August
2012
In this issue: 1 Business Development 2 Servpro Owners should invest in maintaining key client relationships Winners Blueprint 3 Personal Best, Volume Leader 5 Customer Service First, Chart toppers 6 National Preparedness Month 7 Training Certificates Advertising Resource 8 Words of Wisdom 10 Hurricane Preparedness Tips
SUN
T HE
SERVPRO速 of Southern New England and New York
Business Development By Robert Willis
SAVE the DATE
Connecting with and adding value to people is at the heart of the SERVPRO速 System. Building strong relationships allows us to identify needs and solve problems for customers and clients.
December 1, 2012
If a customer has an issue while services are being performed, and there is a clear path on how to discuss the issue, it is likely there will be a resolution with little damage to customer satisfaction. These relationships are easy to establish and can be developed quickly during the initial phases of mitigation.
Annual Awards Program and Tradeshow Foxwoods Resort
During the initial walk-through, make sure the customer accompanies the project manager, and make sure the customer knows the project manager is there to answer any of their questions and alleviate their concerns. The project manager should be available to the customer. A crew chief will be working, and directing the crew; he may not be able to answer the many detailed questions customers may have. The project manager should not make a single appearance at the start of the job and then disappear. A daily visit to the job site, complete with notice to the customer, should take less than one hour, but will provide immeasurable value to the customer from a service and satisfaction standpoint. The same principle holds true for developing and strengthening relationships with clients. If a relationship with a client is already established, and work is consistent, it can be easy to ignore the need for continued client management. Successful business managers avoid this trap. Just because a relationship exists and has been profitable in the past does not mean it cannot disappear if another, more satisfactory, relationship is presented. As a SERVPRO Owner, you must make sure these relationships are seen by the client to have continued value. Do not rely on the standard compensation package for job leads, or an impersonal thank you gesture. Find out something about your client and focus on that. Make sure the client feels appreciated, and independently valued for more than job leads. When a SERVPRO Owner is able to focus on business development and adding both actual and perceived value, problem solving will become less of an issue, and problems will not escalate past minor initial issues. When an Owner has time to develop personal relationships with clients, it will allow these relationships to flourish and solve many issues or problems before they arise. Connect with your clients, connect with your customers, develop these relationships, and watch your business grow.