The Telephone is One of Your Most Important Tools

The telephone is one of the most important tools in your junk removal business or junk removal franchise. Your junk removal ad copy and SEO are the most important weapons in your arsenal, followed by a quality website, then the correct use of the telephone. However, it could be argues that the telephone (and its proper use) might be even more important than the other two. That’s because if you handle customer calls incorrectly, you will ruin an otherwise great showing with junk removal websites and junk hauling ad copy. Here’s how to turn those calls into junk removal jobs.

 

Pick Up the Phone!

The first and most important part of using the telephone is simply answering it! As part of our trash removal sales, I make cold calls to junk removal companies throughout the country talking about our pay-per-job program, junk removal call center, trash hauling consulting, junk removal websites, and other support services for the junk removal industry, and it amazes me how many people do not pick up the phone. We find that about 65 percent of all junk removal business and junk removal franchise owners consistently do not answer their phone. That baffles and shocks me. In this day and age, a customer isn’t going to leave a message. They won’t call again. They are going to hang up the phone and go down to option #2 on Google. Some junk removal franchise owners complain of a lack of business and their neglect of the telephone is a huge contributing factor.

 

No matter where you are or what you're doing (yes, even crawling around in an attic or basement), you have to pick up that phone! Money is calling.
No matter where you are or what you’re doing (yes, even crawling around in an attic or basement), you have to pick up that phone! Money is calling.

Master Your Junk Removal Phone Greeting

The second thing you need to master is your greeting. When you pick up that phone, you should have a pleasant and professional way of answering. You shouldn’t answer the phone with “hello.” Instead, your response should be, “thanks for calling ABC Junk Removal. This is Bill. How may I help you?” If you want to be perceived as professional then logically you need to answer professionally. Those first five seconds on the call are critical. Make sure you nail your opener for the best results. Practice your phone response until it’s so automatic that you start to accidentally answer personal calls the same way.

When callers ask how your junk removal service works or how you price junk hauling services, you should have a logical, concise way of explaining it to them. Don’t go into too much detail by listing out all of your price points. They won’t be able to visualize all that. You will just make them feel dumb, bored, and ready to hang up the phone. And when they feel dumb and bored, they will not want to schedule with you. Tell them the size of your truck (provide the size in cubic yards and compare it to the number of pickup trucks that equate to your truck size), your minimum and full load prices and the number of price points between the two, and then try to get them to schedule. If they still won’t schedule after that, you can lead into trying to capture their info by having them send pictures of the stuff to get a soft estimate.

 

Dealing with Objections

When facing objections, you should have answers. Common objections are:

I need to check with my spouse.
Respond with: “For sure. Would you like to go ahead and schedule so you have a date to tell him/her? You can always email or call us to cancel.”
I’m gonna call around on junk removal pricing.
“For sure. Do you want to go ahead and make sure you get on our calendar? Most companies are pretty booked right now. You can always give us a call to easily cancel.”
I’m not sure when I’m gonna have everything together.
“We know how that goes. We’ve found having a deadline helps you get it done. Would you like to schedule something, say, in a week or so to give yourself a target? You can always easily reschedule if needed.”

There are countless other objections that customers will give you. These examples will help you develop strategies for effectively responding to customers’ concerns and securing bookings. Have your phone team keep a log and track all of the objections you get, then think of ways you can counter those objections and attempt to get the customer to schedule. Once the junk removal customer has scheduled, they are much less likely to continue shopping and they rarely call back to cancel. Lock down those junk removal appointments!

 

Start Improving Your Phone Skills Today

So here is some homework for you:

Script out and practice your greeting.
How will you explain pricing? Refine, practice, and memorize your explanation.
What are common objections to booking and what can be said close sales with objecting customers?

Good phone work is VITAL to the success of your business. Make sure you treat it that way. Make sure your people treat it that way. If you have others answering the phone, have call recording so you can monitor what is being said and make corrections as necessary. When the phone rings, that is money calling. Will you answer?

 

-Lee Godbold

Lee Godbold is the co-founder of Junk Doctors, a $2 Million a year junk removal business in North Carolina, and Junk Removal Authority, the junk removal industry’s premiere provider of information and support.