Importance of sales in a tiling career

[UKTT Darren]

Anyone looking into a career in tiling, you have to think about the sales side of the business, dont go into it thinking that tiling skills is all you need, If you dont win the estimate at the customers house you aint going to do any tiling,
Make sure when your looking for a course that these sale techniques are covered, a lot of it goes with the background knowledge that you take in and can use to give the customer the confidence that you know what your doing,
what i find with the reasurch that i do with past traininees, is the ones that have done the best marketing and sold themselves to the customers the best are the ones that generally make the best sustained businessess and in that their reputation brings in more work again

If your course didnt teach you anything about how to sell your services to a customer, it may be wise for you to try and look for a sales course somewhere, the money you pay for it will be returned quickly on the first job that you get from it

Something to think about

I did some posts before about Key to Success, anyone falling into a rut its worth reading again

Regards
Darren

 

[DHTiling]

http://www.tilersforums.com/tiling-courses/2302-key-success-tiling.html

 

[Leatherface]

Too true Darren, unless you come on recommend then the key to securing the job is your sales pitch, manner & demonstration of knowledge.
Price can often come secondary to these, as price is not the only thing on many customers minds. To some you can be too cheap & hence they may get the impression that they may not get as good a job done !

 

[UKTT Darren]

Thats right Nick, one of the first thing that i ask on the first morning of the course is if the price of a quote was £400, 450, 500, which one would you pick, most of the learners there say the 400, then i go into what you just said, its down to how confident you are, whether they like you or not, do you know what your talking about and do they trust you, you have to get them all right, if you do the price shouldnt make that much difference, what people see is all these programs rouge traders , builders fromm hell etc, they are taken back by someone professional that knows what they are talking about

 

[Leatherface]

Too true Darren

Mind you first impressions can still be wrong, as a customer myself when we bought our current house I had not started tiling and wanted our Kitchen and hall tiled in slate. Got 3 quotes, the guy who won it had the middle price. He advertised as a slate specialist, lovely bloke, spent loads of time explaining, really seemed to know what he was talking about.....
But oh my god what a mess he made :
Setting out poor.
Cutting nasty !
Grout lines too big and grout too sloppy so slumped.
Nasty steps all over.
And did not clean off grout properly so took months of scrubbing to remove residue.
Needless to say he did not get paid !
Pictures to appear in Rogues gallery

 

[UKTT Darren]

Hi Nick, how did you get on with that little setting out trick we once spoke about on the phone last year

 

[bignose]

Right again Darren as an ex salesman I expect to convert almost all enquiries into a job and usually do. Sorry to say it but a lot of builders and tilers have probably lost the job before they even quote a price. Just quoted a bathroom for £700, remove old tiles halfway up wall and retile. Why will I get the job? Theyre old and I will take away old tiles for them ( dont usually do that ). Thats my USP (unique selling point) and I will get the job. She has now asked can I fit her new vanity unit as well, of course madam !

 

[Leatherface]

Hi Nick, how did you get on with that little setting out trick we once spoke about on the phone last year

Wonderful and so much quicker, thanks

 

[Leatherface]

Right again Darren as an ex salesman I expect to convert almost all enquiries into a job and usually do. Sorry to say it but a lot of builders and tilers have probably lost the job before they even quote a price. Just quoted a bathroom for £700, remove old tiles halfway up wall and retile. Why will I get the job? Theyre old and I will take away old tiles for them ( dont usually do that ). Thats my USP (unique selling point) and I will get the job. She has now asked can I fit her new vanity unit as well, of course madam !

Hope you have got a waste carriers licence or it may cost you a lot more than £700 if you get stopped by the Ministry of Transport !!
This is no joke : These guys seem to have more powers than the police !
BEWARE !

 

[UKTT Darren]

No problem mate, the right tips make a big difference