A very unhappy homeowner called a Fire and Security company to complain:
“I took a half day off work to be at home for the site survey this afternoon but no one turned up.”
She was threatening to leave them a bad review!
When questioned, the surveyor told his boss:
“Well, I couldn’t get a confirmation by email or phone so I didn’t go.”
Wouldn’t it have been better if the company had received the following message?
Thanks for texting, I was at work so I couldn’t take a phone call. Yes, I will definitely be at home for the security survey this afternoon.
In the Fire and Security industry, few companies use text to communicate with potential customers. But there definitely is a place for it.
Text as part of your follow up process to respond to a website enquiry
When people complete a website contact form on their phone, it is very easy to make typos. One incorrect letter and you have a bad email. And emails are such an unreliable way for a sales person to deal with enquiries anyway. Many inboxes have a strict filter that will stop unfamiliar emails from getting in. Anything not on the ‘whitelist’ will go straight to spam – without the recipient even knowing 🙁
With a phone number, even if you call immediately, it might not be convenient for the lead to take a personal phone call. Your text with a reminder of who you are, why you are messaging and requesting the best time to call is the best option. It gets you and your response in front of the lead in a way that a personal email may not.
BUT
I’m not sure who said this. But it is OH SO TRUE!
So, to avoid miscommunication or misinterpretation, develop a template text that gives all the info in a clear concise way. With no room for confusion.
Text when you want to confirm that your appointment is still on for today
As mentioned previously, spam filters mean it’s far better to call and/or text than to email to confirm. Plus, if someone is at work, they may not be able to see personal emails. Worse, they may not actually be able to take a personal phone call. A text is the perfect halfway house. It gets you onto the device thy are most likely to look at in real time. And it gives them a simple way to be able to confirm or deny.
Again, to avoid misinterpretation, develop a template text that gives all the info in a clear concise way. With no room for confusion.
Texts as part of your sequence for following up on quotes
We talk to a lot of Fire and Security companies whose follow up to quotes is, at best, inadequate. One email two weeks after the quote was sent asking if the lead is still interested. And that’s it! How much did it cost in marketing spend and human time to acquire that lead and gather the information required to make a quote? And your sales people are just letting it wither on the vine?
As Drayton Bird says, sales teams need to
‘show more zeal in their follow ups’.
Could you develop a series of fabulous follow up messages*? And mix up the media used to make contact. Emails, texts and phone calls that smash objections and leave the lead in no doubt that your solution will resolve their Fire or Security problem. And that you are the best company to give them back their peace of mind.
*Keep your GDPR requirements in mind if you are dealing with home owners.
So, why don’t more Fire and Security companies use SMS texing?
The problems with texting are several
Predictive text means that your phone can change what you actually typed into something completely different. Without you even realising it. And there is nothing you can do about it once it’s gone.
We’ve all seen the rude examples on Facebook. No one wants that to happen in a business communication.
With the added problem that you are trying to put a message into as few words as possible. This ‘speed’ of writing and of reading can quickly and easily lead to someone ‘getting the wrong end of the stick’.
But the benefits of texting to improve your contact rate are many
How many people do you know who get so many texts that they don’t bother to look at them? Even the ones from phone numbers they don’t recognise? Exactly. The chances of communicating with that lead are significantly increased.
It’s definitely worth including a text message in your Fire and Security marketing mix.
Get more leads for your sales team to text, phone or email!
Can Lollipop help your Fire & Security business to get more leads and sales?
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The Right Message in front of
The Right Person at
The Right Time
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