if, if they have weak leadership.
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Okay, so let's just go off on some random topics for fun. And a person like that, and a company like that, he had 15 employees. See, that's an interesting. Huh? Yeah, 15 techs. I'm sure. So that's a pretty legit company. Like if he wasn't a somewhat strong leader, how did he even have 15 techs working from? You know what I mean?
Well, so there are multiple assets of being a strong leader, of course. But, um, a strong leader means that, you know, you have a clear vision and everything that happens within the confines of the company happens within the confines of the vision. So, is this, is this company been around for like 30 years or something? Or, uh, no, they were, well, they, yeah, they have been around for a while. So, um, well, we'll make you keep talking about that particular one, but I just, I think it's interesting. I always say it's crazy to me sometimes how small business owners, home service businesses, or any, like, really any business. It's crazy to me how you can grow a company. Like you don't have to be brilliant.
Oh, no. I love that about small business, man. Like you just have to have a lot of hootspa. Yeah. I mean, work hard, grit. Yeah. 'Cause if you don't, like obviously you'll get your butt handed to you. It hurts. Yeah. You can still have a business. There's, there's some soft business owners out there that still do okay. Of course. Yeah. Absolutely. And, and I mean, it really is, you know, you got to think, if, if I owned a small business, let's say I'm an HVAC contractor and I've got three guys and I just take them around to help me. I leave two behind to do the install. I've got one guy that helps me specifically. Man, I can, you know, as long as I am working really hard, let's say I'm putting in 14, 16 hour days, whatever, and I'm stressing at night and, and, you know, waking up because I'm like, oh, did, did those guys tighten the gas line right? And the first thing that next morning, I go there with my gas sniffer and everything. And I mean, I'm going to have a successful business. There's no doubt. I'm going to be profitable. But to really hit that level of success that people actually dream about when they're thinking about starting a business, that's not the same thing as just turning the wheels, going through the motions, and making things function out of sheer necessity. You know, that's a great point for sure. And probably call by call helps that a little bit.
Oh, absolutely. And the, you know, the thing people, I, I think need to keep in mind too, when it comes to the way we do it, is there actually is not a direct cost to the contractor. And, and honestly, guys like, you know, I, uh, we don't have any specific need to really throw this out there and get a ton of people signed up. We have a wait list right now and, and, uh, we're very careful in who we take on.
I think it was me who instigated this conversation.
Well, and I'm, and I'm more than happy to have it with you.
Yeah, no, but, but I'm just letting people know, like, you guys aren't like, oh, could we please get on there and talk about that? I was trying to find who would be willing to talk about call by call management, and you were the guy that I appreciate was most recommended.
Heck yeah. Well, thank you. The thing is, you know, the, the cost to our client, you know, we will build that into the option sheets we work on, um, in the, you know, in the field with the guys that are out there doing the work. And so for sake of example, if someone had a $1,000 average ticket, they're still going to keep all $1,000 on all of those tickets. We just add a small fee on top of that as an additional line item. There you go. So there's no direct cost to the contractor.
All right, I've got a speed round for you. Um, we've got hot takes and cold trends. This is the first one of those. So what is something that is a controversial opinion that you have that might ruffle some feathers in the industry?
Oh man, holy cow. Put me on the spot like that. Well, I got to be pretty selective here. I think, um, oh, well, I guess that probably the easiest one to deliver would be that sales is an honorable profession and that, you know, the best salesperson in the world is simply the one that is the best at communicating and also working the hardest. So you work really hard, if no one knows it, it doesn't mean anything. Being great at sales is communicating that accurately so they can see that you are the best decision, the best choice.
I love that. Hey, thanks. And I do think this, sales is an honorable profession. I look at it like a superpower. You've got superheroes and supervillains, and we are in the business of being superheroes and creating superheroes.
So just, just in time for the cold. Y'all, ice-cold coffee that I just got. We've got cold trends. What is something that you think people are spending time, money, energy, or effort on that they should stop spending that on?
H, oh, jeez. By the way, he turned down a coffee. So I have the coffee, but he was offered. You're very gracious in offering. So I, you know, just, I wanted to make sure that we didn't just, you know, have somebody deliver me coffee, but not you on purpose. I appreciate that. Um, well, uh, you know, a cold trend, I, God, I mean, honestly, just kind of letting the guys, giving the, the guys the keys to the, to the van or the truck and setting them loose and letting them do whatever the heck they think they need to do.
No more? No more at all? Yeah. Stop. There's no reason for that. Seriously. Even if you have all the trust in the world, here's the thing. If, if you have someone who is absolutely perfect, and let's say, for sake of example, as an owner, you are also absolutely perfect, you guys still need to communicate and, you know, get together to collaborate on tackling like the creation of the option sheet because two minds are inherently better than one. And two people have two different perspectives. And together, there's synergy. It's all about teamwork. So it's not, it's not really about like, um, you know, course correction and keeping guys from messing up when you're doing the call by call management. It's more about everyone collaborating, getting on the same team, and rowing the boat in the same direction. Realistically.
Gang, heck yeah. Yeah. All right. And the last question is, we have a special segment by Power Selling Pros called Money in the Phones. What's a system around answering the phones or [Music] phone processes that would help people, um, in their business?
You know, of course, I'm a company man. Of course, I'm going to recommend our stuff at Service MVP. But, you know, uh, we, how about something besides just your, like, maybe something that you guys recommend in your courses?
Oh, you mean like, like software or something? Or not, not software, or one tip? One tip that will help them in their phone answering systems.
I mean, I think separating dispatchers from CSRs is huge, honestly.
What's the real difference between dispatchers and CSRs for the uneducated?
Well, the, you know, the dispatcher, really realistically, is going to work with the actual techs. The CSR is going to work with the, the potential client. So most businesses have them combined, or a lot of small businesses kind of combine that. And it's kind of just an element of, like, it's hard to get. Yep. People in both these roles. And, and truthfully, like, kind of going back to the whole sales as a superpower thing, like both of these people, I mean, the dispatcher should be amazing at internal sales. What I mean by that is selling to the technician. And, you know, their level of communication should be absolutely off the charts in their, their, their confines, you know, they're communicating with the techs. Where the CSR should really be like an actual advocate for the client. Like their number one goal should be to make these people happy, make them smile, and do anything they can for them. And I've also seen companies, you know, implement, um, you know, basically the ability to sell over the phone as a CSR. And it's just like a membership or something. But a lot of these, if you do that, a lot of the CSRs get so good at selling these memberships, you're getting new memberships for people that you've never talked to before, before the tech even gets there. And the tech feels good about it because he can give them the membership discount. So it's, yeah, it's a great thing. And you will see your CSRs, give them whatever 20% of a spiff or whatever, whatever you work out, you know, um, and they will make a lot of money and they'll make you guys a lot of money for sure.
Woo! That's good. There's a couple in there. Um, well, I appreciate you being on. What would you like to promote here at the end?
Oh, well, uh, you know, the company I work for, Service MVP. Joe Cera, these are incredible people. And, you know, in the background, we've got people that are absolutely amazing that, that you probably never really hear about. Joe's wife, Julie Cera, is one of my favorite people in the world. And I can tell you with perfect confidence, Joe and Julie are, you know, both of them are, are two of the most compassionate people you could ever meet or encounter in your entire life. And the whole idea of pure motive sales is is that concept of, really doing it in a way that is honorable and honest and, um, still being able to just slay it, you know, in terms of revenue. So the, the whole idea is that when you're great at communicating, people buy based off of that and the value you bring to the table. And then there's no question that your heart is in the right place. You know?
Awesome. Well, thank you very much.
Of course, man. Appreciate you. Thanks for having me.
Jason Ore from Service MVP, ServiceMVP.com. Podcast is put on by HookAgency.com. HookAgency all over social media. Please like, comment, subscribe, leave a review. You tell your mom and have a good one. Bye.
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