My wife and I are saying goodbye to our current residence and moving across town. I’m excited about the new place, but I detest moving. I hate boxing, hauling stuff, unboxing, organizing—the whole thing. So I’m hiring a moving company to handle it all.
I asked around for referrals for a moving company. I was given several names, so I booked estimates with two of them. The first guy showed up, walked through my home, took notes, asked one or two basic questions, gave me an estimate, then left. A couple days later the guy from the other company showed up. Same routine.
How did I make my decision? On price! I went with the cheaper company because neither salesperson did anything whatsoever to demonstrate why I should choose them over everyone else.
Moving, like flooring, is a commodity. Marketing guru Dan Kennedy says if you’re in a commodity business, get out. He didn’t mean leave your industry. He meant quit selling as though you’re a commodity. Create differentiation. Make yourself a category of one. Position yourself as the only and obvious choice.
Here’s what either of these movers could have done to make this happen.
First, while I was on the phone, the person scheduling the appointment would have said, “The next step is to schedule your ‘perfect move consultation.’ Our moving expert will ask you questions about your goals for your move, if you’ll need help boxing or unboxing and any special concerns you might have. He’ll then inspect all the areas of your home so he can understand the scope of the project. Then he’ll give you a guaranteed, no surprise quote—not an estimate—so you’ll know exactly what the cost will be. He’ll also explain our ‘Thrilled Mover Triple Guarantee.’”
This would pre-frame the entire interaction, positioning the company early-on as being different.
After the salesperson arrived, he would ask me a series of questions and write down my answers. He would include questions about the date of my move, if I needed it completed in a single day, if there were valuables I was especially concerned with and whether I had pets or an aquarium. He would ask if I had ever used a professional moving company before, and what I liked and disliked about the experience.
He would then explain their process. How all furniture would be wrapped to prevent damage and that all the boxes would be clearly marked by room so they could be placed in the correct space at the new place. How they used special wrapping to protect delicate items. Then he would explain their triple guarantee: timeliness, professionalism and safe delivery.
I would have definitely hired the company that took me through a process like this, even if they were more expensive. Price wouldn’t matter.
Your prospective customers feel the same. Most dealers show up, measure, give a number then leave. Don’t be like most dealers. By implementing a process like the one I described you would make yourself the obvious choice, take price out of the equation, close more sales and get more referrals. All without spending a dime on marketing.
Speaking & Webinars. Jim is a sought-after speaker and founder of Flooring Success Systems. He delivers powerful live and virtual presentations that help floor dealers grow sales, improve margins, and strengthen their businesses. His team also offers a complete turnkey webinar package—handling hosting, promotions, and full execution. To inquire about booking Jim or setting up a custom event, contact Support@FlooringSuccessSystems.com.
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