Moving company sales often feel like you're throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks.
Everyone's got a different approach, and sometimes it feels like you're reinventing the wheel every time you meet a new prospect.
What you need is a process -- a tried-and-true, repeatable system for acquiring leads as well as converting those leads into paying (and returning) customers.
That's what you'll learn in this blog post. Stick around to the end, and you'll know:
We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's jump right in.
Whether you know it or not, you have a sales process. The problem is that it may not be a very good sales process. Or, you're creating a new sales process for every prospect you meet.
This inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to scale your business, requiring reinvention and effort. A good sales process is a proven blueprint you can apply to 90% of the prospects you meet.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Before we get into crafting a sales process, we need to first identify the problems blocking your sales growth.
Here are some of the most common ones:
Your website has a formal, corporate feel, but your employees communicate with customers like laid-back frat guys. One is not necessarily better than the other, but this lack of consistency makes no sense to prospects.
Whether we're talking about email, SMS, or sales scripts, standardizing messaging across all platforms ensures clear communication and sets a professional tone.
Instead of having a streamlined and centralized communication channel, many moving companies operate in separate areas.
This means that one employee may not know what another is communicating to the same client, leading to overlapping or even contradictory information being shared.
Visualization of all sales activities is really helpful for any successful moving company. Software like SmartMoving can help accomplish this -- more on that later.
A significant drop-off in sales conversions can result from not following up with leads. Many potential customers might be on the fence about choosing a service, and a well-timed follow-up can tip the balance in your favor, like the saying goes “if you’re not first, you’re last”.
Without a structured follow-up, companies might be leaving money on the table.
A sales team without clear roles, responsibilities, and performance metrics can often operate without direction.
Without accountability, there's no motivation to improve or even maintain a performance standard, leading to less booked jobs.
Beyond accountability, it's important to know how the sales team performs. Metrics like booking ratios can shed light on the effectiveness of the sales process.
Without this data, it becomes challenging to pinpoint where improvements are needed or which strategies are working.
Manual/Paper Process: Although almost every modern business is run by software, many moving companies still rely heavily on manual or paper-based processes.
These methods are time-consuming and prone to errors. Such outdated methods can slow down the sales process.
Using Multiple Systems: Some companies might be using a mishmash of different systems for various tasks. This lack of integration can lead to data mix-ups, missed follow-ups, and even lost leads.
No Access to Business Insights/Reporting: Operating without access to business data is like flying blind. You don’t know how well you are actually doing, or how to get better results.
Moving companies that don't utilize reporting tools or business insights might be unaware of business trends, customer preferences, or even areas of concern within their sales process.
While the specifics may vary, most moving companies generally follow a standardized approach in their business development:
If you're like most moving company business owners, you likely have customer information and conversations on your phone, your email, Facebook Messenger, and more.
You've probably got ongoing text threads, people you need to call back, and you're five messages deep in an email thread with someone you need to get back to... yesterday.
On top of playing the sales representative role, you must be CEO, accountant, and sometimes even pick up a box or two.
Do yourself a favor and offload your brain into a dedicated software platform. You'll feel lighter, and leads and prospects will stop slipping through the cracks for good.
Software like SmartMoving can help you stop carrying these things in your brain and letting leads slip through the cracks. Here's how:
Are prospects not getting called back in a timely manner? That's a follow-up issue.
Are they expecting things that you can't provide? That may be a lead qualification issue.
These obstacles are called "funnel bottlenecks." They're things that hold up the process and prevent the free flow of leads, often resulting in lost business, lower conversion rates, and poor customer experience.
Moving software like SmartMoving can directly address these bottlenecks in the following ways:
Are you a wizard on sales calls? Do you win over prospects with great customer service?
Many folks will say your sales process must be cold-calling or you must have an email nurture funnel.
While having a sales process is important, there's no hard and fast rule regarding the specifics within that process.
The key to developing your unique sales process is to tailor it to your team's strengths.
In his excellent video training on selling moving services, Louis Massaro emphasizes the importance of breaking the sales stigma. Aggressive sales tactics may have worked in Glengarry Glen Ross, but today, it's all about consultative selling.
This is a mindset shift that's all about helping the prospect find the best solution to their problem, even if that solution isn't necessarily your business.
The most successful moving sales professionals are the ones who detach themselves from needing the sale.
This not only helps you come off as much less desperate, but you can engage the prospect without feeling like you need to pressure them into a close.
Another insight from Louis (and from our own experience) is that your sales script is your best friend.
Now, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't go off-script once you've built some rapport with the prospect, but having rails to run on is invaluable, especially when you encounter that inevitable lull in conversation or forget how to answer an objection.
Plus, scripts are scalable. We're building a repeatable system here, remember? It's important to document everything you do in your sales process (more on that later), especially your script.
Here are some of the most important elements to include in your sales script. You likely won't need to use all of these on every single sales call, but you'll be glad you have them when you need them:
As we've mentioned several times throughout this article, you must systematize this process if you want to scale your business, and you must document the process in order to systematize it.
And this is not a one-off document that you write up and stow away somewhere.
Internal documentation must be ever-evolving and changing as your business grows and you find new ways to streamline your sales process.
This is often called a "standard operating procedure," and it's handy because you can hand it to new sales professionals or a sales manager when you eventually hire one, and they can be off to the races in no time.
For further reading and advice, check out this comprehensive guide on documenting your sales process standard operating procedure.
In the competitive world of moving services, establishing a streamlined and efficient sales process isn't just an added bonus—it's an absolute necessity.
As the landscape evolves, so too must the strategies and tools companies employ. It's clear that relying on antiquated methods or attempting to juggle countless tasks without assistance isn't sustainable.
Modern challenges require modern solutions.
Adopting best practices, such as leveraging sophisticated software tools and proactively addressing potential funnel bottlenecks, can mean the difference between a thriving enterprise and a struggling one. In today's digital age, customers expect prompt responses, clear communication, and a seamless experience from start to finish.
Enter SmartMoving. With its myriad of features tailored specifically to the needs of moving companies, it stands head and shoulders above other solutions.
Whether it's the structured sales schedule that keeps sales reps on track, the real-time notifications ensuring no lead is left behind, or the comprehensive customer interaction history that offers valuable insights, SmartMoving encapsulates all the essentials and more.
Moving business owners on a quest to craft a robust and repeatable sales process will find no companion more reliable than SmartMoving. It doesn't just offer tools; it offers a pathway to sales excellence.
Learn more about how SmartMoving helps you grow your moving company revenue, or schedule a live demo today.