Assess Your Snow Sales Strategy

One of the greatest mistakes snow contractors make is believing dry ink on a winter service contract is when client relations conclude, says sales coach Marvin Montgomery. Therefore, reaffirming and strengthening client relationships is a productive activity when faced with extended downtime.

“What we don’t want is our customers thinking that the only time we contact them is when it’s time to renew or when we want to sell them more stuff,” Montgomery says. “Not just during periods of downtime, but you need to make time in your routine to reach out to clients.”

Reaffirming the relationship should be introduced early on in the relationship, advises Montgomery. “If you’re a new client, then the first time I sit down with you some of the value-added should be me saying to you, ‘First of all welcome to Montgomery Landscaping & Snow Removal. We’re excited to have you on board. We’re going to meet with you a minimum of three times a year: once right before we start the contract; a second time to go over the contract with you and to make sure everything meets your expectations; and then I’m going to come back mid-way through to see if you have any questions or concerns because I don’t want to wait until the end.’”

Snow contractors must set the stage early on to let clients know they intend to have more than just a plow-and-go relationship. For example, when checking and reaffirming the contractor-client relationship, Montgomery recommends looking for ways and reasons to connect with the client. Regardless of how seemingly insignificant, he says they can end up leaving a lasting positive impression.“I always ask [contractors] ‘What are you doing ongoing?’ And ‘ongoing’ can be recognizing birthdays, or sharing an interesting podcast or sending out seasonal tips,” he says “Sometimes, it’s just informational things to stay in front of the customer. Myself, I write a motivational tip that goes out every week.”

Bad News Bearers
Some snow contractors find it difficult to engage in client relations during an unseasonably warm or low-event winter, especially with clients who’ve signed seasonal contracts. The perception is the commercial client view them as getting paid for not doing any work. As a result, there is some reluctance to engage in these conversations.

“I like to deflect any negative comments or sarcastic asides with humor,” says sales coach Marvin Montgomery. “Laugh it off, but then go into the fact that now you have the opportunity to spend some quality time with great clients. Really reinforce with the client that you value this relationship and that’s why you’re there. Hey, if you were busy knee-deep in snow then you wouldn’t have the time to have a chat with the client.”

Therefore, it is important to develop these touch points and make them a part of the regular routine, Montgomery says, adding downtime is the right time to begin reviewing these again. “For example, I use a customized thank-you note that goes out around Thanksgiving that expresses how much I appreciate the relationship with clients for how every long it may be … one, three or five winters,” he says. “What’s important is that I find a way to customize the note to the particular client.”

Another activity to engage in during extended down times is cold calling. “You need to be cold calling and prospecting for potential new opportunities,” Montgomery says. “My philosophy is to not wait for your ship to come in. Rather, go swim out to it. You can’t sit back and wait for something to happen. You must go out and make something happen.”

Some winter service contracts come from repeat business, but others will stem from referrals. Therefore, downtime is the perfect opportunity to engage existing clients for new client prospecting, Montgomery says.

“Always be prospecting” he says. “There are so many companies out there that may not be satisfied with their current [snow and ice management] provider and you’re giving them an opportunity to move to someone who can really take care of them and satisfy all of their needs.”

Now is the prime time to develop a cold-calling formula – or how many cold calls must be made every day, every week, every month to ensure a contractor hit his or her numbers. “Your down-time calls should have three purposes,” Montgomery says. “One, calling to say how and to see how you’re doing. Two, making sure your expectations are being met. And three, if those expectations are being met, can they recommend anyone who could benefit from the excellent service you’re providing?”

Lastly, don’t underestimate the value of virtual meetings.

“The pandemic has forced more and more companies into using virtual meetings as a means of conducting business,” Montgomery says. “And this may be more favorable [with clients] because virtual meetings can be more time specific – like taking only 10 to 15 minutes of an individual’s time rather than having to carve out two to three hours from the day to travel to and from [client] meetings. And those 10-15 minutes can be just as valuable [for relationship building] as 60 minutes.”

Mike Zawacki is the editor of Snow Magazine. Reach him at mzawacki@gie.net.