Contractors: Here’s How to Close More Sales in Your Home Improvement Business

You might have a great reputation and an admirable work ethic, but ultimately, as a contractor sales won’t reach their full potential unless you put in the time and effort.

If you’re struggling to close deals, even with an impressive pool of potential clients, you won’t bring in the cash you need to help your business thrive. Not only that, but failing to close deals can cause your business to lose money since you’ve spent precious time and resources pursuing qualified leads.

Fortunately, there are many strategies you can implement to improve your closing rate as a contractor. If you’re seeking new ideas for how to close more sales, we can help. Check out some effective methods experienced contractors use to close deals—and grow a great contractor business.

Clearly Define Your Services
Do you have a specialty? Or are you a general contractor? Are you known for a certain type of home remodel style? If so, it’s essential to make these things clear in your marketing materials. Some leads might get in touch without knowing the kind of services you offer, and you’ll save time and resources by making your services obvious from the start.

Research Your Target Audience
Understanding your client base before they come to you will go a long way to help you close deals. Get to know your clients’ concerns, priorities, interests, and hobbies so you can deliver exactly what they’re looking for. When you speak your clients’ language (literally and figuratively), you’ll be a more appealing option for them, and even be able to help those indecisive clients figure out what they really want.

Develop a Pitch
If you haven’t yet spent time developing a pitch, now is your chance to do so. Having a pitch allows you to show off your strengths and talents so you can set yourself apart from the competition. You don’t want to sound too pushy or rehearsed, so be careful as you hone your speech. It’s best to keep a few highlight points at the top of your mind that you can bring up to any potential client.

Make Quick Contact
You may be tempted to take your time getting in touch with new leads, but the home improvement industry is competitive, and time is of the essence. A prospect is 21x more likely to be qualified if they receive a response within 5 minutes of their inquiry. However, that number drops to zero after just an hour. Your diligence will pay off, as prospective clients will appreciate your timeliness and will be sure to remember it in the future.

Prepare for Consultations
The best contractors know that it’s critical to be prepared for consultations with prospective clients. Rather than coming to the meeting with dozens of questions, try to research ahead of time by looking up the client’s home on Google Maps and sites like Zillow, getting to know the details of their house, taking notes, and gathering examples of similar projects you’ve done in the past. Go into the meeting with a clear plan to truly impress your clients and seal the deal.

Meet in Person, Early On
In today’s tech-savvy world, many contractors hide behind a screen for far too long, causing potential clients to lose interest and move on to the competition. If you want to close deals, make sure you get in the door early on. By meeting in person, you’ll be able to showcase your people skills, influence clients by using positive body language, and start developing a real and memorable relationship.

Become an Expert
You know the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it?” The saying certainly applies to contracting work—even if you’re new to the industry, it’s important to come across as confident in your abilities and understanding of the industry. Take time to research products, trends, and methods to present yourself as a true expert on any given topic.

Keep Up with Trends
It’s easier than ever for contractors to keep up with industry trends. From podcasts to blogs and websites, there are countless resources that will help you stay up to date on the latest design trends, marketing tips, financing options, and more. By staying in tune with contracting trends, you’ll be much more likely to attract clients and close more deals.

Follow Up with Prospective Clients
As a busy contractor, it’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day to-do list and forget about the many potential clients you’ve chatted with over time. But following up with prospective clients will give you a much higher chance of closing more contractor sales. Some clients may just need time to think about their options, and once you come back into the picture, they’ll be ready to go.

Be a Good Listener
Have you scheduled a meeting with a potential client? Great! Now, remember—it’s important to let them do a lot of the talking. While you should give a short presentation and sales pitch, you’ll also want to gather information about their likes, dislikes, priorities, and personal style. Clients will appreciate feeling like their needs have been heard, and they’ll be more likely to choose you as their contractor.

Offer Convenient Payment Options
For many clients, money is one of the most significant barriers to booking a contractor. They may not know where to turn for financing and could end up waiting until they have cash on hand. But experienced contractors know that convenient payment options are one of the most attractive features to prospective clients. By providing affordable, accessible financing, and offering it to every customer, you’ll be more likely to close contractor sales and even book larger projects.

Close More Contactor Sales with EnerBank
When you’re wondering how to close more sales for your contracting company, EnerBank is eager to help. As one of the country’s top home improvement lenders, we’ve helped countless contractors increase business with our flexible, convenient loans for contractors for over two decades. Plus, as a part of our loan programs, we offer custom options that best fit the needs of you and your customers, provide best practices training your team, and help create world-class marketing materials. With our loan options, you can boost cash flow, bring in more leads, increase your average project size, and more. Contact us today to learn more about our homeowner loan programs.