Qualifying Leads

Best practices from the most effective Phone Lead closers

Phone Lead Best Practices Overview

The Lead opportunities we send are from real, potential new customers seeking services in your area. Make the most of each Phone Lead by using these best practices from some of the most effective Phone Lead closers in the industry:

GREET your callers by stating your name and company name.
COLLECT the caller's contact information in case you get disconnected.
DISCOVER information about the caller's need for your company's services.
ASK qualifying questions to validate the reason for the call quickly and early on.
ASSERT the benefits of choosing your company over a competitor.
BOOK an appointment on the call to increase your chance of closing the job.

Qualifying a Lead Best Practices

You won’t be able to help every person who calls your business. Identifying those callers early with a few key questions saves time – yours and theirs.

Question 1: Do You Offer the Service Needed?

Hopefully the caller gives the broad strokes of their problem right at the top of the call. If it isn’t clear, this is the time to ask a clarifying question. On the other hand, some callers will launch into all of the intricate details of their situation. This is not the time for all that. The moment you can get a word in edgewise, break in and say:

"Thanks (Caller's Name) for that info but let's come back to the details in a minute. First, let's make sure we can help you with your needs."

If your business can help resolve their issue, great! Time to schedule an appointment. If not, then you can still provide value to the caller by recommending a trustworthy vendor who does. Create a network of service providers in your area and help each other with referrals.

Question 2: Is the Caller the Decision Maker?

We hear calls all the time from people with varied degrees of separation from the person who is actually able to make the buying decision. They include partners/children of homeowners, caretakers, neighbors, friends, but most commonly, they are tenants.

Discovering what your caller’s role is must be explicitly asked so there is no confusion. Simple and direct is the way to go:

"Do you own the home?" or "Are you authorized to make service decisions for the property?"

If the caller is not the decision maker:

Don't allow them to vent, complain, and distract from your main priority – booking more appointments for your business. Either politely end the conversation or consider asking the caller to add the decision maker into the call so you preserve the momentum of the lead opportunity:

"While I can’t book an appointment with you since you don’t own the property, why don’t you put me on hold, dial your landlord, and connect us on a three way call and we'll help?"

Note that if you provide your company's direct phone number for the caller to give to the decision maker to call you back on, the Lead will be considered Billable because we won't be able to listen to the call recording like we can when the call goes through our system. Learn More about Billable vs. Non-Billable Leads

Question 3: Is the Caller Inside Your Service Area?

Collecting an entire street address is time consuming and cumbersome, and many callers feel like it’s intrusive. We don’t recommend doing this until you’re setting the appointment. Getting the caller's zip code early in the call gives you all the info you need:

"(Caller Name) can you tell me your zip code to make sure we serve your area?" or "We serve the entire (metropolitan) area, if you can tell me your zip code I can tell you if we can help you.”

Listen and Gather Info

After a caller is qualified, allow them to talk and tell you all about the problem they are experiencing and why they need help.

Callers appreciate when a call taker is focused and well-organized so gather the necessary info and ask follow up questions that show you're a professional who cares.

It is very important to listen carefully so you can tailor your company's value propositions to what the caller needs. You have to overcome the inherent doubt and distrust callers are feeling at the beginning and earn their trust enough to choose you and book an appointment.