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How to Handle Price Shoppers Without Discounting

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If you run a plumbing, HVAC, or electrical company, you already know the type of call I’m talking about. The price shopper. They call and get right to it: “How much do you charge to…?” Drain clear. Water heater. AC tune-up. Whatever. And most CSRs freeze. They either: panic and blurt out numbers talk themselves into a corner or reflexively discount to stay in the game You don’t have to discount to win price shoppers. Because most “price shoppers” aren’t actually hunting for the lowest bid. They are hunting for the: safest option clearest answer least risky choice They just use price as the language for fear. So let’s talk about how to handle price shoppers, without racing to the bottom. First, Understand What a Price Shopper Really Is Most customers aren’t accountants. They’re humans trying to avoid: being overcharged being ripped off hiring the wrong company making a bad decision So they use the one question they know how to ask: “How much is it?” It’s not really about the price. It’s...
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Friday Field Notes: Tone > Words

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Most customers don’t remember what we said. They remember how we made them feel. You can read the perfect script in the wrong tone, and still lose the job. But bring the right tone? Suddenly customers relax. They open up. They trust. They book an appointment. DO THIS TODAY: Coach tone first. Words second.
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What Great CSRs Sound Like

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Most people think great CSRs are simply “nice on the phone.” Friendly. Polite. Professional. Sure, that matters. But in the trades, great CSRs do far more than sound nice. They: create trust reduce fear bring clarity guide the conversation protect the brand and drive revenue Because every inbound call is a moment of truth. The customer is stressed. Something broke. Money is on the line. And the company’s entire reputation now lives in one human voice. So let’s talk about what great CSRs actually sound like. And yes, I’ll give you real examples. Not scripts. Just natural, human-forward conversations that actually work. Great CSRs Sound Calm, Not Rushed Customers don’t call calm. They call anxious. Bad CSR energy sounds like this: ❌ “Service department. Can I get your name and address?” Fast. Cold. Robotic. Transactional. Great CSRs do this instead: ✔ “Hey — I’m glad you called. My name is Sarah. How can I help today?” Warm. Human. Grounded. They slow the call down just enough that the c...
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Friday Field Notes: Full Schedules Are Built on Clarity

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Technicians don’t stay full by accident. Full schedules are built on: clear messaging clean expectations confident conversations Clarity creates momentum. Confusion kills it. Your call center doesn’t just book jobs. They stabilize the entire operation. DO THIS TODAY: Audit one script for clarity. Remove the cluttered words.
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Modern Life is Cyberpunk

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  Summary  Exploring the cyberpunk genre's reflection of modern life. - The future is often perceived as a scheduled event, but it's more like an unexpected takeover. - William Gibson's quote emphasizes that advancements exist but are not accessible to everyone. Cyberpunk reflects a reality where technology dominates while humanity suffers. - The contrast in cyberpunk is between powerful mega-corporations and the marginalized human experience. - Classic cyberpunk works like Blade Runner serve as warnings about the dark trajectory of our modern society. Modern life mirrors Cyberpunk themes of surveillance and commodification. - In today's society, value is given to products over people, leading to increased anxiety and loneliness. - Digital interactions reduce individuals to mere profiles, emphasizing corporate control and manipulation over authentic citizenship. Modern life reflects cyberpunk themes of identity and surveillance. - Information overload creates a dependen...
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How Booking Rate Impacts Technician Utilization

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In the trades, most companies talk about revenue like it appears out of thin air. They focus on: how many techs they have how many trucks they run how much marketing they buy how many leads come in But there’s one number that quietly controls the whole operation: Booking Rate. And here’s the part leaders often miss: Your booking rate has a direct, measurable impact on technician utilization. Meaning… How many jobs your techs actually run. How full their schedules really are. How efficiently your workforce is being used. First: What Is Booking Rate? Simple. Booking Rate = the percentage of inbound calls that become scheduled jobs. Customer calls. CSR answers. Either it becomes a job… or it doesn’t. Pretty straightforward. Except there are TWO booking rates: 1️⃣ Lead Booking Rate How well CSRs convert real service leads into jobs. 2️⃣ Gross Booking Rate How many total inbound calls become jobs (including non-revenue calls). Both matter. And both have a massive impact on technician utiliz...
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Friday Field Notes: Noise vs Opportunity

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Not every phone call is an opportunity. Some calls are noise. And that’s fine. The problem is when leaders can’t tell the difference. Then everything feels urgent.  Everything feels bad.  Everyone feels blamed. But when you learn to separate noise from opportunity, the business calms down. Noise = distraction. Opportunity = revenue. Know which one you’re solving for. DO THIS TODAY: Label your calls. Stop reacting to noise.
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