• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Business ManagementKenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach

Sales and marketing simplified in three steps

By Kenny Chapman
Sales and marketing
November 24, 2015

Based on the headline, you might be immediately questioning what I’m going to be discussing in this column. You are probably thinking, “I know from experience that sales and marketing are complicated; I’m always trying to figure them out.” You aren’t alone, and I’m not saying sales and marketing are easy; I’m saying they can be simple, once you have a system that works for your company.

I constantly see my clients getting in their own way when it comes to sales and marketing. So many business owners in our industry overcomplicate both aspects while minimizing the importance of the crucial synergistic relationship of the two.

The profitability of our businesses can be summarized in three steps.

1. Getting the initial call (marketing). Obviously, in order to make money, we need calls. We know that at certain times of the year, we get more calls than others and need to plan our marketing accordingly. See, it’s simple! If only it was as easy as it sounds. My clients and coaching club members are always discussing how to gain new clients and make their marketing work as efficiently as possible.

What it comes down to is threefold: you need a system, you need to creatively stand out from your competition, and you need support. You need a system because otherwise you are throwing money into the wind. You should track every single thing you’re doing through software, customized phone numbers and making sure your CSRs are asking where each lead came from. If it’s a referral, make sure to get the name of the referring customer and reward him or her. It’s also important to have a marketing calendar so you’re never scrambling to put a promotion together.

Also, you need to be doing something differently than your competition. Does your Yellow Pages ad/Facebook ad/newspaper ad look just like those of your local competitors? If so, it’s time to be more creative. Give your customers a reason to call you instead of someone else.

You need a support system. Discussing sales and marketing with people in the same industry from different markets who are working toward the same goals is a game-changer. Very few individuals are an endless source of new, cutting-edge sales and marketing ideas. That’s why there is power in having a group of individuals you can turn to and share what’s working, what’s not and what’s new.

At my company, we like to mix new promotions and ideas in with what we know works. This allows for a level of consistency, but leaves room for experimentation. I then get to share the new, successful concepts with my coaching club clients to use in their markets.

2. Maximizing every single call (sales). How many times have you heard technicians complain about “not having enough calls,” or maybe you have said, “If only we had more calls, the company would be doing great”? Have you looked at your average ticket lately? Do you have a goal for what your average ticket should be? There’s a good chance the real problem exists with how much is (or isn’t) being sold, not your actual call count.

Believe it or not, increasing your average ticket also can be simple! The combination of consistent sales training, systemization and accountability can dramatically increase your average ticket. Here’s the key: Your techs and salespeople need to understand the why behind it. Many techs don’t see themselves as “salespeople” because of a negative connotation with the word, but once they understand they are helping to give clients what they want and improving their lives in the process, increased sales are a byproduct of that mental shift.

In order to maximize every call, your sales training needs to be consistent and specific. This also can be much easier than it sounds, but everyone needs to be held accountable for attending all training meetings. Never cancel a meeting and stress the importance of making sure every client has a great experience with your company.

Make sure everyone is on the same page about your company’s systems, from how to address a client to techniques for writing an options sheet. Since there are so many things to cover, and not everyone has time to develop this training, I developed online training programs to simplify the process.

 

Tying it together

And here’s how we tie together sales and marketing:

3. Following up the calls/relationship building (sales and marketing). Once you have acquired a client and your effectively trained team members have made a great impression on your client, the final piece is always retention, right? Again, this can be simplified with a combination of systemization, staying in touch and keeping your company brand in front of them. The goal is for your clients to never even consider calling your competition, but they have to be consistently reminded of why that’s the case.

Companies that have high client-retention rates have scripts for CSRs to use for follow-up calls to ensure satisfaction, send monthly or quarterly newsletters and also are doing positive things for their communities. This reinforces to your clients they are doing business with a company they feel good about.

At my company in Colorado, we ran a social media campaign that supported breast cancer awareness, which got good local media coverage and had our clients interacting on our Facebook page. This creates a priceless sense of community and lets your clients know you care about them, as well as the area where you are doing business. You can even have some fun with these sorts of promotions and, once again, get creative with them!

Another simple way to improve your client retention rate is to offer maintenance agreements. Many companies do this already but, from my experience, techs/salespeople are not offering them as much as they should be. This is another area where sales training is crucial to help your technicians understand why they are so important and to help them develop a specific process for offering the agreements.

I love this quote by Italian inventor and artist Bruno Munari: “Progress means simplifying, not complicating.” In order to take your company to the next level, start looking at the ways you are complicating your sales and marketing efforts. Then, concentrate on the three steps I mentioned that really make an impact on your bottom line.

 

KEYWORDS: business coaching customer service plumbing marketing

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Chapman

Kenny Chapman, "The Blue Collar Coach," is an award-winning industry coach and trainer, as well as founder of The Blue Collar Success Group, a business-development organization for in-home service contractors. He is the author of In-Home Sales Acceleration and The Six Dimensions of C.H.A.N.G.E. and specializes in helping business operators become true business owners. Visit Kenny's website for free sales and leadership resources, or call 877-968-2244 to see how Kenny and the BCSG team can help you improve your company and better your life.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

Related Articles

  • Kenny Chapman

    Kenny Chapman: Three simple steps for overcoming fear in business

    See More
  • Chapman

    Bring marketing and sales together for satisfied clients

    See More
  • Chapman

    A perfect union of sales and marketing systems

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • what hydronics taught holohan.jpg

    What Hydronics Taught Holohan: A Memoir of Life in the Heating Industry

See More Products
×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!