Upselling Electrical Services to Customers in 5 Steps

“Make a customer, not a sale”

-Katherine Barchetti

The key to upselling electrical services to customers? Approach the sales process as a relationship. Obviously you want to create a profitable business. But as a professional electrician, you also want to solve the customer’s problem and do so well enough to earn his trust for additional business.

The customer has called you and described their problem. They are looking to you to fix this problem. Upselling is just offering the customer more services that they may not know they need, and letting them decide what they want with you there to make recommendations.

So how do you go about building trust and mastering your upsell game without coming across as pushy? Here are five simple steps:

Build trust before you even arrive to the job
Make a good impression
Offer additional options and be transparent
Use upselling strategies
Utilize service software to present options

Step 1: Build Trust Before Arriving at Job

Building trust should start on your first interaction with the customer! The relationship probably begins with a call or email. Be professional and prompt in your responses and conversation. If a customer is stressed, be sure to ease their mind – you are here to help!

Once the appointment is booked, set a reminder to check in the day before or morning of the job. Giving the customer a call before arriving at the job sets the customer’s mind at ease and starts to build trust. Go over the service requested and make sure you are on the same page.

Stat: 85% of successful salespeople ask probing questions

Step 2: Good Impressions Lead to Electrical Services Upsell

When meeting the customer face to face, it’s important to make a professional impression right from the start.

Show up on time with a clean truck, and be sure you are clean and wearing your uniform or clothes compliant with the company dress code.

Greet the customer with a smile and handshake. Introduce yourself and ask if you can come into the home or facility.

If you are performing diagnostics, ask the customer a few questions and tell them what you will be doing in layman’s terms.

Being friendly and walking the person through the service you will be providing continues to increase familiarity, trust and the likelihood of an upsell.

An upsell can work in one of two ways:

Sell more of the same thing. An example would be converting a SAAS business to a higher tier.
Sell a complimentary product or service. Called an add-on, this would be a service that compliments what a customer is already paying for. For example, if you are working to repair a breaker panel, offer to do an electric check-up on the rest of the home or facility.

Let’s look at how the presentation can help the possibility of upselling.

Step 3: Offer Additional Options and Be Transparent

When meeting with the customer and discussing options and your approach, the presentation is very important.

By offering a good-better-best option on your electrical services, you put the ball in the customer’s court and offer assistance. Many times they will decide to go with a higher quality option so it’s good to be prepared.

Often when on the job, you might find that there is a larger underlying electrical issue. This scenario is often the biggest upsell opportunity an electrician may have, but you must tread carefully. Be open and honest. They may ask you what you would do if this was your home or business.

Be sure to explain any danger or negative repercussions of not fixing a larger electrical issue, but not come across as pushy. Be honest whether this is something that can wait to be fixed, or if it’s more urgent to repair.

Service software, like FieldEdge allows you to present options in a professional manner. Visual price presentation and recommended add ons can turn your electricians into sales pros!

The best part about upselling is that the pressure of the sale is off. The customer has already agreed to make a significant purchase, so everything else is just icing on the cake!

By suggesting additional upgrades or purchases in a “by the way” manner, it doesn’t require much effort. And if the answer is no, so be it.

Step 4: Use Upselling Strategies to Elevate Electrical Services

There are many tried and true selling strategies that can be practiced when trying to upsell to your customer. Here are a few:

Assume the customer wants what you’re selling. Open ended questions such as “Do you need anything else” will almost always end with a no. A better question would be “How long has it been since somebody did an electrical safety inspection on your home?” Or “Is your breaker panel original to the house?”
Start with a benefit of the add-on or additional repair. Ask the customer if you can elaborate and tell them why they may need it, plus any safety or usage benefits. That makes you seem less pushy, especially when approaching it from an angle of safety.
Show them how the service benefits them. This can be as simple as showing them before and after pictures on your phone or tablet. This will add credibility that you have completed similar projects before.
Suggest products or services to them that they need, not what you want to sell. You should be able to explain clearly WHY they need it. This more authentic approach goes a long way.

Step 5: Utilize Service Software to Present Options

Service software such as FieldEdge can increase your chances of upselling to customers. Nobody wants to have to do last minute googling on the job to show a part or process. You also don’t want to have to call the office during a job to see what past work has been completed for your customer.

Here are some FieldEdge features to help upsell and make jobs easier:

Price Book: Digital price books are a great way to sell additional equipment and allows easy presentation of good-better-best options right from your phone or tablet.
Customer Management: Review all work performed and what equipment a customer is using before you get to the job. In addition, use images to show homeowners what problems exist and offer solutions.
Capture all the calls digitally for review. Identify who are your top performers, and those that may need a little more coaching on the sales process.

Want to learn more about the sales features in FieldEdge? Book a FREE personalized FieldEdge demo to see a mobile app in action!

Upselling Electrical Services will be a Breeze with These Steps!

You now have some strategies for increasing your upselling game. Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to additional profits while helping your customers!

Build trust before you even arrive to the job
Make a good impression
Offer additional options and be transparent
Use upselling strategies
Utilize service software to present options