Episode 97 - The Secrets of Secret Shopping

 Ep 97 - Secrets of Secret Shopping - June 22

@11:32 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Hello and welcome to Entrepreneur Secrets, the Electricians podcast. I'm your host Clay Neumeyer and with me is always Joseph, the lightsaber wielding sales bot, Lucanie.

That was a mouthful.

@11:48 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Joe, how are you doing today? I am feeling absolutely amazing. Literally, I'm going to throw it out there. Caribbean food is the way to go.

I had a nice oxtail lunch. I am. Loving it. Feeling living the dream. Wings in my own.

@12:02 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

I gotta say, I never had that.

@12:04 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Oh, you're missing out my friend. It is literally Caribbean food is right up there with Indian food, in my opinion.

Can't get better.

@12:11 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Yeah, I'm going to do some Caribbean travel.

@12:13 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

really haven't yet. Well, I will make it a point.

@12:17 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

One place actually, Panama was in Panama for a little bit. Did you know your wife is listening today?

@12:24 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I did, and it's no pressure, right?

@12:27 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

So we got to keep it down.

@12:29 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

We're talking about Caribbean trips.

@12:30 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

You're like, no, no, no, it's slowed down here. We're not doing any of those any time. No, no, thing she said is socks and sabers because of our post today, where Joe finally took my advice and wielded the lightsaber in public.

Which can I just say, like, that's a hit, right? lot of people are like, holy shit, Joe.

@12:49 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

It was one of those weird moments where like, I think to myself, like, oh, you don't want to do that.

You're people are going to think you're nerdy or, you know, it's our company. If this is us, this is who I am.

This is what I want to be. So why not be me, right?

@13:03 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

This is us. And just a reminder, we're here with you five days week to help you master sales. Simplify pricing and deliver premium level service.

Check out this segue because just before the show we were talking about the options and the record you set yesterday.

Turns out Joe set his own land speed record for creating options. If you didn't hear that at the end of yesterday's podcast, you might want to go back and check it out.

Because not only was it creating two different jobs options blind, but one of them was actually kind of difficult.

Most people would have got stuck on that. It was like relocating a GFCI six inches. Yeah, I was. options.

In fact, it came up with 12 options for the two jobs in eight minutes. I've done monologuing. Please go ahead and jump in there.

@13:51 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

No, I'm excited because I feel like if we can start for any of you guys are listening live, just keep it in the back burner that if you ever want to test us on something.

Think of a job that you struggle making options on and pitch it our way. I have no problem getting stumped.

The reason being is that if that happens, it's an opportunity for me to get better. And on the other chance of I don't get stumped, it's an opportunity for you to get better.

So either way, it's a constant win-win scenario.

@14:18 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Wow. And the topic we're going through today is the secrets of secret shopping. However, what you just said is so important.

Right? Don't listen to what we say. Watch what we do. just demonstrated 100% ego check, humble approach. I am ready and willing to help you guys and be stumped live in front of thousands of viewers.

In fact, it's like etching this into the zone of the internet now. These episodes aren't going anywhere, Joe. They're going to sit here for a while.

You're prepared to be embarrassed online for these guys and get me.

@14:51 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I mean, one, yes, but two, I just posted a lightsaber video. Do you think embarrassment's on the high level of priority?

But in all seriousness, it's one of those things where I really, truly feel that no one should be considered above another, right?

I have a great depth of knowledge, but it doesn't make me better than someone else. It just means that I have had more practice in this particular endeavor.

So knowing that your idols, your heroes, whatever you want to consider someone, that role model should be human, which means that that person should be having their own quirks and their own struggles, which I've got plethora of.

So if I get stumped, great. I'm more relatable. If I don't get stumped, I get to improve everyone else.

I don't see how this loses.

@15:39 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

So that's what this is about, proving that you're not a robot, but in fact, a human. You know, you don't get stumped.

The thing is that's not really in your nature to do so. I haven't really seen it yet.

@15:50 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Well, that's because the process works really well. When you focus on why something is being done, you can understand more of the depth behind it.

We're not in In the sales business, we're in the people connection business. I'm going to learn about what's really driving you, why you need this job now, why didn't you call someone else, why do you want me to do these things, and what will happen if you don't.

With that information, it becomes much harder to not get the job. Because at that point, they're going to have to say, I've already told you I've it, I've already told you why I couldn't call anyone else, I've already told you why I specifically used you, and I'm already told you what's going to happen if I don't get this done.

And on me or all of us now, to be the ones that's our job to lose. So why don't we be more human with it?

And as far as you thought of saying, like, maybe you're not a robot and you're human, I am human, of course.

But I identify with the quote-unquote sales bot because it's just a name that stuck with me forever. Being an autistic individual, we can be a little robotic and a little different sometimes.

But I have sales skills. So the sales bot it is.

@17:00 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Absolutely. I love that. There's nothing robotic about your lightsaber movement.

@17:04 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I'll tell you that.

@17:05 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

The Samurai sales bot, Lucanie. Maybe that's it. Little liberation there, Joe. I got a challenge out here for our viewers listeners then because it sounds like you just challenged them to give situations from which you could prepare options live on basically any episode.

In fact, it sounds like you're looking for that challenge so much that if we saw that, if you were in the VIP with us in our Facebook group and our community engaging with us live and you were to post the job that you wanted help on the options.

While we were live, Joe would have an incredibly difficult time not doing that for you.

@17:47 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

You're just setting me up here. It's true. One of those things where I don't look at it necessarily as a challenge to ego.

My ego has no place in this business. I am not better than anyone. But if someone. Want to learn from our skills?

am so grateful to step up to the challenge for them.

@18:03 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

And I would really venture a guess that objections would probably fit there too.

@18:09 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I'd be happy to take on objections.

@18:11 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Let me ask you this. Do you know who Harry Mack is?

@18:16 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Not a clue.

@18:17 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Not a clue. Okay, there's this guy. think he lives in LA and he's now like, he's a YouTube slash social media sensation because he might be one of the best freestyling guys I've ever seen in my life.

Like freestyle rap.

@18:31 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Really?

@18:32 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

That's true. He just encounters people or approaches people or tours around and talks to people. He meets new people and he's like, hey, can you pick three words and I'll rap to it.

And they pick like any word and you think, okay, well, those are tough words. Yeah, it's going to be challenging.

But then the way he wraps around it, multiple times touching on the same word from multiple perspectives and then tying in like what's on your shirt and what's in your cap and oh man, incredible.

That's right. I got to be honest. This has that.

@19:41 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I'm going to put my hand up in advance, have said or had someone say, your price is too much.

You charge too much. Whatever it is, it's always your more than I thought you were going to be. And a lot of times it's because they have another quote in their hand.

And someone's like, well, Acme said that they were going to do this. And it's like, OK, Now, normally our first thought is to start and cut it away.

Are they doing this? Are they doing that? Are they doing this? I found an even better way. The way is actually saying, OK, great.

Let's assume they do amazing service. What's stopping us from learning from them? I'm not saying figure out what their options sheet, but I'm saying physically call them in for service.

@20:28 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Go away, Clay. I got to call a big time out here because what we're going into is really venturing into a controversial subject today.

So this is like a big, big pause. Let you guys know, you know, like, let's breathe through this. We're going to talk about something that's a little uncomfortable here.

Now, one, I want to make damn sure and damn clear that this is not a pricing exercise. We're not doing this for you to match the market rate.

Please, please, please. Please, please, cherry on top. Do not consider what we're telling you that exercise. Mark research is wise.

Mark research is very wise. And as Joe said, what can we learn from others in our market? What can we learn from the experience that our potential clients are then having with other people?

@21:22 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Very important.

@21:23 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Distinguishment.

@21:24 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

really appreciate the clarification there, Joe. No worries. And yeah, you're right. We're not doing any of We're to lower our price.

We're instead doing this to justify our price because I can control the service that I delivered, right? Your own technician, your own company, your own van.

You know that you can do certain things within your own parameters. But at the same time, you can't control someone else.

So the only way that you could determine if they're actually delivering a level of service that's justified by the price is to see that level of service for yourself.

So something that we did was we actually had a campaign in my company where we would would do secret shopping.

And there was one particular example at King month because people were mentioning that we are expensive. So I called all the top other three companies in our area.

Just went to Google said these are the best three companies that are in your provider and I called them.

And we would literally have situations where it was either yourself, it could be one of your employees, could be one of your office staff.

You don't have to the one who does it. All you have to do is be someone who's willing to receive that person coming to your home.

What we were finding was that the people were charging very little, but it was also because they were delivering very low.

The prices were low. But I remember there's situations someone came in the next lowest competitor who was like $100 an hour.

I couldn't figure out how he was justifying. It was one guy who showed up and pretty much wouldn't give us a quote because he said he couldn't honor it and he's going to Lake George next week.

And it's like, okay, well, when are you going to come back? I'm not quite sure yet. I'm going to be back probably in a week.

I'll you a call. No, he didn't say he's like, when you come back, give me a call. Give me a call about two, three weeks.

If I'm back, then I can come back over. I'll give you price. My first thought was, okay, that makes sense for someone charging $100 now.

Someone like us who's charging triple that. It would make sense that we offer a different level of service. When you call us, we can be there within 24 hours and we're going to answer the call immediately.

So now we need to showcase that part of our service more. Other companies may come in and say, you know what?

Maybe they do great service. Okay, fine. What are they doing that you could replicate? If you were that customer, are we not so bold that we're not willing to learn from others?

Is that really the case? If someone's doing something better than you, shouldn't we be improving our own skills?

@23:57 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Yeah, definitely. And we see this in the way in question. Right our ambitious electricpreneurs out there will go into around and see some of the bigger shops across America.

@24:07 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Mm hmm.

@24:08 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

A lot of them have their doors open for mentorship, essentially, right? Mm help people out, right? know countless people who have gone to our friends waste no day and visited Brian and Nate, right?

Mm hmm. And have a shot at work. But is that the customer experience they're focused on? This is a different side of things and I think they're both valuable, Joe.

I just wanted to point out there's a division there. One is focusing on the operations, the training, the environment, the culture, How you're set up, who's working there, how they engage and interact.

Mm hmm. But this is a customer facing bit. Mm hmm. And doing a ride along would be similar except that's looking from your side towards the customer.

Or we're actually asking you to become a customer here. Exactly. Much different perspective.

@24:59 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Yes. So it's one of the reasons why our process thrives so much, because the pre-arrival step covers so much that's often missed.

Such as, if you think yourself, I imagine I'm the customer, and I'm told someone's going to be here between nine and ten.

I should expect someone between nine and ten, right? Or at least a call that someone's going to come by.

But if I didn't get a call, and I was a customer, would I not have the right to call and complain to the office?

Should someone who doesn't show up on time charge the same amount as someone who always shows up on time?

It wouldn't be a fair comparison. So obviously it would make sense that we're more since the consistency is going more often.

In addition to that, what impression is the technician giving? Is he parking and garbage coming out of this van?

Is he showing up with his shirt untucked? Is he half-shaven? Does he look tired? Is he looking through the attic or happy to be there?

When I show I want to make sure you know that I prepared for this. I am so damn excited to serve you and your family at the absolute highest level.

That should be apparent from the moment we knock on the door and say our first few intro lines. If that's not being matched, would it not also say why we should charge it more?

@26:18 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Yeah, I agree. And after doing this exercise and knowing from the number of contractors that we're involved with and support and help grow, you can actually tell from a customer facing aspect, who's got a CRM and who's still riding dirty.

Right. This guy, he left, didn't tell you when he was going to come back.

@26:39 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

The one example you made there.

@26:41 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Well, you can have a CRM.

@26:44 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Why is just a guy?

@26:45 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Just a guy using a Google calendar, just making it fit, making it work. No communication plan, no intention to communicate, you know, day before day of when we're going to arrive, follow up any of that stuff.

@27:00 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Right.

@27:00 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

We also found these little bits and pieces. And like you said, the guy shows up, garbage falls out, of the slobby shows up, tools at the door ready to work.

All of this would indicate there's no sales process at all.

@27:13 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

In addition to that, if we keep going through it, there's a little more that the text communicating as well.

And that are they confident? The main thing that we don't even think to put any weight on is how enthusiastic do you seem to serve?

Because if you have a sales process, your confidence should be consistent throughout the entire call. But the moment it comes down to even showing up for money, what does that happen?

Are you showing options? Are we not showing options? Are we just giving you a base estimate? Are we time and material?

We don't know. So the ultimate point of what we're trying to get across here is this. There are so many steps and ways you can do secret shopping, and I'm happy to get into them.

But the main exercise is to build your own interior Because when the customer says, wow, Acme Charge is a third of what you charge, you can even come back if you've seen this experience say, wow, I'm actually surprised too.

I'm surprised about it that it's only a third. Because, you know, here at Servicellectrical, we never cut corners on quality reliability, safety, or customer service.

My honesty was affecting me more of a gap. And just wait. You're like, I get it. you want to know why so many customers still choose to use us, even though for more?

Yeah.

@28:32 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Let them ask. Absolutely. I can honestly say, Joe, it's this simple. Most shit shows exist exactly where there is no process.

Mm-hmm. It exposes this area every time because you always end up, and we've seen it time after time after time, with service providers not calling on electricians necessarily, but like in general customer service is weak.

It's weak. Look around, right? You can see the moments that this starts to happen. When you say something or question something and they don't have anything rehearsed, they don't have a process, so there's no preparation.

And so you get the light bulb moment where they're going, Yeah, what I think we need to do here, Mm-hmm.

This is no good. This is not a good place to be. So recognizing that in others can help you build up in those areas as well.

Reinforce. Yup.

@29:29 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

right track here. Definitely.

@29:31 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

100%. I love that. Okay.

@29:33 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

So I did the last thing I want to touch on is that whether they even show up or not is also a value piece.

Because out of all the people that we called, we never got to meet all of them. The reason being is that there was one that consistently kept rescheduling on us.

Hey, I can't make it. And the amount of times I heard the van broke down was from multiple companies.

That excuse doesn't fly anymore. We don't believe it. You're telling me that every time you're calling something happens to the van, there's always a family emergency going on.

I heard that from so many different contractors. So the thing is, is that you realize which excuses hold water and which ones don't flow.

So at the end of the day, where this is going to value and improve you so much is when you know that that confidence carries through because you've seen every aspect of what they're doing.

If they don't show up. If they don't call, if they don't look professional, they're not enthusiastic. If they don't have a sales process, if their language is weak, their services, their communications, they can be the best amateurs in the world.

But if all those other things were lacking, would you be comfortable making a purchase with this person?

@30:47 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

You want to hear a great exercise for this?

@30:49 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Go for it.

@30:50 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Could even be an action item here to follow up with. But here's a great exercise to do this secret shopper.

And have something to actually build off of later. Take your own post-call self-evaluation form that's outlining your process and use it as they go through theirs.

And what you'll find is that everything that you've already got laid out, that's your process. If you've got writing in those blocks under those things, that's going to be highlighting areas where they fell short.

And what you'll find is then on the blank part of the paper, anything they added in that you don't have are going to be the areas that you added because it won't fit your sheet or your process.

So you can see, okay, these are the areas that we have strength in our process and the notes where they fell short.

And these are the areas where we're lacking or they had other things that we could potentially look at implementing or beating really, doing something different, similar but different than they're doing.

@31:52 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

How does that sound for an exercise, Joe? That's phenomenal. I really, really, really like that. You actually inspired me to start

@32:00 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Say one additional thing if that's okay? Yeah, absolutely.

@32:03 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

So there was actually another example that came up and it was me calling a plumbing company because I had heard good things about their customer service and I wanted to see what it looked like.

So I actually called them to give me a water softener and I thought their service was great across the board.

Except when it came to the presentation and I literally saw the entire thing unravel instantaneously. What ended up happening was the customer, or not the customer, company came by and they showed me three options.

I was like, wow, you're showing options. Great. They started from the bottom. I'm like, okay, it's not the best but I could see it.

When they got to the top, they literally said, listen, you don't even need this. I'm told I have to offer this by the company because they're trying to make sure that we offer some premium options too.

Wow. And it lost me completely because I'm saying they're like, okay, so you're telling me the company is telling you to push something that you don't believe in.

Leave that I need. And you yourself are willing to do it, and yet at the same time tell me you feel I don't need it.

I lost complete faith in the company at that point, because what that told me, yeah, I like, that's it.

I'm not going with anything.

@33:13 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Integrity broken.

@33:15 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Completely. Because I love good service. But the reason I love good service isn't because it just equates the money.

I like good service because I like treating people how I feel they deserve to be treated. People are people, regardless of what they look like, live, drive, doesn't matter.

all deserve the highest level of quality. They at least offer to them. But when you're offering that service as a way of just squeezing them, I have a problem with that.

Because I'm not going to teach you tools just for you to take advantage of people. I'll only teach people if they're going to use this for good.

And what I saw was that they were intentionally doing things the right way for the wrong reasons. That was one of those things where I was like, you know what?

Now I get it. So for all of you guys listening out there, we care about what the end result is.

It doesn't always mean cash.

@34:11 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, valid point, Joe. As we come to the end here, then what would you say? I think I laid out the first action.

@34:22 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

I have no stuff. to add to that. Yeah, I have one that you guys can take immediately. So perfect.

Let's go. Let's mix this up. I'm going to say no matter how big your company is, I'm going to make suggestions.

If you have an office staff, the first thing you're going to do is you're going to task either your office manager, your CSR, or whoever's in your office to be the secret chopper.

The way that's going to work is you're going to pay them to stay home for a certain period of time.

What they'll do is their responsibility is to pretend like they had an emergency call and to try to call three other companies that would be comparable to yours.

See what their response time is. Do you get a voicemail? Do you get someone? And if you get someone, are they actually sending them to the care and they have a process to help you?

The second task is if they actually can get you there, then actually have them go to the home. Watch them even see if they show up.

First and foremost, question their process, see the level of service they give you. Then take Clay's advice and record the information that you've been learning.

What you'll find is that they're not going to be as good as the other customers are saying they are.

And if they are wonderful, you got free consulting for the low cost of $150 dispatch fee. By great, take it.

I'll take free marketing for that price. Absolutely. The way we can make this even smaller is if any of you, let's say, don't have an office staff.

speaking to the one man show, the one person show. Do you have a spouse, a friend, a family mother?

Call your mother for all I can. Take care. And say, hey, can you help me out with this? The way you would do it is you actually have a few points to touch on.

You can take our post call evaluation, you can use that as your go-to points. Regardless, you want to make sure that the person says, I'm not able to make a decision today, or make it seem like it's a low priority call and watch and see who flounders out of it.

You'll start to see where the service is lacking, and as a result, sell your employees. When your employees see that the other companies are lacking, they will become more loyal to yours because they see, oh, wait, we don't treat our customers like this.

I didn't feel valued, but I know all of our customers do. Now you have people who believe in your price again.

@36:44 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

I love that. That's a nice additional touch with the staff. I agree 100% man, and I would say that this is definitely an excellent exercise for you to see where it breaks down with other people when you're not the one feeling the pressure, and get to see where to build that.

Thank you so much for your input on this one. And you're going to want to join us again tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Friday already, Joe.

@37:16 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Can you believe it? you like, we just flew.

@37:19 - Clay Neumeyer (serviceloopelectrical.com)

Which means we're not going to be in here live, but we're going to be posting the Dan and Tenelli interview where we can all get schooled on some old school to new school marketing and everything in between.

As we know, Kick Church Creative has been doing some wonderful things in industry. And we've got the Master here himself to tell us about that journey.

Surviving business after having heart problems. Building a 28 year old company. Right? thrives in being able to step back from that so we can learn as much about business and health from this one as we can about marketing.

It's an absolute stunner and I cannot wait. All in the effort to help you guys master sales, simplify pricing and deliver premium level electrical.

Service. We'll see you again tomorrow.

@38:02 - Joseph Lucanie (Fathom)

Looking forward to it.