- You shall return all phone calls the same day or by 9 AM the next day.
- You shall keep ALL appointments, and on time.
- You shall always be prepared to make a sale.
- You shall always qualify the customer to buy from you, not sell to them.
- You shall not offer freebees, but get paid for all you do.
- You shall keep an Objections book, up to date, regularly reviewed.
- You shall continue your education, reading at least one hour each day.
- You shall get written quotes or estimates on all items exceeding $300 on your estimates.
- You shall not do Cost Plus or Time and Material Contracts unless for service work.
- You shall set weekly, monthly and yearly sales and income goals.
Excerpted from Profitable Sales, A Contractor’s Guide. (Audio version here.)
The Bottom Line:
Return calls the same day, keep every appointment on time, always qualify the client instead of selling, don’t give away free work, keep learning, and get written quotes on anything over $300 — among others. Michael’s ten cardinal rules are the discipline behind a profitable sales operation. The article lists all ten.
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The knowledge and experience Michael Stone gained in his 60+ years in construction has helped thousands of contractors improve their businesses. He is the author of Markup & Profit Revisited, Profitable Sales, and Estimating Construction Profitably, and is available for one-on-one consultations. More here.