How to Stop Losing Home Improvement Deals After the Quote

You know the one. Lovely couple, nice house, cup of tea on the go. You measured up, showed them the samples, answered every question they had. They were nodding along. Then at the door: "That all looks great. Leave it with us."

And that's the last you hear.

I've been selling home improvements for more than 40 years. I started out knocking doors for gas central heating and I still sell every job at my own conservatory roof business now. In all that time I've watched more money disappear after the quote than anywhere else in the sale. And nine times out of ten it wasn't the price.

The deal wasn't lost on the phone

When a customer goes quiet, everyone looks at the follow-up. Should we have rung sooner? Should we send a reminder? Knock a bit off?

Wrong end of the problem. By the time you're chasing, the deal was lost in their living room.

I tell the people I coach that customers arrive with get out of jail cards in their pocket. "We need to think about it." "I'll have to talk to my husband." "We never decide on the day." It's like Monopoly. If you leave them holding those cards, they'll play them at the end, every time. Your job is to take the cards off them at the start, before you've even got the brochure out.

Find out what they actually hate

Here's an analogy I use a lot. Imagine you go to a cosmetic surgeon. You sit down and he says, "I don't like your ears. Your chin's not great. And we'll need to do something about that neck." You'd be out of the door.

A good surgeon asks what you don't like. And you tell him, in detail.

Selling windows or a conservatory roof is the same. It's not your job to tell them their frames are tired and dated. It's your job to get them to tell you. The draught under the patio door. The front room nobody uses from October to March. The condensation running down the glass every morning. That's the gold. When the customer has said it out loud, in their own words, they've sold themselves half the job.

So ask. "Tell me about the room in winter." "Describe what it's like first thing in the morning." Then shut up and listen.

Stop calling it a quote

Small thing, big difference. "I'll send you a quote" puts you in the pile with everyone else. Three companies quoted, so they're comparing three numbers on a spreadsheet. You've become a stat.

I say, "I've worked out a costing for you." And if one of them isn't there to see it, "When's a good time to come back when you're both in, and we'll see if we can button it up for you?"

That last bit matters. "Button it up" tells them, nicely, that next time you'll be asking for a decision. Nobody's surprised when you do.

The one-legged appointment

If one partner sits through your presentation and the other gets a PDF over tea that night, I know who wins that conversation. Not you.

Don't ask, "Are you the decision maker?" It feels like a pressure sale and people bristle. Ask, "Is it only you that makes the decisions, or would you be more comfortable getting a second opinion from someone?" Most people will tell you straight. If there's someone else, book a time when they're both there. Don't present to half a decision.

Give them permission to say no

This one surprises people. Early in the appointment, I say something like: "I'm not going to ask you for a decision today, unless you want to give me one. And if what I show you doesn't make sense, you're quite okay to tell me no. Is that all right?"

Their shoulders drop. They stop waiting for the hard sell. And because they know they're allowed to say no, they're far more likely to tell you what's really bothering them while you're still sat there.

That's where deals are saved. In the room. Not on the phone a fortnight later.

So what do you do on Monday?

Pick one appointment this week and record it, with the customer's say-so, or at least write it up the minute you're back in the van. Then ask yourself honestly: did they tell me why they want this done now? Were both of them there? Did I leave with a decision, or just a hopeful feeling?

It's what my 7 Steps to Sales Mastery is built around. The first three steps, Frame, WHY and Offer, decide whether you're ever chasing a quote at all.

If you'd like to know where your own deals are slipping, take the free 2-minute Sales Leak Assessment and book a free 30-minute discovery call with me.