When Leads 2 Trade launched its premium booked appointment service in 2020, it was in response to helping installers generate leads and overcome the nervousness of homeowners arranging multiple appointments and visits to their home after the first pandemic lockdown. Almost 18 months on, the service is proving so popular that 65% of all leads are now confirmed appointments. Here, Andy Royle, co-founder, and Director of the UK’s leading provider of double qualified sales leads for companies operating in the home improvement industry, explains how it works – and why every installer should be using it.
Our strength at Leads 2 Trade has always been our ability to adapt and evolve to the market and deliver not only what installers want from a lead and how that lead is delivered, but what the consumer wants from that lead too.
Adapting our business model to suit both our installer members and the consumer post-Covid was something we felt we needed to do.
Having listened to our members we understood their unique challenges, including the need to spend less time contacting prospects and managing their diaries and to stop paying money for leads they might not appoint or win. We also understood that consumers are not as confident at having multiple companies in their home.
We launched our confirmed appointments premium lead service as the perfect solution, and with 65% of all leads are now confirmed appointments, it has really hit the mark.
How it works
Thanks to our Trusted Local Supplier Network from our comparison websites, including market leading online brands, ‘Double Glazing on the Web’ and ‘Conservatory Online Prices, we generate an enormous number of leads, hitting the 2m lead landmark in our 15th year last year.
Our experienced, in-house, call centre team immediately react to the web enquiries and double qualify the enquiry to make sure the consumer is the homeowner and wants to arrange a free no obligation quote to buy.
We then take it a step further by co-ordinating the lead with your salesperson’s diaries with the appointment and we only provide the lead to one other company.
We confirm everything with the consumer and send them a short Biography of the two companies they will sit down with. The appointment is then further confirmed by email and text prior to the visit, and once the appointment is confirmed, we inform the installer and all they have to do is turn up and undertake the survey and make the sale.
Following the first appointment, we contact the customer to see if they need the second appointment or not, and if our member doesn’t sit and pitch to the consumer then they don’t pay for the lead.
The benefits
For our installer members, the benefits of our booked appointments are huge. Instead of buying a sales lead, they are buying a confirmed appointment, which means less hassle in having to contact the prospect direct and arrange a time.
With the lead delivered to just one other installer, instead of three/four like so many other lead providers, it means there is a 50% chance of winning the work, making for higher conversion rates.
They also only have to pay for the lead if they actually sit and pitch to the customer, which will save time, deliver an acceptable cost of sale, and mean a greater return on investment.
For the consumer, they are still getting the comparison service, but it will be much more controlled. Our experienced team also supports them through the journey, with an email, text, and telephone call confirming the first appointment, then we contact them after to see if their needs have been met.
Perfect for 2022
While we originally introduced our booked appointment service in 2020 in response to the pandemic, we always knew it would prove popular. And we expect it to be even more vital for our installer members in 2022.
While many installers will have had full order books until the end of the year, now is the time for them to start thinking about how to sustain those volumes in the short to medium term.
While demand will remain buoyant, some installers are reporting a definite drop off in enquiries from their self-generated efforts, so demand for sales leads will never have been greater.
Our booked appointments will not only provide installers with a greater chance of winning new business so they don’t see a dramatic drop off, but they will also provide better value – which will be important as business starts to slow down.
For more information telephone 0800 124 4308 or visit https://leads2trade.co.uk/about/appointment-booking/
