Lead prospecting guide for tech-savvy contractors

For commercial service contractors, connecting with prospects that are responsible for facility management has historically been a tremendous challenge for the following reasons: Finding the decision maker is challenging Discovering their contact information is difficult Bypassing the gatekeeper is impossible LinkedIn is the centerpiece of a host of technology available to overcome these challenges. From prospect discovery to initial […]

What is an inspection worth?  About 2X what you are being paid!

I recently went to Vegas, but I was not there to gamble away my kids’ college funds.  Instead, I was participating in the annual western region meeting of the National Association of Fire Equipment Dealers (NAFED).  During the meeting, an interesting narrative regarding the value of an inspection job versus the value of repair work […]

Selling services? Consider adding fine wine and Artisanal cheese

As the Internet shrinks the world and arms consumers with information on how much things should cost, the service contractor’s service area will shrink as well. Customers will have information on which contractors are nearby, and they will make judgments on who can likely deliver the service for less due to lower expenses for travel time. Customers will also […]

Jesse James’ advice for service contractors

Jesse James, Train Robber I have been to multiple events in the past several months where service contractors from many trades (food equipment repair, fire safety, specialty cleaning) lament the insertion of one or more parties between themselves and their customers.  It seems that when they do not directly influence the terms of service with […]

It pays to know: How service contractors get paid for expertise, not just labor

The best service contracting business model is based upon customers paying a premium for expertise instead of simply paying a markup on parts and labor.  When true expertise is offered, the customer perceives that in the long term they will have better outcomes for less money – no callbacks, fewer breakdowns, less energy consumption, higher […]