Homeowners can be picky, and that is probably understating it. Whether they are making changes because they want to or because their home was damaged in a storm, they know what the like, what they don’t, and what they want for their property. But just because they know what they want, doesn’t mean they know what they are choosing. Many homeowners don’t know the ins-and-outs of products like their contractors do, but many contractors have trouble getting that point across. Thankfully, there are a few easy tactics that you can use to help customers get the products they want, but also the ones that need.
Certifications
Many contractors in specialty areas, like roofing, can get certifications from manufacturers. These certifications range from installation certifications to preferred or recommended contractors for the manufacturer. If you don’t have any already, see what certifications from manufacturers that your company uses a lot are available. If you do have these in place already, use them to your advantage; let homeowners know that you have done the training, the research, the amount of time, whatever it is with X manufacturer so you know about their products and what will be best for their home. It may not always work, but some homeowners will be swayed once they see that you have put in the work to understand the materials.
Experience and Expertise
Most homeowners make big changes to their property a handful of times, but no where near enough to know what products are going to best. You on the other hand, deal with homes and the products every single day, so use that! Have before and after photos readily accessible to show, give first-hand accounts of times you have seen something work (or not work), let them know that you have dealt with this before. The more experience you can point to, and expertise you can show can help sway homeowners off their rock of ideas and into what is truly best for their home.
Recommendations
Always give your recommendation. Even if the homeowner is dead set on something, let them know what you would do. A lot of times, if you’ve also displayed your expertise, homeowners will listen to your recommendation and use the products you think are right. Sometimes it at least plants a seed of doubt in their plan that gives you the opportunity to display your experience and expertise and show them why they need to choose a different product. Again, use photos of previous products so that they can see the finished product, and take the opportunity to point out similarities, opportunities, and curb appeal that their house can use/gain by using your recommended product.