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In the Big Discussion we will take one topic, bring together three leading experts on that topic and put four key questions to them to help us better understand its potential impact on the field service sector...

This issue our topic is the relationship between Service and Sales and our experts are Nick Frank of Si2 Partners, Michael Blumberg of Blumberg Advisory Group and Jim Baston of BBA Consulting

In the first instalment of this topic our experts answered the question "It is often said service technicians are the greatest salesmen – what are your views on this?"

and now onto the second question of the topic...

 

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Is there a difference between selling service and selling products?

 

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Yes, there is an enormous difference.

Selling products requires the salesperson to focus on the form, fit, and function of the product and how it meets the customer’s needs. Selling products is about selling the tangible.

Selling services requires the salesperson to focus on how the service can help the customer solve a problem, improve their situation, or achieve a better outcome.

More importantly, it is about selling the intangible.

 

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In general yes, but not always.

If a service is very tightly defined in terms of the value proposition and delivery, then it can follow a very similar feature/benefit selling process of a product. In other words selling against a tightly defined customer specification. An example of a service sold in this way might be an extended warranty.

The difference comes when the customer need is less well defined. Here the selling process moves towards addressing a business problem and involves an element of co-creation between the customer and supplier.

The more co-creation that is required, the more business orientated the discussion becomes. Not only is the sales process very different in terms of the discussion and detail, but also the management level at which the decision maker sits tends to be more senior. So yes, the more co-creation is required, the greater the difference.

 

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In technical terms, there is a difference between selling service and selling products. You can touch and feel a product. You can see and hear it operate. You can see the craftsmanship in its features.

Selling a product often involves helping the customer see the benefits in the product’s attributes and purchase decisions rely on both the trust built by the seller and the product’s features and track record.

A service, on the other hand, may not necessarily be seen, felt or heard. Good service may even result in the absence of something (fewer unexpected outages, less downtime or fewer complaints for example). Selling a service is more about helping the customer see the benefits of the experience the service will create for them. Success in selling tangibles depends on the salesperson’s ability to help the customer envision the experience the service will provide. Purchase decisions for services tend to rely more heavily – if not exclusively – on the customer’s trust of the seller.

In practical terms I don’t think that this difference is very important when a field service professional makes a recommendation as a trusted advisor. In most cases the field service professional has high levels of trust from both a personal and a professional perspective. The approaches that he or she uses to justify the recommendation will be the same whether product or service.

 

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Look out for the next part of this series when we ask our panel "Is incentivising service technicians to 'sell' opening up new revenue streams or putting their “trusted advisor” status at risk?

 

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In the Big Discussion we will take one topic, bring together three leading experts on that topic and put four key questions to them to help us better understand its potential impact on the field service sector...

This issue our topic is the relationship between Service and Sales and our experts are Nick Frank of Si2 Partners, Michael Blumberg of Blumberg Advisory Group and Jim Baston of BBA Consulting

So with three fantastic experts lined up lets dive straight into the first question of the series...

 

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It is often said service technicians are the greatest salesmen – what are your views on this?

 

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Service technicians bring a perspective and outlook that makes them great at sales in certain situations. For example, where the sale solves a critical problem for the customer.

Basically, customers appreciate the fact that service technicians are problem solvers and place the customer’s need first. As a result, the service technician has trust and credibility with the customer.

In turn, the customer is highly likely to act on the service technician’s recommendations. Sometimes, the only way a technician can solve the customer’s problem is by having them buy something new like a spare part, new piece of equipment, or value-added service offering.

In these situations, the sale is not viewed as a sale at all by the customer but merely as an attempt by the technician to solve the customer’s problem.

 

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To believe service technicians are the greatest salesmen is to misunderstand the true skills of sales professionals. These are people who have the skills, mind-set and drive required to identify and close new customer opportunities.

It is very different from the more nurturing and customer focused individuals usually found in field service. That said, selling is a team effort and many people are involved in to the GoTo market process. In some respect everyone sells the company and the service technician has an important a role as anyone else. Through being the person who sees the customer more than pretty much anyone else in the organisation, they are ideally positioned to advise the customer on services that can improve value, or identify new opportunities.

But playing an active role in the sales process should not be confused with the sales professional who is accountable for closing deals.

 

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I guess it depends on your definition of “salesperson”. If you mean the ability to recognise opportunities and be successful in helping the customer make a decision to purchase, then this statement is true.

Field service professionals are in a unique position. They understand the technology and where it is going. They know the equipment the customer has and what they are trying to achieve. They have proximity to the customer and generally high levels of trust.

However, I have concerns over the term “salespeople” when it comes to field service professionals.

I take the perspective that when a field service professional brings a product or service that will benefit the customer in some way to that customer’s attention, then that is a service rather than a sale. It’s part of the value that the field service professional brings. It is every bit as important as that field service professional’s ability to troubleshoot and repair.

Those field service professionals that recognise this are usually very successful because they see their role as helping the customer and the customer has confidence in the validity of their recommendations and trust in their motives.

 

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Look out for the next part of this series when we ask our panel "Is there a difference between selling service and selling products?"

 

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Charlie’s fictional journey to service sales nirvana continues as Jim Baston continues the serialisation of his excellent industry focussed book beyond Great Service continues...

 

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If you missed the earlier parts of this series you can catch up by clicking here

 

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Last time Charlie and Ken had uncovered two hurdles that could negatively affect their efforts at getting their technicians to make recommendations to their customers. These were:

1. The service person’s view of the salesperson
2. The customer’s image of the service technician

They return to Charlie’s office. Charlie is ready to get started, but Ken points out that there are more hurdles to consider.

Ken begins: “…we might have to tighten up how we handle opportunities around here or our efforts could be in vain. Think back to the service meeting on Monday. Remember when Angus spoke about handling opportunities? Do you remember what he said? … when the lead is given, we don’t always follow-up in the timeliest manner."

"Put yourself in the tech’s shoes for a moment. There you are at the customer’s facility, and you see something that would benefit them. You work up your nerve, and as you ask them to sign your work order, you mention that you noticed something that might save them money (or time or improve air quality, etc.), and would it be all right if they arranged for someone in their office to call you."

The customer says yes.

Now the tech writes a note on the work order regarding the opportunity with the request that someone call them to discuss. One month later, the technician is back at the customer’s to perform maintenance, and the customer asks if anyone is ever going to call. How would you feel if you were the tech?”

“Well, I would be a little embarrassed and more than a little ticked off,” offers Charlie.

“Now, let’s suppose this happened again, with two or three different customers. How do you think this will impact your willingness as a tech to continue to speak to customers about additional things that Novus can do?

And, what is Novus signalling to the technician about the importance of finding new opportunities?”

 

“Sometimes following up on opportunities is not enough either,” continues Ken. “It is important that we communicate to keep everyone informed. For example, how difficult would it be for the salesperson to send a note or voicemail to the tech that initiated the lead, to thank them and let them know they’re on the case?”

“I’m starting to get the picture,” says Charlie. “So, if we are going to ask the techs to reach out to the customer to discuss the things we can do as a company to help them, we’d better have a bullet-proof system for handling the opportunity and communicating to the techs our progress along the way.

I also hear you saying that despite the fact we are pretty good at this, it’s still not good enough. “… let me capture this as the 3rd hurdle: Systems and Processes for Handling Opportunities from the Field. Charlie writes this down on the whiteboard. “This is good, Ken. I think we are getting somewhere. Any other hurdles?”

“Yeah. … What we are asking will require some of the guys to change their behaviour and step into a role that might be uncomfortable and cause some uncertainty. To make matters worse, when they try something for the first time, they may not do it very well, which will add to the discomfort. When this happens, the path of least resistance is to revert back to the old ways. To get the results we are looking for, we need to be proactive in providing support and reinforcement to encourage their progress.”

“Why don’t we call it management coaching and support—that is, giving feedback to reinforce good behaviours, and encouragement to adjust behaviours that detract from their effectiveness in serving the customer’s needs?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Charlie writes: Hurdle # 4: Management coaching and support.

“If we are to make this work, we will need to provide ongoing resources to encourage the technician to take the risks accompanied with trying new skills—like speaking to the customer about our products and services and the potential benefits. I read somewhere that skills adoption can be as much as four times more effective when combined with coaching. Training and supporting these new behaviours will also serve another purpose. It will tell everyone that this is an important strategic initiative for Novus—not simply the latest management fad.”

Thinking about your business:

• Are your processes and systems for capturing and tracking opportunities clear?
• Do they allow any opportunities to “fall through the cracks?
• What steps do you take to provide encouragement and support for your technicians as they learn new skills and behaviours to become more proactive in making recommendations?[/unordered_list]

Next time we will consider what Charlie needs to do next to put his strategy into action.

 

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Jim Baston continues Charlie’s journey as the serialisation of his service oriented book beyond Great Service continues...

 

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If you missed the earlier parts of this series you can catch up by clicking here

 

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Last time, we saw Charlie come to the realisation that proactive recommendations by his technicians must be positioned as an integral part of the service provided. The challenge now is to get everyone on the field service team to enthusiastically embrace the idea. Ken, Charlie’s service supervisor, is instrumental in helping Charlie uncover two of the possible hurdles that could sabotage their efforts.

Still debriefing the earlier service meeting, Charlie tries to sum up what they have uncovered: “So you’re saying that we need to help our technicians realize that discussing opportunities they feel are in the customer’s interest is a service, and not a sale. In other words, you’re recommending that we not teach our service people to sell, but rather that we should teach them to serve.”

“Right!” responds Ken. “By and large our service people resent being considered salespeople, so a big hurdle to our success is going to be getting our technicians to understand the difference between ‘selling’ and ‘serving’.

The fact that making recommendations they believe will truly help the customer may, at first glance look like selling, but it‘s really one of the most important services they can provide.”

Charlie goes over to the whiteboard in his office and writes: Hurdle – Service person’s view of the salesperson. Solution – Show them that they are serving, not selling. “This is great, Ken. Now that you have explained this to me, it makes sense. It seems obvious, but I have never thought of it in this way before. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ken smiles. “Not so fast, Charlie...while you’re at the whiteboard, put a # 1 beside the hurdle that you have identified, and below it write, Hurdle # 2.”

“You mean there’s another one?” asks Charlie.

“Several. After Hurdle # 2 write: The customer’s image of the service technician.” Charlie writes this down and looks quizzically at Ken. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“The customer trusts the service technician to give them objective advice based on their skill and expertise. As you point out, unlike salespeople who are paid for what they sell, service people are paid for their knowledge and experience, which they use to do their job well—installing, fixing or maintaining things. They are viewed as honest brokers—telling it like it is, with no hidden agendas. It is tempting to exploit those trust-based relationships to build more business, and that’s where the trouble lies.

 

“The logic goes something like this. Our technicians have great relationships and our customers trust them. If we can get the techs to just put a little more effort into selling more of our products and services to those trusting customers, then they will be successful in building more revenues and profits without adding to our overheads. Unfortunately, from my experience this doesn’t work—at least not in the long term. When the customer senses that they are being sold, they become confused—and rightly so—about the service technician’s intent. The technician starts to look like a salesperson.

In the mind of the customer, the technician has just changed from being a ‘trusted advisor’ to just another ‘salesperson’ and the relationship advantage is lost.”

To address these hurdles, Ken points out that the solutions for both of these hurdles are the same.

“Show the field service technician that any new business opportunities they identify should be based solely on solving the needs of the customer—not on the need to sell the services of our company. This directs the field service technician to change their focus from selling Novus and our services, i.e. what we have or do that can be sold—to serving their customers, i.e. what their customer needs and how they can best address it using the resources and capabilities of Novus. Keep in mind that when we encourage our techs to focus on the needs of the customer and discern how Novus can best solve those needs, we are also addressing their concern about becoming a ‘salesperson’. Although we can help our techs by training them on the selling-based skills to engage the customer (such as exploring for customer needs, presenting recommendations and providing compelling supportive information), this approach is not a typical ‘sales’ call. Rather it’s simply a conversation with the customer.

 

Thinking about your business:

• Would your customers say that they are uniquely better off by dealing with you?
• How do you continually remind your customers of the unique value you are providing?
• Does your field service team see their role in speaking to your customers about your company’s capabilities as:
  • A valuable service?
  • A selling task?

What other hurdles exist that would prevent your technicians from providing this valuable service?

Next time we will look at two more hurdles that Charlie will need to address if he is to be successful.

 

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Who are the most influential people in the global field service sector that you need to pay attention to in 2017?

The Field Service News #FSN20 is our list of the individuals we believe will be key influencers in our industry across the next twelve months. Those included in the list have been selected by our own panel of industry insiders, who were given the simple criteria of identifying people who will have a significant impact on field service thinking.

However, more than just an annual list of 20 individuals the #FSN20 has grown since it’s launch to become a true celebration of excellence and innovation within our industry.

There are some familiar names and some new faces on this years list and as always we don’t expect everyone to agree with our selection – at it’s heart the #FSN20 was conceived as a tool to get everyone in our industry thinking about who it is that they have come across in the global field service sector that has made them think, who has made them question the accepted paradigms, who has inspired them to do just one little thing more in their own day to day role.

The #FSN20 is not just about the list our panel has put together. It is about fostering discussion that celebrates the unsung heroes of the field service sector. So look out for the online version of this list as well to take part in the debate.

But for now, ladies and gentleman and without further a do, in no particular order, we are pleased to introduce the #FSN20 of 2017…

 

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Click here to see page one of the 2017 #FSN20

 

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Nick Frank, Founder and Managing Partner Si2 Partners

Having worked as an international consultant for over 6 years, Nick founded Si2 Partners last year bringing a new approach to consultancy by offering services on demand.

Nick’s focus is on service strategy development, servitization business models, ecosystems, innovation management, service operations and service business development. He works with companies in a diverse range of industries including engineering, high volume manufacturing, equipment manufacturers and technology. A regular columnist in the trade press and a excellent speaker often to be found at industry conferences, Nick also plays a pivotal role in organising the conference sessions for the UK not-for-profit group The Service Community.

 

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Michael Blumberg, President of Blumberg Advisory Group, Inc

Michael Blumberg is the President of Blumberg Advisory Group and is a recognised expert in Field Service and Reverse Logistics in High-Technology industry.

Michael’s thought leadership, service system planning and strategy formulation are cited as having helped many organisations increase profits and he is a prolific author publishing a number of well received projects including white papers and educational video projects.

 

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Aly Pinder, Director of Member Research & Communities, The Service Council

In previous editions we had a rule that we would only include one person per organisation within the #FSN20. However, ever since Aly moved from the Aberdeen Group to The Service Council, we knew we would have to repeal the rule, as both Aly and Sumair are industry heavy weights in terms of analysis of our industry.

In his new role he will be looking to further enhance the already well established research projects undertaken by The Service Community and his addition to their team makes The Service Council one of the most important groups in the entire global field service sector.

 

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Tom Heiser, CEO, ClickSoftware

It may perhaps be unfair to comment that when Heiser took the reigns of the field service management software stalwarts ClickSoftware the company was perhaps at it’s weakest point in some years, indeed they remain a leading provider of field service management solutions at the forefront of the industry.

Yet, based on the sheer level of dominance that they once held and in light of the ever increasing quality of the competition in the field service management space, Heiser had little time to find his feet in the world of field service if he was to ensure the ClickSoftware brand remained as synonymous with delivering service excellence as it had to date - particularly in the natural uncertainty that an acquisition by a private equity firm can potentially cause. 

However, having seemingly spent little more than a few hours in his own office for the first six months as he flew around the world meeting analysts, influencers and customers alike Heiser certainly appears to have not only established a firm grasp of the industry at large but also where the future for field service management technology lies and under his guidance the outlook for the iconic ClickSoftware brand appears to be on a very positive footing once more...

 

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Marne Martin, CEO, ServicePower

With their next generation platform Nexus now firmly established within the market place ServicePower have re established themselves as a key company within the FSM solutions sector under the vision of Martin.

However, it is her focus on R&D that really continues to drive Service Power to the forefront of their sector. With a number of patents including a one focussed on quantum annealing that will see them developing cutting edge technology for the foreseeable future. Martin is also a very highly respected speaker on the international field service circuit

 

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Jim Baston, President of BBA Consulting Group Inc

Baston of BBA Consulting is the proponent of Proactive Service, and is a master when it comes to understanding the delicate relationship between service and sales and how companies can maximize that relationship to enhance profits. Author, Speaker and Consultant Baston is an intelligent and experienced leader within his field whilst being a true gentleman and pleasure to talk to, to boot.

 

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Kevin Jones Managing Director Computer Product Solutions, Panasonic Europe

Panasonic remain the undisputed leaders in the rugged space with the ToughPad and Toughbook brands synonymous with rugged computing. The Panasonic ToughBook20 is the worlds first fully rugged detachable and could just be the most perfect device for field service to date being both a tablet and a laptop.

Jones has spent a decade with Panasonic and has total responsibility for the entire ToughBook / ToughPad Products and Solutions in Europe, including Sales, Marketing, Engineering and Operations whilst also sitting concurrently on the board of Panasonic Manufacturing.

 

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Dave Yarnold, CEO, ServiceMax

Within less than a decade Yarnold has taken ServiceMax from start-up to being purchased by GE late last year for close to a Billion Dollars.

However, the meteoric rise of ServiceMax wasn’t solely about the technology. Yarnold has a true passion for the service and that passion has filtered down and shone through at all levels of the organisation, which was perhaps the secret source that put them at the top of the sector - having been recognised as the leading FSM solution provider in the most recent magic quadrant report.

Now as part of GE Digital, Yarnold has even bigger visions of how ServiceMax can play a role in building an operating system for the entire industrial sector of which service will be a key component.

Big ambitions?

Yes. But Yarnold is a man that could possibly just do it.

 

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Click here to see page three of the 2017 #FSN20

 

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Jim Baston continues Charlie’s journey as the serialisation of his service oriented book beyond Great Service continues as we bring this section on “The Revelation” concludes...

 

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If you missed the earlier parts of this series you can catch up by clicking here

 

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As you may recall, Charlie comes to the realisation that the highest level of service that his company can provide is by helping the customer be better off for having hired them. That will require his field service team to be proactive in looking for and recommending products and services that will benefit the customer and help them achieve their business goals. Charlie’s plan to get his technicians to sell seems to come off of the rails by the technicians’ reluctance to act as salespeople for the company.

Fortunately for Charlie, his very able service supervisor Ken, helps him sort things out. As they sit together going over the details of their service meeting, Ken points out:

“What Angus said Charlie, was that it was not the technician’s job to ‘sell’. He didn’t say anything about the technician’s responsibility to help the customer run their facilities better. Actions speak louder than words and Angus’ actions—as you just pointed out—clearly indicate he believes that serving the customer in this way is very much a part of the technician’s role.”

“Ken, you’re going to have to slow down. I’m getting dizzy. Isn’t ‘selling’ and speaking to the customer about things they should do to run their facilities more effectively the same thing?”

“No. There is a subtle but important difference, and most people get these confused. It’s why there are very few service companies that could honestly tell you they are fully satisfied with the work being generated by the field service team.”

 

Ken continues: “Let’s say you go to the doctor with a headache and you’re prescribed a pill to relieve the pain. Have you been truly served?”

“I guess so. I wanted to get rid of my headache and the doctor gave me the medication to do that,” says Charlie.

“Hmmm. Let’s compare that to an emergency service call. The customer calls complaining of no heat. We go to the site and find a blown fuse. We replace the fuse and get the heat back on. The customer signs our work order and we leave. Is that a comparable situation?”

“Sounds like it to me.”

“Unfortunately Charlie, I don’t think that the customer (or patient in the case of the doctor) was well served. Would you not think that the doctor should at least ask a few questions to explore the possible cause of the headache?  Where does it hurt? How long have you had it? What have you taken so far to relieve the pain? That sort of thing. Would you not expect basic information to be taken, including your pulse and blood pressure, or have your ears or throat checked? If something of concern was found, would you be surprised if further tests were suggested? And, based on the results, would you consider recommendations for a particular medication or a change in diet to help you get better as a sales pitch?”

“No. Now that you mention it, I would expect those basic actions. Without them, the doctor might provide me with temporary relief but overlook  the cause, which could have a troubling impact later on. And as for the recommendation for specific medications or diet, I would see that as part of the process to help me get and feel better.”

“Right!” exclaims Ken. He stands and becomes more animated.

“Let’s go back to our fuse example. I recognise it’s not a perfect analogy, and that most technicians worth their salt would do some basic tests to determine if there is a further cause beyond simply a blown fuse. But that’s where it often ends. We solve the immediate problem and move on to the next patient—I mean customer—without doing an ‘examination’ of the customer’s condition beyond the immediate problem. As a result, we miss countless opportunities to help the customer run their facilities more effectively or, perhaps more tragically, to avoid catastrophic breakdowns.”

 

… “I don’t sell, Charlie. I simply use my expertise and experience, and ask a few questions about the situation and the customer’s goals. Then I bring to their attention the types of remedies they might consider to reduce energy, increase tenant comfort, improve operational performance and so on. The customer then makes a decision on what they want to do. I don’t try to force or convince them against their will. I simply assist them to make informed decisions which will help them operate more effectively.”

It’s now that Charlie stands up and gets animated. “So, if I understand you Ken, what you are saying is that Angus and the rest of the team don’t see themselves as salespeople flogging Novus services, but rather as recommenders of our services when they see that as solving a customer’s problems. The challenge then is to help them recognise the difference and encourage them to speak with the customer about what they feel would be in the customer’s best interest to do. Have I got that right?”

Thinking about your business:

• If you have a formal or informal expectation for your technicians to generate opportunities in the field, how do you position this activity with your field team? Is this a selling activity or a serving activity?
• Does your team fully grasp the important service they are providing?
• Do they see it as important a service as their ability to fix or maintain the equipment?

Next time we will look at some of the hurdles that Charlie will need to address if he is to be successful.

 

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Jim Baston continues Charlie’s journey as the serialisation of his service oriented book beyond Great Service continues...

 

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If you missed the earlier parts of this series you can catch up by clicking here

 

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The last time we left Charlie, he was trying to make sense of a comment a past customer made to him.

The comment has helped him to realise that his company is missing a tremendous opportunity to add significant value to its customer relationships. He recognises that asking questions during the contract that gives them more insight into the goals and needs of the customer, will allow them to go beyond simply maintaining the equipment by making recommendations of products and services that could help them address their challenges and achieve those goals. In other words, they could proactively take steps to help the customer to be measurably better off by the end of the contract than they were at the beginning.

This is an important revelation for Charlie as he comes to see the service business as more than a maintenance and repair activity. He recognises that the real value that his company can provide is to use their collective experience and expertise to be a “technical” partner for their customers. Using their unique knowledge and understanding the needs of the customer, would allow them to make recommendations that will help their customers achieve their business goals.

He immediately recognises the important role of the technician in making this a reality. They are in the best position to recognise and make recommendations. They know the technology and the capabilities of their company. They have an established relationship with the customer with typically high levels of trust. They know the customer’s equipment and the challenges they are facing. And perhaps most importantly, they have an understanding of the needs and goals of the customer. These are the critical pieces of the puzzle needed in order to make intelligent recommendations.

 

The challenge for Charlie is that he sees the task for the service people as selling and this doesn’t go over very well with the service team. He introduces the subject at a service meeting.

[Charlie] … brings up the issue of selling by simply asking, “So what do we have to do to encourage you to sell more of our services to our accounts? I am convinced that we could grow our revenue significantly, if you guys would just spend a little time talking to the customers about the other things we can do.”

The group sits in silence for a few minutes. There is a lot of shuffling of feet and a few uncomfortable grins as people look at Charlie, and then around the room at their peers. Finally, Angus speaks up, and Charlie is surprised by his response. “With all due respect, Charlie, it’s not our job to sell. We have a sales person that does that. You need to find a way to get him to sell more. Anyway, I can’t speak for the rest of the guys, but whenever I’ve brought opportunities forward, I’ve been disappointed with the way they were handled—if they’ve been handled at all.'

"Just last week, the building manager at Marsh Estates wanted to know when I was going to get my sales guy to show up to discuss our energy audit program. I brought that to John over a month ago. Frankly, I was embarrassed, and I’m gonna think twice before I make a recommendation like that again!”

John is Novus’ service salesperson for maintenance contracts and small project work. He reports to Lauren Baker, Director of Sales and Marketing. Although John does not report to Charlie per se, he has an informal dotted line of accountability.

Charlie was taken aback. From his perspective, Angus was very good at generating new work. He had the least number of contract hours of anyone in the place, and yet was never one who was short of hours. “How can you say that selling is not your job Angus, you’re one of the best ‘salespeople’ in the place?” inquires Charlie.

Charlie was surprised by Angus for the second time this morning. He did not expect the reaction that he got.

 

Angus smiled and said, “That’s where you’re wrong boss. I’ve never sold a thing in my life. I leave the selling to the guys with the expense accounts and the company cars. I simply keep my customers informed, and keep my eyes open for things that they should be doing to improve the operation of their facilities. I could never be a salesperson.”

… Charlie looks around the room. “What do the rest of you guys think? Don’t you see the value of selling our services to the customer?” … Pete sits forward in his chair and says, “Angus is right—we’re not salespeople. We have no business trying to sell the customer anything. We’d lose our credibility with them.” At this point, the room becomes animated and various techs chip in with their comments. Generally speaking, they are all in agreement.

Now Charlie is in a quandary. He recognises that he can really help his customers by making recommendations aimed at helping them achieve their business goals, but he can’t do that without the direct involvement of the service team. And, based on the reaction from the service techs to his suggestion, he won’t be very successful in getting them to participate.

Thinking about your business:

• Do you have a formal or informal expectation of your field service team to generate opportunities in the field?
• How enthusiastically does your field service team participate in this activity?

Next time we will look at this role of making recommendations as an integral part of the service provided.

 

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Field Service consultant and author Jim Baston continues his new series based upon his excellent industry focussed book  Beyond Great Service 

If you missed the introduction to this series you can find part one here

The book, Beyond GREAT SERVICE opens on a conversation that Charlie is having with a long-time customer. His company has lost the renewal of a large maintenance contract and the customer has kindly agreed to meet with Charlie to explain why they made the decision that they did. Perhaps you have had a similar conversation with one of your customers.

“I just can’t see any difference,” explains Joe. “I think you guys do good work and our building managers really seem to like you. However, I can’t justify the premium for the maintenance contract that you are asking for over your competitors. Can you?”

“Good question,” thinks Charlie. He expected this and has been practicing his response all morning, but it just doesn’t ring true to him.

“Joe, we do great work, pure and simple. We hire only the best mechanics. Our mobile fleet is in constant contact with our dispatch so we can respond quickly to any emergency, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our field service team is polite and courteous and our quality is excellent—we have very few call-backs.” Charlie leans back in his chair, relieved that he was able to get it all out. Before he can decide if he has done a good job or not, Joe is shaking his head.

“Charlie, I know you guys do good work and that your team is friendly. Most of our building managers really like you—even Gus at 2270 Main Street, and that’s saying something. But Barnett Mechanical and 99% of the rest of your competitors can say just what you said. They hire good people too. Barnett for example, has won the Customer’s Select award three years in a row and can show you a ream of customer satisfaction surveys that substantiate their claims. I know ‘cause I’ve seen them. Peter, our newest property manager is very familiar with them from the time he spent at Acme Developments, and he can’t speak highly enough about them.

“Charlie, I guess what I am saying is that I am going to switch my business to your competitor because I think they will do a comparable job for less money. It’s nothing against you or your company. It’s simply a business decision. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

Regardless of the industry or the service provided, conversations like these happen all the time. The customer cannot see any significant differences between service providers and so elects to patronise the one that provides the most value. Since the competitors are more or less the same in the customer’s eyes, the most value often comes down to the lowest price. This is becoming ever more true as the service business becomes increasingly competitive.

 

For most service firms, any competitive advantage they have is quickly matched or even exceeded by competitors. Customer service levels and corresponding customer expectations continue to rise. Unless reminded, any added value provided is quickly taken for granted by the customer and they assume that all service providers provide similar value.

The question facing most service providers then is, how can they stand out in this increasingly competitive environment? How can they provide a demonstrable difference from their competitors – a difference worth paying for? For the answer to this, we are given a clue by the closing paragraphs of Chapter 1.

Although Charlie thinks that he would probably make the same decision, he just mumbles something about appreciating Joe’s time and thanks him for his past business. As Joe walks Charlie down to the elevator, Charlie strains to make conversation. He asks clumsily, “Rising energy costs and stiffer competition must be impacting your customers significantly. What are you doing to help them?”

Joe looks Charlie in the eye, shakes his hand and says, “You sure picked a funny time to ask that question.” The elevator pings to announce its arrival and Joe turns and walks away.

Joe’s response to Charlie’s question puzzles Charlie greatly.

He discusses the conversation with his service supervisor Ken. They focus on Joe’s response to Charlie’s question and Ken helps him come to the realisation that Joe’s response might be linked to the fact that he felt that it should have been asked earlier in their relationship. During the contract, questions like that would have given the service provider more insight into the challenges faced by the customer in achieving their goals.

With that insight, Charlie could have added great value to their relationship. By understanding their challenges, they could proactively identify and recommend actions that could be taken by Joe’s firm to overcome those challenges and achieve their goals. This would provide a level of service beyond simply keeping the equipment running well.

Thinking about your business:

• What makes you different from your competitors?
• If you asked your competitors this question, how would your answer be different?
• What do your customers value most?
•  How do you know this?
• What is it about “what makes you different” that allows you to deliver on that value?

Next time we will examine more closely the technician’s role in bringing ideas to the customer and why their proactive actions are an important part of the service and not an “add-on” selling activity.

 

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Field Service consultant and author Jim Baston begins a new series in which he has kindly agreed to serialise his industry focussed book Beyond Great Service for Field Service News readers. Here in the first part of this new exclusive series he introduces the series...

Welcome to the first in a series of articles based on my book, Beyond GREAT SERVICE – The Technician’s Role in Proactive Business Growth.

Beyond GREAT SERVICE is written for those who are responsible for field service operations and who believe that the technician’s role is more than maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing equipment. It is for those business leaders who recognise that the proactive effort of technicians to identify and recommend products and services to their customers is a valuable service.

The book is a fictional account about Charlie, a service manager who discovers the secret of successfully engaging his field service team in conversations with their customers about the products and services they provide. As part of his education, he uncovers the pitfalls that will limit his success, and plans a way to address them. Most importantly, Charlie comes to recognise that the proactive efforts of his team are a critical part of the overall service his company provides, not an add-on selling activity. This last point brings clarity of purpose to the initiative for everyone involved and allows his team to move forward with enthusiasm.

 

In this series of articles, I will be following Charlie’s journey and draw on the lessons he has learned along the way. We will see how his perception of the role of the field service team changes and how that change allows him to clearly see the task ahead of him. I will end each article with a series of questions that I hope you will find helpful in analysing your own service business.

The themes that will be covered in these articles include:

• Recognizing the role of field service in business promotion as a service. Here we will examine what we are asking the field service team to do through their proactive efforts and why. Although the field service team’s efforts are often confused with selling, we will explore the importance of ensuring that everyone involved recognizes their efforts as a critical part of the service provided. This is an important concept to grasp, as it will guide the direction the initiative will take and provide inspiration for those involved.
• Understanding the critical factors that will determine success. Here we will consider those factors that will be critical to the success of the initiative. In my experience, some of these are “elephants in the room” (we know they exist but don’t want to acknowledge them) and others may not have been considered. Regardless, these are all factors that, if not addressed, will greatly limit the success of the initiative.
• Involving the customer. As Charlie develops the plan, he seeks feedback from key customers to get their reaction and input. We will examine the value of taking this step and provide suggestions on how it can be accomplished.
• Differentiating based on the field service team’s efforts. If the proactive efforts of the field service team are indeed a service to the customer, shouldn’t we treat it as we would any other service that we provide? We will consider how we can differentiate our service business by promoting the efforts of our field service team to our customers. This is the opportunity for a service company to stand out from its competitors by truly working collaboratively with their customers.
• Measuring, monitoring and continuous improvement. Here we will look at what we can do to measure the effectiveness of our efforts and use that information to fine tune our service offering.

My hope is that these series of articles will be of value to service companies in all stages of engaging their field service teams in business development – from those who have not yet started, to those who have formal initiatives in place.

For those not yet started, my goal is to provide a blue print that you can follow to help you achieve your goals faster and avoid some of the common pitfalls. For those already underway, my hope is that these articles will provide inspiration and ideas that will contribute to the effectiveness of your initiative.

 

The book, Beyond GREAT SERVICE – The Technician’s Role in Proactive Business Growth is available on my website at www.jimbaston.com. There you will also find a copy of my latest book, the Beyond GREAT SERVICE Planning Guide.

The Planning Guide is a step-by-step approach to planning and implementing a strategy to focus the entire field service organisation on identifying and recommending actions that their customers can take to be measurably better off. The Planning Guide is intended to help you to ensure that all aspects of your field service organisation – from technicians to supporting infrastructure - are aligned and focused on delivering a service which is “Beyond GREAT”.

An electronic copy of my book is available for download from www.amazon.com or www.amazon.ca. Just type in “Beyond GREAT SERVICE” in the search bar.

I value your feedback about my articles and insight into your own experiences in engaging your field service teams in business development. You can reach me by email at jim@jimbaston.com.

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