When you want to know what’s really happening in the field, the best way to find out is by implementing a ride-along system in your company. When I am doing onsite consulting, I always uncover so much potential for increased profit and conversion rates during ride-alongs.
At the Blue Collar Success Group, we break a lot of our sales and marketing training into three units: The "before" unit, the "during" unit, and the "after" unit. This completely applies to the ride along process, too. The before unit is letting your tech know what will be happening and how you are going to approach the ride-along. The during unit is the ride-along itself and the observation phase. The after unit is when the real magic happens, when you are coaching your tech and using what you saw on the call to help them, as well as your other team members, improve their sales skills.
I’ll go into a little more detail about the three aspects of the ride-along:
1. The "Before" Unit
It’s important to set yourself and your technician up for success. Most techs get at least a little nervous when they find out that someone is going to be riding along on a call with them. Even if they are excited to learn and grow, they still get a little anxious, which is normal.
You should explain to your tech that they just need to go about business as usual on the call, and that you will not try to interfere. I have seen the best results come from ride-alongs where the manager (or trainer/consultant) has minimal interaction in the sales process during the call; they are simply an observer. Using this method, the manager gets to perceive the entire sales process more objectively. I know, it’s hard not to help them at the time, but you need to see what really happens in the field when you aren’t there with them.
2. The "During" Unit
When you arrive at the client’s home, have the tech introduce you as a helper, assistant, etc. They were probably only expecting one person to show up, and you want your tech to have the authority on the call in the eyes of your client, since they will be the one presenting options. The client never seems to mind having an extra person on the job! The only time that I ever had a challenge with this approach was in Australia...clients were obviously wondering about my American accent!
Remember, you can definitely talk to the client and help build rapport, but stay out of the sales process itself. This gives your tech the chance to shine (and also reveal areas of weakness); you don’t want them leaning on you to help them sell the job. This is about improving your overall outcome and bottom line, not focusing on one short-term sale.
3. The "After" Unit
As I mentioned before, this is the best part of a ride-along, because you have the chance to really improve your team member’s performance and sales skills. This is also the part when good communication skills are crucial; you never want your tech to feel like they are being ridiculed or belittled. This isn’t about just looking for what went wrong; it’s about finding out what is going well in the field, while simultaneously uncovering growth opportunities.
First, let your tech break down the call and get a feel for their perspective. Then, give your feedback, including specific examples of what took place. (Again, you can reference the notes you took during the call.) Once you’ve uncovered these areas of opportunity, have your tech give feedback about what they feel they can do differently in the future to prevent certain things from happening again. Always be sure to come from the standpoint that this coaching is to help them improve their skills, not to criticize them. Assist them in understanding how little adjustments to their process and mindset can make them exponentially more effective when interacting with clients.
What happens following the "After" Unit coaching session? This is also quite important as far as the effectiveness of the entire ride-along process. This is when you hold your tech accountable for the things you discussed in the initial follow-up coaching meeting. Then, have quick follow-up meetings with them to see how they are maximizing what they learned.
I will also bring up examples from ride-alongs at sales meetings, because if one person is struggling with a certain aspect of the sales process, it’s likely that others are, too. Most techs are fine with sharing what happened on their ride-along, and actually appreciate the feedback and support that their peers will give them in the meeting.
So, stop wondering what’s going on in the field, and start by implementing a consistent ride-along program. Your clients will be better served, your techs will be more successful, and your company will be increasingly profitable.