Ep 250 - 1M Launch Series 2024 - Converting Connections into Premium Clientele

Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to yet another episode of Electricpreneur Secrets. I am so happy to be here as your host, clay Neumeyer, and with me, as always, my esteemed co-host, joseph Lucani. We're the Electricpreneurs just a couple of master electricians with business addictions, here and ready to serve. At what level? Joe, the highest level. My son, the highest level. Man, the highest level. Welcome to our freemium daily coach call. We played a few replays last week to help me get over the hump of sickness and get out of a little vacation week whatever vacation I could salvage. But we are here, we are back, we are live and we are for the cause, that cause being for electricians, bioelectricians, helping you guys rise in your service endeavor and being premium service providers, just like us and the Electricpreneurs that are joining us today. Joe, how are you doing, my brother?

I got to admit there are some good things and there are some bad things, but I'm going to spend them all as good things, if that's cool. All right, let's hear it, man. It was a spin. I was going to say I'm feeling happy, I'm feeling blessed, I'm feeling like life is taken care of me in a way. But you know what? There are times that I'm so grateful for my religious walk just because there are still days when I want to pick up the bottle. I've been sober since last November. Life is still good, taking it one day at a time. But I figured, if there's anyone else that's out there that's like me, that's still getting that itch every now and then, which won't you guys know Feeling it too, and we do what we can to fight through it. As long as you take it day to day, stay on the right side of the soil.

I appreciate that, man. I got to ask you a question, though. I think we're tying into why it's today, because we're tying into exactly some of the secrets of converting at a premium level that we want to have in our million dollar launch. As we're still on this journey, we've got a couple weeks left of this stuff and knowing the why before we do some things a huge thing. So do you mind me asking why no sauce for you, joe?

So I was always very functional with it. You know what I mean. Like there wasn't any situations where I was like I couldn't get my job done, couldn't do my things. But when you realize that you're doing something for the wrong reason, it starts to you sort of look at it differently. I wasn't doing it to relax and have a good time. I was using it because, being on the spectrum, it's very hard sometimes to self-regulate, and have you ever felt the urge to just take the world down a notch?

Yeah, I think a lot of people do to use drugs and alcohol, right, yeah, anything to hit the switch, like numbness out a bit.

You know what I mean, where, like it was a thought of saying I wanted to just make the sounds quieter, make the lights less bright, like the conversations less scary, make the change less severe. And now I use therapy, I use my faith, I use all the different things that I have coping skills, but some of them are hard to put down. You know what I mean. I stopped smoking nicotine, I stopped drinking alcohol. It's a hard road, man, but I'm grateful of. Nothing else is to pull out of it.

I appreciate you, man, and I appreciate that honesty and that vulnerability to share that. And something that comes to mind that's like pure irony around substance and substance abuse is like we use it as a crutch, that that crutch is crippling and it's not so apparent, is it Like? Literally, it can feel like what's helping you is helping you when in the meantime it's actually stifling your growth and your ability to find the ambition or the desire to want to drive a bit harder tomorrow. In fact, one of my favorite expressions around booze was really stealing happiness from tomorrow.

That is true. And you've explained that yeah, you've explained that. You wake up with a hangover. It's like I'm happy today, I'm unhappy tomorrow. It's just. You know what I think. What it comes down to in a lot of big ways is I've never done anything profound while drunk. You know what I mean. I want to live a life where I want to live not for me anymore. I want to live for something beyond myself, something bigger than me. You know whether that's God, whether that's your family, whether that's this mission that we're in. I just it wasn't certain anymore and I want to be done with it. But sometimes it comes back and wants to, wants to come pay a visit.

Fair enough, man, you know, yeah, yeah, hanging there strong. One of our mentors also said this. They call it spirits for a reason, and I don't need to consume anything to have spirit. That makes a good point. That was an interesting take too. Without further ado, joe, what do you say? We jump into this topic today, though.

Can I get the recap?

where we left off.

I would love that. I think it would actually make sense, because for a lot of us who are listening, we had to step away for a little bit between the storms that were destroying my area and the illness that kicked your butt. Let's come back to it.

Yeah, man. So million dollar launch series, some big things kicking off this year. Ton of great feedback. By the way, If you've been listening, please reach out, let us know what you thought. On Facebook, in our Facebook group, Electric Pinner Secrets, even on our website, serviceloopelectricalcom, which is just revised and re-released by the wonderful Eureka in the background. Thank you, Eureka. But where we finished last time that we were live doing, one of these was talking about developing and training to a consistent sales process and the importance of that, and I think the underlying, maybe the biggest reason to even have that sales process is what we're talking about today, which is to have consistent conversions at a premium level, and it's not something that's just going to happen by accident, is it Joe?

No, I mean, the process that we've developed is a culmination of everything I've learned from every trainer I've ever studied, from every book I've ever read, and years and years and years of trial and error at actual homes. But the thing about it that goes beyond all that is that we have to take this process and say that it's not the goal of closing. It's the goal to set yourself up as being someone who's trusted, liked and respected, so that you at least have the position to then reasonably and ethically ask for the sale. The two need to be absolutely in pair. You can't get to the close about the process, but then you can't close without the relationship built by the process.

And I want to add a key word in there salesy. Because it's not that you physically can't, but most people that approach us about the sales process that we talk about in the loop method and everything we're doing is like, hey, I want to improve sales without coming across salesy. Well, this is the stuff we're talking about, and people wonder why we have so few episodes on objection handling. It's because of how much work we put into eliminating them in the first place, and I think that's what you're referencing here, isn't it?

Yeah, I mean a lot of times with objections, you're already losing the battle by the time it comes up, because they're not often objecting to the thing that they're really emotionally upset about. They're objecting to the thing that's tied with that emotion. So, as a result, they'll say I can't do it right now. And really, is it a not ever, or is it just a not right now? Right, well, I can't because, and that because reason will be what. You circle back to it and it may be something completely unrelated, like I know I like this. I'm just not sure if you guys are going to be around in business. I don't know if I'm going to get a 10-year warranty from someone who just started business. Okay, there's your answer, now we can dig into it.

Yeah, and hope I didn't interrupt your flow too much there. I just saw that correlation and we are 100% without a doubt. Coming back to objections in this series, I mean we're going to have to deal with them in a million dollar launch. So absolutely. But what are some of the other few things, joe, that you think are the underlying success levers that we could apply? Going into these situations now, keep in mind where we're at in this journey. We're halfway through the year, our first year, maybe quarter to second quarter, somewhere in there. We've got our vision, we went through that. We've got organic marketing People do know a bit about us and we've got some culture here already. Right, we've got our hearts on our sleeves. We're out there serving. What do you suggest we really leverage now to get our conversions up and make the most of every transaction?

So there's two steps that are, I'd say, absolutely essential, assuming you've followed the process so far and then you've built a relationship, and that is the en route step and the pulse check step. And I'd be happy to touch on those two things, because there's emotional reasons why they're there, as well as respect builders. Let's do it man, Jump right in. So going into it. The first is the en route step. Now, a lot of us have assumed that we're going to do a two call close, meaning that we've met with one spouse, we've learned what's going on, we've acknowledged the need and we understand the general why. But more often than not, there's always someone else involved their partner, their spouse, their friend, their son-in-law, it doesn't matter. There's someone else here who needs to be a part of this decision. Now, instead of just calling them over the phone or trying to get under that person, we bring them in. We say we're so grateful that you have someone on your side who can help you with these things, and we've made it a point to try to schedule when those people will be there. So at this point, we have a date on the calendar where we're coming back to talk to both people. Now the en route step. Do you have any question before we get into it? No, no no, just acknowledging Awesome. The en route step is where we're going to then be calling the customer and asking two things. One I wanted to make sure I know we were planning on coming at one o'clock to talk to you and Melanie. Will that time still be good for both of you? So it makes the initial acknowledgement that when we left last we were planning on coming back at this time to talk to both of you. That's being subconsciously said, but then we ask directly will that time still be good for both of you? Benefit is is, if they say yes, wonderful, we'll handle that one way. If they say no, also wonderful, Because we have other availabilities that just came up. You know, I'm curious if you'd be very open to it. We actually had a bunch of calls that came in. We'd love to reschedule for another time, especially since we wanted everyone present so they could hear our designs, since we designed more than one of them Earlier. When I said yes, that's good, it's because the en route step is meant to build value. Have you ever gone to the auto dealership or the car dealership and been handed the bottle of water?

Yeah, yeah, familiar with that one.

What's the purpose? Why do we do it?

To me. I always thought it's the law of reciprocity You're going to scratch your back so that you know, and hopefully that salesperson doesn't then lift their shirt and show you their hairy back. But that's always the way I've looked at it. What are your thoughts?

No, it makes a lot of sense and I'm glad you and I are on the same page there. So imagine now also where we're at in the time of sale. Right, we've told them that we're going to meet with both decision makers, but we haven't said decision makers, we say people who are involved in this. And now it could be six o'clock, seven o'clock, even eight o'clock at night. If you're in a typical family home, that's dinner time for most people. Or they just got the kids to bed, which means, if you come, you're now in a position to take time away from them, where now they have to wait and not have dinner, or they have to rush it, or, if it's early morning, they got to get their coffee prepped. Our on route step is confirming hey, I'm on my way. I want to be sure it's good for both of you. Wonderful it is. By the way, I was planning on stopping getting some food for myself because I hadn't had a chance to have dinner yet. How do you like your food? Or I'm making it. Stop on getting a pizza. How do you like your pizza? Or I am stopping for coffee. How do you like your coffee? Something to that extent because they're going to then immediately say either yes, that's good, awesome, you got a great person. Or no, they're not. Yeah, you don't have to do that. Well, of course I don't have to do that I want to. It makes me happy knowing I'm going to be stopping for myself anyway.

And I feel like that's a knee jerk reaction that people do. Yeah, a lot, of, a lot of no's. I know I'm good, thank you. I don't want to Like you almost. You try to deflect it, just like you deflect the water bottle, even if you're thirsty.

Yeah, a lot of times.

I love where you go to in confirming like are you sure it really would be no trouble in taking it that extra step?

Yeah, a lot of times it's almost like when your spouse says you don't have to do this. It's like, of course, sweetheart, of course I don't have to do this, I want to do this. So when they say you don't have to get me, it's truly, it's no trouble, I'm already going to be going. I mean, I haven't. I mean I've been on the road all day. I haven't gotten a chance to stop for any food, so I always plan on getting it for myself anyway. Why not just order a pizza and bring something for all of us? I was going to get a slice for myself anyway. So now you show up with pizza at the door, you're sitting down with them, you're opening a slice, you're having a slice. While you're talking to them, they're eating, you're eating. We're all relaxed. We're at the table. The presentation stood right next to me. It's probably on the chair next to me, but that's not what we're doing. We're bonding, we're building rapport, we're breaking bread.

Yeah, and that kitchen table is something we haven't talked about really in that light in a while. But I mean, who sits at the kitchen table?

Friends and family and trusted people. I mean, if you've ever been in a situation where you're in the customer's home and they meet you in the garage and they don't let you in, that's a different story compared to the person who lets you into the front door and then brings you to the kitchen table to sit down and discuss their project.

Feels about as cold as the garage itself it does, doesn't it?

So, especially even when you, let's say, that did happen and the first customer didn't let you into the home. But now you're bringing food. Where does food need to go? People don't eat standing up like contractors over their panel. No, they go to the kitchen table and sit down, bring it in. And while you're there, why not, as well, sit down at the table? And, by the way, while we're there, why don't we just talk here? It's cold outside anyway.

Awesome, awesome man. So there's a couple of tips Now in that presentation, I mean in this. And the many times you've done it face full of pizza, just jump right in greasy fingerprints on the iPad or like, what do you do? Do you sit in that moment a little bit, joe?

Yeah. So the goal is is not like you're trying to present with a slice in your hand. Realistically, you're trying to actually break away from you being a business person and focus more that this is your lunch break and you're just talking to someone else and you happen to be in uniform during the process. So the reason why I would lean into that category is sometimes, when people think that you're trying to sell them something, there's this initial wall that goes up because they don't know you. They know your brand, they know what you do, but they don't know you. You're just that bald Italian electrician that comes to my house. It's like no, there's something that comes more with it. I mean, this is who I am. Maybe I show a little bit of my ink, maybe I roll up my sleeves and show off the tattoos, Like who knows, but the fact is is that we can connect over things while we're talking and then, after they're done eating, and after I'm done eating, you'll be like, hey, I'd hate to take so much of your time. I appreciate you sitting down. Thanks for letting me have a slice as well. Even though I'm the one who brought it right. Love it. But then, while we're here, is there anything you guys want to talk about before we get into the presentation? I've been really excited to show this to you guys. I feel like, if anything, it's one of the ones I've been really looking forward to all week to talking about.

Super interesting man. So what I'm getting from this is really prioritizing the personal relationship over the presentation is actually going to help us with our conversion.

Correct and the reason being is that so often when people think about the sales like process, if you look at it from as I know you like to do from the 30,000 foot view, let's break this down. So the electrician comes by, sometimes he'll come back and do a presentation, other times he'll just power through it. So it could be either an hour and a half meeting or three and a half hour meeting, but it's just blasting all about what we can do and how we can do and how we're the best. What we're doing that's different is we're creating small touch points throughout the relationship in smaller increments to build a longer seeming relationship, such as we've been over the phone with our CSRs. They know who they are, they've addressed them by first name, they've talked at least two to three times at this point, probably more intake en route, follow up en route and like it's all through those things. Then we're coming back and we've built the initial relationship. We spent an hour at a 45 minutes there somewhere originally, came back a third time. Now there's a third touch point and we're breaking bread with them. So at that level we're not salespeople, we're just really good electricians who are good at rapport building. The word sales hasn't even come up because they are inviting us to help them now.

Yeah, serving some friends, one of the things that's coming to mind. I can't help it, and we're going to come close to the end of this one already goes by so fast. But we've talked in the past about how this is really an endurance race. Yeah, and I start to see how all this is tying into the endurance aspect of it. It's not rushed, it's nothing other than hey, we're all taken care of. Hey, we're all happy with the stage right. Hey, quick check in. Hey, everyone's feeling good. Hey, you can talk to me. Hey, you can be transparent with me. Hey, any problems you're having, I'm here with you. All of this seems to be kind of adding up. Joe, do you have anything to say to that?

Yeah, so the endurance race came from the concept of how man as a species learned to hunt. And the reason why I came up with that is this we were surrounded in the Paleolithic era with all these apex, predators, all these things that could have eaten us, squished us, stomped us, all those things, and yet we survived. And there's a reason for that. We were specifically designed for a long distance hunting, meaning that because of how our bodies are set, how we're able to run on two feet, how we have sweat glands, how we're mostly hairless, we dissipate heat extremely well. So we would chase an animal and it would be significantly faster than us and it would just run, but we would just keep going. And it was that relentlessness of just. I'm going to have a slow pace and just going to keep going the whole time, leisurely, and you can sprint all you want, but eventually you're going to stop for some air and I'm just going to keep going and keep going, keep going. And the way that we would win is eventually we'd chase down this thing for three, four or five miles and bump it over the head and carry it home. We're doing something similar to an extent where not to make it sound bad, but we've put in so many breath spots for ourselves. We've been intentional with our actions, we know the words we're going to say, we've trained in all the different scenarios that could come up, so that the customer is the one who has to do almost all the energy expense, whereas we are energy reserved, we're observers to situations and we're just taking a hand to spin the wheel and the customer is the one who's turning. So at the end of the call, we still have all our emotional energy ready to handle objections and to present at the highest level, whereas they've put all their objections and everything front facing. We've already squashed them. So now they're at the end of their race and the fight's out for them to want to object because we've already solved them. So now, at this point, they're just tapping their toes and saying when are you gonna? Let me buy this thing?

There you have it, folks. I think our next company is gonna be called Paleo Sales.

I love it.

Yep, we go along and we don't quit. Awesome, Joe, that was huge man. I love the spin and that has never been heard before on this podcast. Only on this episode 250, by the way, which is a massive accomplishment Buzzsprout send us a message. We gotta wrap this one up, brother. Any last words on improving these conversions and what we spoke about today, and we're just gonna have to tag right in again tomorrow and continue this.

Totally down. So the one thing that I would take away from all of this is that a lot of times people think they need a sales process in order to close and then they get sales processes and they don't. And I think what's missing is the human aspect, the engagement aspect, and how the focus needs to be on the emotion and the serving that emotion. Then it does the chasing of the sale Serve the client. They will run parallel to you to the finish line Chase the client. They'll always be a step ahead of you, like the gazelle.

Wow, man deep, yeah, I mean. It just reminds me again people do business with who they know like and trust right. If you're missing those components, then you can sprint after them all you want. You're never gonna catch them. Correct, love it. Action items brother.

Yep. So action items would I'd say at the most basic level, Because I can handle both. But would you have a preference?

Hit a basic. Let's see if I drum anything up in the process here. I'm gonna actually encourage it. I'm gonna be working the energy waves.

No worries. The most basic possible action is to control your breathing. And it doesn't sound like that's a sales advice, but so often when we try to chase the sale, we end up overworking ourselves emotionally. We're taking shallower breaths, we're trying to get more words in less seconds. Instead, I advise you to monitor how you're breathing, because how you're breathing is how you communicate and it's also reflection of what you're thinking. If you're moving too quickly, if you're moving too rapidly, if you find your at the end of edge sentence, you're trying to sell. If you're sitting, have a conversation, sitting like your two people sitting in front of a fireplace, we're just talking leisurely and you've gotten out of care in the world as your cognac ships in your hand, you should be fine. It shouldn't be an endurance, it shouldn't be anything crazy. So first, can you breathe the right way? If you can do that, everything, whether your sales or not, will improve.

Okay, I love that. Can I tee one off here? Turn it off, all right. As you're saying that, I'm hearing this and, in reflection of this episode, I cannot shake this like as an advanced action. I ate a. Making premium service your target, make it your bottom line, make it your truth and everything that you do through this process. As Joe mentioned today, there was nothing pushy about this. If you make that your expression of truth, your sales process actually a service expression of truth, then when there's a question about it, when there's confrontation about it, you can remain in your truth and being wholly honest and defend that truth without ever being off-putting or pushy. Because if the truth is literally, I just actually wanna bring you some food I hadn't eaten yet I thought maybe you guys hadn't, or hey, I could use a coffee this hour or night to keep us going through this. Those are all honest intention things and when they're not sales tactics, the irony is here for sure. But it's just your expression of truth to serve, to help, to be friend, to build trust, to serve that relationship. Then you see this go a lot further. Man, I wanna thank you so much for all of your input today on this one, and we've got some big stuff to continue on here this week as we narrow down, getting close to the ending of our million dollar launch series. Thank you, guys, so much for joining us. This has been another episode of Electricpreneur Secrets, where we keep showing up to help you master your sales, simplify your pricing and deliver premium level electrical service. Joe, we're gonna see you again tomorrow for another episode. Looking forward to you, brother, see you soon. Cheers.