The qualifying process: Humanizing the initial connection

Tim Nagle of Remodelbuddy.com recently  posted a blog entry he wrote for Remodeling Magazine as a discussion topic on the Construction Marketing Ideas Group. (That’s a mouthful of references, I know.).

In his posting, he describes the challenges of combining a qualifying process for the initial inquiry, with making the first-time communication warm and relevant to the person calling him.  And he cites a successful innovation from Mark Buelow, of Distinctive Remodeling in Atlanta, Ga, who:

takes the initial call and uses the time to build a relationship—one based on caring and emotion. Though Mark gathers the information he needs for a pre-planned worksheet for initial calls, he doesn’t rattle off qualifying question after question. He does not want the potential client to feel they are being processed or handled. During this initial call, Mark mentions his Project Idea book™. He tells potential clients that before his home visit, he would like them to compile a scrapbook of ideas, notes, priorities, pictures and styles. He asks that every member of their household contribute to this book so the final project is a true reflection of the family. He also asks them to list reasons why the renovation is important to the family. His goal is to bring the focus of the call to the customer’s project and understand their needs and feelings about what they want to accomplish.

Mentioning this book immediately gets the person on the phone engaged and is the first step in Mark’s goal to build a relationship with his client. Who will the homeowner remember after they call a few remodelers? Will the caller remember the other companies that fired qualifying question after question, or Distinctive Remodeling, a company that wanted a deeper understanding of their needs? I think you know the answer!

This is a great idea on several levels.  First, it is “distinctive”  (and yes, you  probably will be the only renovator/remodeler in your area to do this sort of thing if you adapt the idea to your own market).  Second, it naturally engages the potential client and his/her family in the process, building community and connection.  Third, when you are following up and devising the renovation program, you will have a good idea of what they really want.  Of course you can also ask legitimate qualifying questions to ensure they have the funds to do the work and aren’t shopping around for the dirt-lowest price, but the Idea Book still helps on the differentiation.