{"id":1357,"date":"2022-11-09T08:29:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-09T13:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovatebuildingsolutions.com\/dealers\/?p=1357"},"modified":"2022-11-14T08:10:05","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T13:10:05","slug":"sales-advice-bath-remodeling-bad-prospects-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/innovatebuildingsolutions.com\/dealers\/2022\/11\/sales-advice-bath-remodeling-bad-prospects-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Tell-Tale Signs to Avoid the Bathroom Remodeling Prospect (or customer) from HELL"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were signs things were \u2018off\u2019 from the beginning. As you look back now, the clues you had a P.I.A. customer were apparent as early as your initial phone call and design appointment. Sure \u2013 these people are difficult (you said to yourself), but it\u2019ll get better once I\u2019m on the job.<\/p>

And now in hindsight, you know you COULDN\u2019T have been more wrong! And while you\u2019re sucking it up and trying to get through this job without losing your shirt (and other articles of clothing as well), you sure as heck don\u2019t want to go down this \u2018bathroom-remodeling-prospect-from-hell\u2019 road again. But how can you steer clear of difficult customers?<\/p>

First, you need to know the tell-tale signs. Then you need to know when to \u2018hold them and when to fold them.\u2019 You need to identify a difficult prospect BEFORE they become the \u2018never-ending-pain-in-the-rear customer.\u2019 You need to know when you MUST go \u2018Gingerbread Man\u2019 on a prospect and \u2018run, run, run as fast as you can\u2019 away from doing business with them.<\/p>

In this article I\u2019ll identify 15 tell-tale signs to know when it\u2019s smarter to leave a prospect in the \u2018very capable\u2019 (Ok \u2013 I\u2019m coughing and being sarcastic here) hands of your most cut-throat competitor. Let\u2019s check out these warning signs so you can \u2018get out alive\u2019 while your margins (and precious few available labor hours) are still intact.<\/p>

Sign #1 you\u2019ve got a bad bathroom remodeling prospect \u2013 They want you to itemize EVERYTHING! <\/em><\/strong><\/h2>

When you\u2019re looking to buy a car will your sales rep itemize the cost of the seat belts, trunk latch or interior carpet? Absolutely not. They don\u2019t have this information, and besides car dealers know it\u2019ll become harder to complete a sale if they did share these details with you if they had them.<\/p>

And the same situation would be true for a bathroom remodeling project. When you go down the slippery slope of itemizing building material and labor costs it\u2019ll only lead to the prospect saying, \u201cHey, I can buy that (or install that) much cheaper!\u201d And while you may sarcastically want to say go ahead and do that, it\u2019s not going to be an argument you\u2019ll win.<\/p>

Just remember this \u2013 at a minimum, minimize itemizing material and labor costs.
\"Remodeling<\/p>

Sign #2 you\u2019ve got a bad bathroom remodeling prospect \u2013 They want to \u2018help\u2019 you do the job to save a few bucks. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>

Think about this. Have you ever hired a new field employee (or new employee in any role for that matter) and they were \u2018highly productive\u2019 on their first day? OK \u2013 I\u2019ll answer this for you \u2013 that\u2019d be NEVER! So, what makes you think your prospective customer is going to change this \u2018new employee productivity reality?\u2019<\/p>

This \u2018labor for a lower price deal\u2019 with a customer won\u2019t end well. Avoid it like COVID.<\/p>

Sign #3 you\u2019ve got a bad bathroom remodeling prospect \u2013 They want you to bid \u2018labor only.\u2019 They will shop (and provide) the materials. \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>

This is a sure way to go out of business in a jiffy. When you (and your team) are reduced to being \u2018hourly employees\u2019 by your customer what\u2019s the likelihood they\u2019ll want to pay for the following expenses:<\/p>