Selling Experience

I was reading a post this week from a design company that really sums up what we are all selling. When I went back to review it, I could not find it again so I could give them credit in this article. It went something like, “Of course I can get the job done in one hour, because I spent the last ten years learning how.” They went on to explain why they were charging as much as they were for a job that only took an hour. The customer was also paying for what the last ten years had taught them.

Experience is worth selling to your customers, but it is a lot more than just letting people know how long you have been in business. It is important to let them know what your time in the industry has taught you that will benefit them. You can use expressions such as, “We have done many jobs like this over the years and know the issues that will come up,” then name some with how you solved them on past projects. It could be small issues like getting product onto a congested jobsite, or special equipment that you own that will speed installation or will fit in interior elevators. Many jobs require special work hours. Let customers know that you have worked jobs like this and have a crew experienced working nights or weekends.

Getting on and off the job quickly or on a specific schedule can be more important to the contractor than the lowest bid. Give some job examples that show your experience has prepared you for the job you are bidding. Make sure your customer knows the years of job experience your crew has. For example, our head glazier has ten years of field experience and the crew over five. It’s nice to show past successful projects on brochures or your website, but when selling the job, you want to mention some issues that came up on past projects and how you resolved them, keeping the project on schedule.

We often take our experience and expertise for granted, but for people outside the industry, offering them examples of even small solutions to common issues can land you the job.