Most of the time, it starts with a phone call that goes something like this, “You installed a new heating system for my sister, and you came highly recommended.” We set up a date and time that we both can make, I write down some notes from our conversation along with the address and cell phone number. While on the telephone, I always ask questions when they call. Some of the questions I start with might be, what type of heat do you have now and what are some of your concerns? I write the answers down as they have proven very helpful when I finally get to visit the client.
I am not one for being 30 minutes early for an estimate. Instead, I try to be standing at the front door at exactly 1 p.m. for a 1 p.m. appointment. When I was much younger, I believed I could make time go backward if I raced to my destination (my wife and almost every employee I ever had still believe this), but none of us were ever successful. My point here is to try to allow yourself enough time to be on time. If I am going to be late, I have their phone number in my notebook and call them ahead of time, customers appreciate this.