Life moves at a fast pace these days. To cope with this faster lifestyle, we go to drive-thru restaurants, shop online, get the news on smartphones, and text message our friends. We value getting things done quickly, so we can move on to other things.
This “faster is better” attitude has found its way into the plumbing and drain cleaning industries. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, if you sell a product or service and complete the job in less time your profit goes up.
Unfortunately, this is only true once the product or service is sold. Before the customer knows what they want and need, “faster is not better” and can ruin your ability to earn a fair profit. Drain cleaning is a perfect example of how faster is not better. Here's two scenarios to help illustrate this point:
Scenario 1 - the fast way
A homeowner calls with a line stoppage. The drain cleaner arrives and greets the customer. The technician wheels his machine to the clean-out, attaches a small blade to the end of a leader and then a cutter, all of which is connected to the end of his cable.
The blade/cutter combination meets some resistance about 20 feet down the line then breaks through, all the way to the street. The cable is pulled back and ran down the line a second time before calling the job done. The drain cleaner presents a bill of $100 to the customer (yes, many companies still charge less than $100 to open a drain). The homeowner pays the bill, grumbling to themselves about how much of a rip-off $100 is.
This scenario is repeated day after day and is the main reason most drain cleaning companies fail to earn a decent profit.
Scenario 2 – the effective way
A homeowner calls with a line stoppage. After the technician greets the customer, he explains the first step in the process is to get the water to go down. Then we can determine what caused the problem.
After the technician wheels his machine to the clean-out, he attaches a very small blade to his cable. The blade meets some resistance about 20 feet down the line and then the water goes down. The cable is pulled out and a camera is run down the line (the camera is done free of charge so there is no price objection from the customer).
The cable is pulled out and the drain cleaner brings the homeowner to the clean-out. With the homeowner present, the camera is run back down the line (this is to reassure the homeowner they are looking at their drain). At 20 feet the camera shows a soft blockage where the tile in the mainline is offset. The drain cleaner explains that the drain can be opened but the offset will cause the same problem to reoccur. The homeowner agrees that the problem will reoccur and wants to know what can be done. The drain cleaner explains that they can reline the drain, creating a smooth surface and preventing the problem from happening again. The homeowner agrees and the work is scheduled.
In the second scenario, the initial call was a bit longer than just opening the drain. But in the end, it led to a much more involved job that carried a higher profit. Additionally the homeowner, while not happy about investing thousands of dollars, will feel good about their problem being fixed long-term, satisfied with your company and more likely to recommend you to their friends.
About the Author
Jim Hughes has over 35 years experience in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning industries. He has developed apprenticeship schools, created sales and management training programs and helped struggling companies reach their goals. He has studied Human Performance Improvement (HPI), is a Six Sigma Green Belt and was certified as a Master Trainer by NCCER. During his career, Hughes has served as a technician, service manager, salesperson, regional training manager, national technical adviser, and director of training and development.Hughes has worked with some of the largest plumbing, drain cleaning, and HVAC companies in the country. He continues to work with small businesses helping them improve their operations to earn the profits they deserve. You can contact Hughes at www.profitassist.com.
