When you respond to a request by one of our clients for a quote, the following guidelines will help you to make the most of the opportunity.
- 1.You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
- 2.Speed is vital. Respond fast. This will make you look alert and efficient. Consider what it looks like if you respond slowly. It makes you look lazy and couldn’t-care-less.
- 3.Address the specific, personal needs and wishes of the client. Your response must not look generic and impersonal.
- 4.Don’t for a minute think that the best way to compete is to slash your prices and come in at the bottom. If that’s all you think you’re worth, what will the client think of you?
- 5.Make your pricing breakdown as detailed as possible. It’ll make you look transparent.
- 6.Talk to the client, don’t talk about your business. Tell the client what you can do for them and how you will do it. Remember: the client is going to be much less interested in the distinguished history of your firm than in the personal service you can offer them today. Use the ‘you’ word as often as you can.
- 7.Write in plain English. Avoid jargon. Too much formality just makes you look weird or stuck-up.
- 8.Check all spelling and grammar meticulously. If you can’t spell, what chance is there that you can organise a funeral competently?
- 9.Refer the client to all your online publicity materials. Your quote can contain as many hyperlinks as you want. This may be a very good time to give your website a makeover (or commission one). What sort of an impression does shoddy make?
- 10.People do business with people. If you haven’t made a short YouTube film of yourself talking about what you do and showing people your funeral home, consider doing so. Let them see your face and decide for themselves that you are a nice person.
- 11.Third-party endorsement – what others think of you – is gold dust. Has your funeral home attracted the praise of anyone impressive?
- 12.Have you got lots of testimonials from satisfied clients? So has everyone else. Enough said?
- 13.Understand that you can’t be right for everyone. Don’t try to be all things to all people. If you don’t like the look of a request, don’t quote.
- 14.When you have finished creating your response, ask yourself this question: Do I come across as honest, kind and capable?
If you would like any help with your marketing and public relations, contact us. We can help you do even further.