Service Professionals Can Sell

Service and technical professionals that interact with clients frequently find themselves in sales scenarios. Unfortunately, they are often ill-prepared and uncomfortable in that role and fail to capitalize on opportunities. Sales opportunities happen on the front lines- right where service and technical professionals do their job. When service professionals are prepared and positioned to support sales efforts, it is a major competitive advantage.

A good example of sales minded service professionals was illustrated recently. A friend was struggling to find a home security monitoring service that fit his needs. My friend (the client) spoke with the sales rep for the security company and after about an hour it seemed they had agreed on a suitable package. The rep set a day for the service technician to sign paperwork and install equipment.

The problem arose when Bill, the service tech, produced the contract. There was a misunderstanding with the sales rep about the duration of the contract and an out clause. The service technician placed himself as a buffer and assured the client they could get it worked out. Bill placed a message to the sales rep and then went about showing the client how the security system operated. When he finished the instruction on the system he answered questions, provided some stories on other installations, and addressed common problems some clients encountered. This time could have been very awkward and damaging waiting for the sales rep to return the call but Bill used it to develop some bonding with the client.

Finally the sales rep called and hit the client with some rather high-pressure tactics. The client briefly summarized the options as he understood them and then said he would work it out with Bill. Bill explained some pros and cons and made a recommendation to the client based on their conversations, amount of people in the house, and his financial concerns. The client agreed with Bill’s assessment and signed what was very close to the initial contract presented. It turns out that the company with a service professional that was comfortable taking on a sales role closed the business for them.

Bill, not the sales rep, closed the sale. It turned out that Bill had spent years in the sales department but had moved to the technical end because of work scheduling. He knew what he was doing, looking to get a system installed that met the client’s needs while still being profitable. Because of his proximity to the client and being positioned as a somewhat unbiased party, Bill had enough insight and credibility to close the deal.

Do your service professionals and technicians have the capability to enhance the sales process? Most do not. In a similar situation they would retreat and offer to come back later. I’m fairly certain that might have lost the sale in this case as the sales rep's approach did little to convince the client. A service professional should at least be able to gather additional information to map out ideal solutions or uncover further sales opportunities. Ideally they can salvage or re-route a sale if necessary by positioning themselves as an impartial content expert. When service and technical professionals achieve that skill set, companies find that they have a secondary sales force in place to support the primary sales team.

Image courtesy of samarttiw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net