Unless you're being paid for your time, you're nothing more than an unpaid consultant.

One of the hardest parts of getting into the front door of a customer's house is asking for the call out fee. Remember that it's one of the most important steps in the sales process.

Some salespeople get so excited about getting a call, they forget to make sure they're making a profit.

Today I'm going to show you how to use the call out fee to ensure that you're not working for free.

Using the call out fee to your advantage

The call out fee is your first step to qualifying the potential client. Someone who is serious about purchasing your service is expecting to pay, so won't mind the call out fee. Others who are looking for a free consultation will take their business elsewhere, which is fine. I prefer talk to someone who plans on spending money, rather than someone who is looking for the lowest price.

Low pricing

When using flat rate pricing, you're going to have a primary task, and additional tasks. The primary task is higher than the additional tasks in order to cover any overhead from the job.

When diagnosing the problem you were called out for, you want to be looking for additional opportunities to help the client. Fixing the main problem gets it fixed, but it isn't addressing any potential for repairs in the future.

As you're doing your diagnosis, have a blank writing pad with you. I don't use any official paperwork, as I want this portion of the appointment to be as friendly as possible. The calmer I can keep my client, the easier it will be to close.

Write down the primary task, and any associated additional tasks that you find. Using your pricing guide, copy the member and non-member numbers down beside each task, along with how much they will be saving.

At the bottom of the list, take off the call out fee for both pricing structures.

Presenting the list to the client, they can see all the work necessary for your visit, and that you are 'giving back' the call out fee. The amount given away is made up by the additional work that you found.

When it comes to the call out, or diagnostic fee (some companies utilize both), this is not a chance for you to offer a discounted price for your service call. If I'm at a job for 15 minutes, and the customer has decided not to take advantage of my visit, I use the call out fee and move on. Up to 30 minutes, I use the diagnostic charge.

Using either the call out or diagnostic charges, and you don't close the sale that visit, always offer to discount it from a future visit (related to the specific problem you've found).

Phone enquiries

Most of the people you talk to when making an outbound call to a client who is seeking for information regarding their particular concern are price shoppers. The phone offers you a two-way dialogue, but is a poor choice for closing a sale.

When on the phone, your goal is to schedule an appointment, and nothing else. You don't want your potential client to be confused by saying something on the phone, and having to recant it when on-site. Say something like, “The variables for this sort of job differ from house to house, so it would be unfair for me to give you an amount over the phone, only to have to tell you differently when I arrive. For $x I will come and do a thorough diagnosis, then give you a firm amount for the work needed.”

It's simple, and avoids a lot of unnecessary back and forth bantering and haggling over the price.

Naming your call out fee

You never want to call it a charge or fee. Either of those words will form negative emotions in your client, which you're working to avoid. Instead, use any of the terms listed below.

• Trip rate
• Travel rate
• Service call
• Diagnosis advancement
• Dispatch rate

Waiving the call out fee

Should you waive it? Absolutely. Once you've gotten an authorization for the work, the client is no longer a suspect, and now paying full price for your service.

Use the following phraseology: "Mrs. Jones, for a rate of $89, I will do a complete diagnosis on the challenge you're facing today. When I've determined the problem, and you agree to the solution, I'll waive the $89 and we'll work with the new amount that I present to you."

Wrap up

Remember that the call out and diagnostic fees are qualifiers. They should not be written up on any visit where you are performing work. Once you have approval for the job, write up your paperwork for the job completed, and any additional tasks you pick up.

Always get an authorization BEFORE you start working on anything. Too many times I've seen technicians get burned because they dove right into the job, and part way into it, decided to get an authorization.