Yesterday I was doing some sales training with one of my project managers. (About once per week I’ll go with each of them on a homeowner meeting to see how they’re doing and provide feedback.)
This meeting was for a 2nd floor bath remodel & rear deck replacement, plus adding a sliding door for deck access.
We looked at the deck first and after discussing wood vs. composite and budget, I gave them a rough ballpark for the 16×20 wood deck and slider ($21k +- $2k). All was good in the hood.
Then we went upstairs to check out the bathroom.
They wanted the works: new vanity, toilet, floor, replace tub with tile walk-in shower, and replace all the walls (old plaster and lath) with drywall.
Me: “Okay, no problem. You’re probably looking at around $28k for a full gut like that, if you wanted to do it right.”
Silence. Then “…oh…we were thinking we wanted to do it for around 14-16.”
Pretty typical. Most homeowners are way off in their heads when it comes to bathrooms nowadays.
No problem, I get it.
So then we went back and forth a bit. I gave them the spiel, then they told us that they had had a few contractors out already to look at it. One gave them 24, one 22, and one about 15.
So I said, “Well if they’re more within your budget you should go ahead and hire one of them for the bath. You guys probably don’t want US to do it, so let’s discuss the deck a little bit more. You’ve obviously had other contractors out to look at your home. …Why haven’t you hired anyone yet?”
(They respond.)
“So if you don’t mind me asking, what criteria are you using to decide who you’ll choose to work with? Is it just lowest price, or….*trail off* ”
Checkmate. It was either going to be (1) pure price (in which case that’s not a customer we want), or (2) they haven’t found anyone they trust enough yet. They wanted a straight-shooter.
“Oh no, we’re definitely willing to pay more for good service. 2 of the guys showed up and we looked at each other like ‘Naaw, probably not them’. But YOU GUYS are super professional, and we wanted someone who would tell us the truth and just be honest about everything.”
Clear as day signal to proceed with the pitch. Batter up!
So I told them how we schedule work using a holding deposit, and they gave it to us on the spot to secure their place on our fall schedule.
Now why was this such an easy sale?
It was the approach: what I call, The Harmonious “Ting” of Indifference.
This is the sales sweet spot where you balance a ruthless focus on performing at your best during the meeting… with a complete indifference as to the outcome.
I am convinced that they gave us the deck mostly because we told them we didn’t want the bathroom. We legitimately could not care less if we got it or not. That conveyed abundance (aka we have more work than we need, so other people obviously want to hire us too), and set boundaries of what we’re willing to accept (which builds trust since they know where we stand).
This mindset shifts the psychology of the homeowner from being “the selector” and “interviewing 3-5 similar contractors to see who best curries my favor” …to you both being on equal footing and them thinking, “This one guy seems different somehow. I want to work with him.”
Now this is subtle, but important. You’ve got to hit just the right amount of indifference. It’s like striking a triangle (the instrument) with a single firm strike in an otherwise silent room. (This is where I got the “Harmonious Ting” from. It’s a ridiculous metaphor, but surprisingly accurate.) You want the indifference to be very clearly communicated, but not overbearing.
This is why it’s so important to balance it with doing your absolute best during the meeting. When you bring your A-game but remain outcome-independent, it hits that perfect balance of “wow, he cares so much about doing great work” with, “he’s going to be doing great work for someone, but doesn’t much care who that someone is, specifically.”
Now I get that this mindset is hard to pull off if you need the work (since then you actually DO care about getting every job you can), but once you get it down it will change the game forever.
(P.S. – This mindset is also the best way I’ve found to deal with those prospects who think they’re better than you because they’re software developers or whatever and you’re “just a contractor”.
For them you dial the nonchalance up to 11 and pepper in statements like, “We get 10-15 calls a day, so you’re welcome to wait.” and “I mean, you certainly COULD do that … if you’re willing to take that kind of RISK.” Ooo, they’ll feel that one DEEP in their bones.)
