6 Reasons Why I Didn’t Hire You

In preparation for our first child, my wife and I finally decided to bite the bullet and tackle a major home improvement – reroofing the house.  I see yard signs and local ads for roofers everywhere and I have many contacts I can ask for recommendations, so I figured that finding a great roofer would be a no-brainer.  Little did I know. 

Having to call and interview the roofing prospects and then get them to come see the house, now I was on side the sales call I am not as used to – that of the consumer. And I was amazed to see how the various styles of salesmanship played into who I ultimately decided to hire.  It has implications for any of us who sell ourselves and/or products and hopefully it will inspire us to do better.

So if you are someone who didn’t get the sale, this might be why:

1. You didn’t show up.
 You came highly recommended. We talked on the phone. We set a time but you never arrived.  I crossed your name off the list. By the way, I told also several people about this and that they probably shouldn’t call you either.  And now I have to second-guess the friend who recommended that I call you.  Thanks.  I am sure you didn’t need my money anyway.

2. You were late.
 We hit it off on the phone.  We set a time for you to come see the job.  I scheduled my day around you.  I waited.  I could see that I would be late to my next appointment if I waited any longer.  By the time you called and said you were on your way, it was already after the time of our appointment.  I said “Don’t bother”.  If I can’t trust you to be on time for the first appointment, why would I think you would be otherwise dependable?

3. You showed up unprepared.
 I am sure you are qualified, and fast.  You told me that on the phone.  You have been doing this a long time.  But why did you leave your supplies “back at the office”?  You aren’t really dressed right for business.  No business card either?  Hmm, well I bet you will bring all that next time.  Did I mention that I will be getting some other quotes from professionals?  I’ll let you know…

4. You didn’t ask me what was important to me.
 When you came by, you talked a lot.  You used a lot of terms.  You didn’t ask me any questions like:  What is my price range?  What specifically am I looking for?  What’s my timeframe?  – How can you give me what I want if you don’t know what that is?

5. You gave me a price but didn’t sell me on value.
 The quote was a little high.  It wasn’t the highest one which is good because I didn’t want to go with the highest one.  But still, this is high.  Am I paying for your marketing?  Are you better than your competition?  Do you have more experience?  What am I getting for the additional money?  Sure yes: “you get what you pay for”, but I still don’t know what I am paying for.

6. You didn’t follow up.
 We had a deal.  I liked your quote.  You told me the things I wanted to hear.  And then I never heard from you.  Are you playing hard to get?  If this is a game, I am not sure I get it.  Maybe I will call somebody else.

If you had done these basic things right, you probably would have gotten the job.  Good service is what people really want.  They may even be willing to pay a little bit more for it. 

Show up.  Be On Time. Be Prepared.  Ask Questions. Sell Value. Follow Up.