Empire State of Mind
Empire State of Mind
Mastering Sales Skills for Home Inspectors with Jamie Ward
In this episode, Matt Williams interviews Jamie Ward from Simple Solutions Call Center, discussing the intricacies of sales, customer service, and the evolution of the call center industry. Jamie shares her journey from a sales position in the home inspection industry to founding her own call center, highlighting the importance of identifying market gaps and providing tailored solutions. The conversation delves into the significance of follow-up strategies, automated upselling, and the necessity of educating staff to enhance client interactions. Additionally, they explore the impact of technology on communication and the advantages of remote work in expanding talent acquisition. In this conversation, Jamie Ward discusses the transition to remote work, the hiring and training processes for remote teams, and the importance of creating a positive work environment. She emphasizes the need for effective communication and customer service in the home inspection industry, highlighting the balance between employee satisfaction and performance. Jamie also shares insights on building trust with clients and the comprehensive role of call centers in supporting businesses.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/l0gctoXdRlg
Contact IEB -
- web: www.iebcoaching.com
- email: support@iebcoaching
- social: @iebcoaching
Contact Matt -
- email: matt@dciabq.com
- IG: @the.matthew.williams
On today's episode, we're going to be talking about sales, customer service and how to hire a team that's better than you.
Speaker 2:We believe the purpose of owning a business is funding your perfect life. Welcome to the next generation of growth and opportunity in the inspection industry. This is the Empire State of Mind. Empire State of Mind Helping build companies with faster growth, higher profits and more time freedom. Finally, a podcast for the home inspection industry and beyond. This is the Empire State of Mind and this is your host, matt Williams.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Empire State of Mind. I am so glad that you tuned in to listen to this episode, and on this episode we have Jamie Ward. Jamie Ward from Simple Solutions Call Center. Jamie, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3:I'm wonderful. Thank you for having me, Matt.
Speaker 1:Absolutely glad to get you here. I know that you've been in the call center industry within the home inspection industry for quite some time. Tell me about that. How did you get started in this?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so back in 2009, I was hired for a sales position at a company that offered home inspector solutions. Okay, and so in that I was, to you know, sell warranties to home inspectors. To you know, there was a recall product available. You know there is a recall product available. I'm sure, as I'm talking, people know exactly who I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I know, yeah, that's, I forget what it's called. It got bought and sold. The company got bought and sold recently, didn't it? It did yeah, and I think it's owned by Porch now. Is that correct?
Speaker 3:That is correct, yeah, yeah and it's owned by Porch.
Speaker 1:Now, is that correct? That is correct, yeah, yeah and what's it called now?
Speaker 3:Inspector Services Group? But I'm not sure that they changed the name, yeah.
Speaker 1:Got it Okay. But I do remember they had warranties for inspectors and the recall thing for inspectors and I know a lot of people that listen probably use that service and it's still alive and well today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and so a call center and they had all kinds of things that they offered home inspectors. So my job there was sales and you know, I literally started with like a handwritten note to how you know, to who they wanted as clients. So I reached out to them, I built it up and three years later they were doing so.
Speaker 1:You saw, there was just some technology differences in the industry and you saw, or some obstacles that maybe other people were encountering, that maybe you could overcome and and create what, basically a simpler solution, which is, I think, the name of your company Simple.
Speaker 3:Solution.
Speaker 1:Right, and I love that. So you, you saw some obstacles out in the market. You saw other and other companies doing what they were doing and you're like, hmm, I think I can do this in a better way, and so you jumped on it. That's that's. That's incredible.
Speaker 1:I think that's how a lot of great businesses start is, they look at an industry and they say you know, what I see is like, man, I think there's a simpler way to do this or a better way to do this. And and I think a lot of great companies start that way with that mindset of of how can I provide a better product to to my customer? And and I love that that was like something you saw and that you did yeah, so you have like a sales background and then you're in the inspection industry, or just I'm rather a real estate industry, if you kind of brought it out a little bit right, like like you were involved with inspectors on that one side. But if you're doing home warranties and things of that nature, then yeah, there are a lot of home inspectors out there who find value in those warranties a 90-day warranty with your home inspection, or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's some companies that really use those and some that don't, and there's pros and cons to that whole thing, right yeah.
Speaker 3:There is. There is, so you know, to be able to see both sides of it. You know not only how the client interacted with the warranty company, but how the home inspector interacted with the warranty company and how it you know. The client then viewed the inspector because they were offered the warranty through the inspector. And so, yeah, there was, there was a lot there that I got to see and work with internally to give me a better idea of what people really want, what people need, what is needed within the industry.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, that's awesome, that's really cool. So you got this thing going and you have a heavy sales background and so, yeah, so like doing sales, like what are things that? Like, what are things that maybe people overlook in the sales process, that you think are like the missing steps people forget about or they don't really fully understand, to be able to help them do a better job on selling.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So you know, I think you know everyone is capable of being a salesperson to some degree. I do think that some people are born with just an ability to relate to people and be able to communicate exactly what they want and then kind of guide conversations to where you want it to go.
Speaker 1:right, yeah, I Right, so there's like a natural like people have like a natural gift in that area. But there's also skills that people can develop. I think you're right. You're like, anybody really can be a salesperson, yeah, if you take the time to really develop the skill set. But yeah, you're right, like I think I'm, I was kind of born with some of the natural, like gift of gab and and to be able to like and just talk. I think I was kind of born with some of the natural, like gift of gab and to be able to like and just talk with people and know kind of like. Hey, this is where we need to take this conversation. But through the years I've also done skill development to help enhance that and make that better. But I think you're right, like, even if you don't have that raw talent, I don't know, I guess everybody has some level of the raw talent. But developing the skills, right, anybody can do that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, and it's good for me. I share this with our clients, a lot of home inspectors. They're home inspectors and they're not sales gurus, you know, or marketing geniuses. They're just, hey, I'm really good at this and this is what I want to do, and you know so being able to help them with their email templates, with their marketing platforms, and reminding them, you know, if they're using a certain system, hey, this system can do this, this and this for you, and allowing us to help set that up so that, if they're not that good with sales, you know, the odds of numbers are in their favor, right?
Speaker 1:So wait a minute, hold on a second, like you said, you run a call center, but now you're talking about getting into their software and making it. Do you guys offer those services as well?
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely so, if someone's using.
Speaker 1:Spectora or ISN or any of those backend CRM systems that are helping manage their business. You help with setting up the follow-ups and all the other things to make sure that it's like part of the marketing.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely, and then going through.
Speaker 1:That is extremely valuable.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, I think so. Not many people do that.
Speaker 1:Like that's something that's really above and beyond what you would. When I think call center, I don't think that you're going to help me with that. No, I think you're just going to answer the phone and be like what do you want?
Speaker 3:Right, no, so we go complete virtual office and you know it's for the betterment of everyone they are supposed to. If they have additional emails going out that are offering additional services to clients after they book an inspection, if they have 60-day follow-ups or coupons that they send their agent for referring a client, these are all areas that they have the ability to book more inspections. I'm helping myself in the way that I'm helping them bring more callers and bring more clients and so that we can book those inspections and fill up their calendar. So, yeah, that's absolutely one of the ways that we help.
Speaker 1:That's incredible. So if somebody's like what are some of the, what are some of the emails or things that you found to be super effective? What are some of the strategies that you've seen super effective in the automated emails and follow-ups and stuff like that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think follow-ups are so important, but then breaking it down into the types of inspections that they had, right, oh, right Because the ancillary services stuff like that.
Speaker 3:Exactly so. We want to make sure that if somebody had a radon test and they didn't have a mitigation system put in, you want to go back and follow up with them to test again or whatever, if their levels were kind of right there in that area. If somebody has a new build, you're going to want to send an email out to follow up with them nine or 10 months later because their one-year warranty from the builder is going to expire and you want to make sure that you have everything submitted to them. So I mean, there are so many different kinds of emails that we can help set up for those clients based on their services, just to make sure that you're hitting everyone who you need to hit in a timely manner.
Speaker 1:That's great, so all right. So in my inspection business we have a bunch of different services we offer. The most common trifecta that we see is the home inspection, a sewer scope and a termite inspection. That's the three that almost every house, in my opinion, should get those. In addition to that there's radon testing and mold testing and other environmental things that we we have um, uh and and so we you know some of those. Depending on where they live, it's more or less recommended different ways. But but if we were to set it like, if I know like that trifecta is is the way to go, if somebody say they booked the home and the termite but they didn't book a sewer scope, you can automate that reminder email to say, hey, notice, you didn't book a sewer scope, do you want to add that service? So is that something that you guys help set up?
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely. So it depends on what system that they utilize. If they're using ISN, the email go out a little bit different. If they're using ISN, the email go out a little bit different. Spectora actually has emails in there that you can send out and they can just click. And if they wanted to add that service, they can just click and it automatically adds it to the inspection. So, yeah, there are different. That's really cool. Yeah, so there's different.
Speaker 1:So it's like an automated upsell that's already built into the system. Yeah, that's incredible. I know that that's possible. We actually have some of that running inside of our company now.
Speaker 1:But to know that, like, there's a lot of inspectors that they don't fully utilize the software that they're paying for, yeah Right. And so bringing in an expert like you to come in and help them, you know, um, to set that up like that could really earn them a lot more revenue. If, if you know, even if 20 to 30% of the people added a sewer scope that didn't have a sewer scope like that could really add up to more sales, more revenue, and and um, and it's helping the client, because maybe they were not aware of a sewer scope or they were thinking, maybe I'm not really sure, and then a little while later they're like, yeah, I probably should do that. But if you're reminding them, then you're really helping the client. Make sure they're protecting this asset that they're purchasing. And I mean the services we all offer in the home inspection space are helping buyers have a better idea of what they're getting into.
Speaker 3:Yep, and I think on that point, what is important is that the people who are on the phones are educated in this industry and in the additional services so they understand. Why is radon testing important? Why do I need a termite inspection or a wood destroying insect inspection? What is done during the mold inspection? Is it a visual? Is it swabs? Is it? You know air quality? So making sure that my staff is well-versed and educated so they know hey, this home was built in 1972. I think it'd be a good idea if you got lead-based paint testing, just those kind of flags. Or if the client is in Florida on the coast and they offer windmills and insurance inspections, being able to explain to the client why they need those and what those would be valuable to them for.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, absolutely. If you're in a hurricane zone, it's something you're going to have to get done for your insurance process, so you might as well let us do it while we're there, right, and we will fill out that paperwork and get everything ready for you for insurance quotes and everything. Absolutely, yeah. And so now you have this call center of educated people helping.
Speaker 1:It's funny you said something earlier that like home inspectors are, you know they're good at inspecting houses.
Speaker 1:Like home inspectors are you know they're good at inspecting houses, but but oftentimes the type of personality that is really excellent at inspecting houses is oftentimes not the type of personality that is really great at marketing and sales, and so so I think it's great that you guys come in as a piece of the marketing and sales solution for for the company.
Speaker 1:I mean, obviously there's the, the outside marketing, which is getting your phone to ring, but then, once your phone rings, you have to sell and and and so I love that you guys have that approach and that mentality on helping, like once, once somebody actually hits, hits the phone or the website or whatever they're emailing in or whatever they might do. I have this one guy that actually um, this one broker that, um, he, he books us via DM on Instagram. So, um, he'll, he'll DM us and uh, and so I normally just, you know, we we copying pasting, and someone in the office calls them back and uh, but it's funny. I think he may have converted to um, to calling the office now or texting the office now rather than DMing through Instagram, but that's how it started. It was really kind of funny.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, you know, that's an interesting something interesting that you brought up, because the industry is always evolving, right.
Speaker 3:And so you know, when I started people were only calling it. Right, they were only calling. But as we progressed, having the ability to reach clients and have them reach us in multiple ways is pretty significant, especially in today's day and age where realtors don't want to pick up the phone and call, they don't want to return their voicemails for access information. So I kind of went with that a little bit. Within my company and we offer our clients a free SMS number. They can put that on their website, they can share it with their clients, they can use it themselves, but when it comes in it's automatically tagged for their business. So we know that these SMS messages are coming from this business. The other thing is an online chat box. I provide on their website a chat box where they can. Anyone who goes to their website has any questions about any services.
Speaker 3:They can go ahead and utilize that chat box and it comes directly through to our agents. I love that, yeah, because you see that on like large corporations, like you know, if you want to.
Speaker 1:Like, the other day I had to deal with my cell phone service and so cell phone service provider has a chat box.
Speaker 1:I went on and I jumped in and then there's an agent that jumps in and we're chatting back and forth and fix my problem via chat. You see that in large corporations, you don't see that in small business very often. Um, and so I. It's. It's interesting how, like a smaller company um, you know a handful of employees maybe, or maybe just a single man operator out in the field, can, can have a website now that is nice and crisp and clean, and then there's a chat feature and then if it says like call or text, all of a sudden your, your contact points are, it makes you look like a pretty big company or, at bare minimum, you at least have your stuff together, like you're doing things in a very cutting edge, modern way and that's a fantastic that you guys supply that. I mean that's interesting. Like when you first said call center, you know you offer a lot more and you do a lot more than just a normal call center. That's actually pretty cool. And so now you've got employees and they work from home, I believe right.
Speaker 3:They do so. All of my staff has worked from home since I began. I just didn't see the need for a building overhead all of that when I could take that money and focus in on developing the things that my clients would need or want, yeah Well.
Speaker 1:And then it also widens out the net of who you can hire, because if your building is in Indianapolis, then you can only hire people who are capable of driving to Indianapolis to the office to work, where you might find a high talent person that lives in Oklahoma City or Portland, oregon or wherever. I mean now your talent quality. You know the depth of pool that you now can pull from on your talent. It gets huge rather than geographically limited. And in today's day and age, I mean even now, I'm in Albuquerque, new Mexico, and you're in, I think you said, indiana. Is that right? Yeah, that's correct. So here we are, states away having a fantastic conversation because of technology, and so the same thing is true, like now, your talent pool gets bigger. It was great.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry. It was great during, and I'm going to say it was great. I'm sorry, it was great during, and I'm going to say it was great during COVID, because everyone else was trying to figure out how to work from home and how to manage your team from home, and it's something that we had been doing all around Um yeah, so many companies were struggling with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3:It's such a you know anything like that can happen. And if you have a brick and mortar building, anything can happen, right. What if you lose power? What if you some you know something happens and then nobody can work, nobody can answer the phones, nobody is handling your business work. Nobody can answer the phones, nobody is handling your business. But in this case, what are the odds of 20 employees all losing power at the same time in different states.
Speaker 1:You know so? Oh yeah, absolutely yeah. So if one employee has a power or internet issue or something, the company continues to operate while that's getting fixed. And that happens In fact, last week, you know, something happened in your area that knocked out power at your place for five hours. You were saying and it's like so for five hours you can't work, but guess what? Everybody else can.
Speaker 3:Business goes on, yeah.
Speaker 1:Business goes on. Yeah, I love that. Decentralized, you know, spread out, that's interesting. That adds that layer of like redundancy to the system. Yeah, I love that. There's a lot of companies that had to learn how to go remote during COVID and and your business model, you were ready, Like that. That's pretty cool. Yeah, that's really cool. Yeah, so you. So you obviously have to have some kind of a hiring process to hire this team members remote and and and you got to be able to manage them remotely and I mean you've been doing this for so long. I imagine you are probably just pretty good at it at this point in time.
Speaker 3:It's. It seems to be working out, yeah, right.
Speaker 1:That's incredible. Yeah, so you got this team. So how do you? How do you hire people? What are things that you look for when you're hiring staff?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So we utilize Indeed and social media as well to kind of reach out when we're in those periods of hiring. And then Indeed has a neat feature that they do a phone screen on candidates so I'm able to hear their voice before I even do an interview with them. And you may think that that sounds like oh gosh, that's being really picky and you want to hear their voice. But you'd be surprised at how many people record those phone screens and they have kids screaming in the background and dogs barking or they just don't sound professional at all. So the ones that do make it through, then there is a series of assessments that we have them take. How good are they at following instructions, listening to detailed information, all of these things? Your grammar, that's so important too.
Speaker 1:Right, you're going to send an email out on behalf of some company. Right, exactly your grammar better be reasonably solid yeah, it's got to be professional. Yeah, exactly, you better be reasonably solid. Yeah, it's got to be professional.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, there are a lot of people out there who, yeah, I want to work from home, but then they don't, you know, have the actual capability of working from home. They think that they can, you know, not have their kids in daycare or something and make money, daycare or something and make money. So that's difficult to get through the initial screening process to even get to the pool of people that we would want to hire, and then interview process and training. We have built a wonderful training site for people and it's, you know, a lot of it is self-guided that they can go through and do the training, but the initial training is like two weeks long, just to make sure that they understand fully what it is we do and why we do it.
Speaker 1:So right, yeah, no, it makes sense. Yeah, absolutely yeah, it's, it's, it's it's. So you, you have very much a sales mindset, and the way you talk, I can tell like you have like an operations kind of perspective to like as far as like how to put the pieces together. And how do you, how do you, stay on top of all of that? Like, do you have a good leadership team that helps you with that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do, I do. Um, I have an amazing team. Um, you know a lot of um call centers or virtual office. They they have a lot of trouble with turnover within their call center, and I think that's one of the things that I always hear from home inspectors is, you know, I was with this call center but I kept getting new people on my account and they didn't understand what I was doing, so I kept having to retrain them and all of that. So I kept having to retrain them and all of that. So one of the things that that we do is, you know, we I don't have turnover. I have people who have been with me since 2011.
Speaker 3:I have people who you know. I think the last person we hired was like a year ago. So they come and they stay.
Speaker 1:What do you? Attribute that to yeah. Like what do you attribute them staying?
Speaker 3:A positive work environment, a non-toxic work environment, the ability to get the information you need to do your job in a quick, efficient manner. So just creating a workspace that everyone doesn't feel like they're banging their head on a wall at the end of the day, because it can be really redundant. You're right, like you're getting calls nonstop. You're kind of doing the same thing over and over again.
Speaker 1:And that same conversation over and over and over again. And then you got to be like oh, I'm so glad you're buying a house and you're like, ah, I've said that a hundred times today.
Speaker 3:You're right. Yeah, absolutely, it's totally redundant.
Speaker 1:I hadn't really thought about that, Like, yeah, it's totally redundant. The same thing. And have you thought about getting a sewer scope, you know? And it's like, yeah, just true, You're having the same conversation over and over and over again concern for everyone. That's emotionally draining for sure In itself. It's like you got to be able to emote enough over the phone to be able to help someone feel comfortable to talk to you, Because if you don't emote enough, it's going to feel like talking to someone who hates their life and hates their job and that's not good right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly. So one of the things is just creating a workspace that people want to come to work, they want to engage, they're happy about doing their job, they're happy about a place where they work and they care about the place where they work and the clients that we have. And then also really amazing management right. And also really amazing management right, like I have some girls that are on management that are just amazing. You know, we have our weekly meetings and we go over things, like you know.
Speaker 3:Do you think that inspectors would want this added to their service? Or does this kind of report benefit the inspectors? What can we do if we have a difficult client where we can get the team together and go over anything that is missing that they're not understanding? So I think that the whole background operations of it is is so, so important to keeping you know, not only keeping your staff, but keeping them informed and keeping them happy and that way and that passes on to to our clients, you know, and and paying them a good wage as well.
Speaker 3:I know a lot of people have come to me and said, well, do you pay your staff members commission every time they book an inspection? Don't you think that that would be beneficial to get them to book more inspections. Well, yes and no right. Like yeah, maybe if you offered commission they would be more inclined to book inspections. But if you don't have a solid staff or a not so happy staff, maybe they're just booking inspections that shouldn't be booked. Or people are calling back and canceling because they felt pressured into it.
Speaker 1:Like, oversold right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think there's a fine line there. I know that there's some call centers that do offer that, but I don't think that that's a value here.
Speaker 1:So Well, right, and I think it has to match your culture of, of your company and and who like who are you?
Speaker 1:And I mean they say leadership goes from the top down and so everything rises and falls with leadership and and so so if if Jamie wants to run a company this way, then then your culture is going to naturally just flow out of who you are and then, if you're intentional about it, it just cascades all the way down through the entire company.
Speaker 1:The fact that you keep employees for as long as you do is a really good sign that your culture, company culture, is probably congruent with who you are as a person, which then translates into a stress-free, non-toxic work environment. And yeah, I get it, there's different business models, I think even in the inspection industry. Some companies offer a commission pay split for their inspectors and some say I'm just going to pay you hourly, and some guys say I'm going to pay you salary. And I don't think there's a right or wrong way on the inspection side. I think it has to just match what your company culture is and what you believe the right way is to keep your employees happy and to keep them paid well and have them feel properly rewarded and compensated for the work that they're doing.
Speaker 3:And valuable yeah.
Speaker 1:And valuable. Right, absolutely, absolutely. They've got to feel valuable and part of the team, and whether you pay them in commissions or not, I don't know. Ultimately, it's like the how to is like well, how are we going to do this? Well, ultimately, if we're getting the right thing done at the end of the day, if we're hitting our goals at the end of the day and hitting our metrics and our KPIs and everything else, then then right, like how we get there. Sometimes it's like well, I think every company has to figure out their path to get to the end result that they really want path to get to the end result that they really want.
Speaker 3:I agree 100%. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so, yeah, you got to hire the right people, take care of them. This is what I'm hearing you saying. You're hiring the right people, you take care of them, you create a culture and an environment in your business that's not a frustrating place to go to work. Right, they're paid well, they're enjoying what they're doing or they feel like they're fairly compensated. And and then and then, then you end up with a whole team that sticks around and stays. They say the most expensive hire is the wrong hire.
Speaker 3:That is so true. That is so true, you know and I say what?
Speaker 1:the higher, higher, slow and fire fast? I think is what I've heard said yeah.
Speaker 3:So it's. It's not always easy, you know. Sometimes we, you know, think we we have a good one, and then you know, a couple of weeks in they're just not understanding or not getting it. And you know, I would rather cut ties at that point than to continue on and have them more confused or not understanding, because there is a lot to learn, not only within the inspection industry so that you're asking the right questions but for my company as a whole. What is it that we will do for a client, what is it that we are allowed to do? And giving my staff members the ability to see an email and handle it, instead of saying, oh, I'm going to go here and ask this person, or then this person, then that person. My clients don't care about who's handling it, they just want it handled Right, so right.
Speaker 1:Well, and if you're if your company culture meshes with cause you're supporting another company. So if, if your company culture meshes with the company you're supporting, it should create a good environment of high trust. And having a high trust environment, I think, is crucial to having success. And so if you've created that with your employees and your staff, obviously they stay around for a long time. And so if you create that with your clients as well, the home inspector and the home inspector goes you know what? I just I trust Jamie, I trust her team, I trust her company and then when you guys are handling things like that, that creates a great environment for everybody involved is a high trust environment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, and we have clients who have been with us also since 2011 or a long time, so we have seen companies evolve.
Speaker 3:It was like a one-man operation and then he hired someone else and we helped him with that and then helped him with maybe his pricing wasn't up to par. He needed to gain a little bit more. Let's sit down, let's have a powwow, let's see how we can engage more people, or he has a new service that he wants to offer. How do we market this to people? How do we upsell this to people? Really, sitting down with your clients and listening to what they want and then being able to provide what they need is so valuable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh yeah. That that really is valuable. I love that You're building, that you know that culture within your company and with your, with your clients and your employees and everybody else. It really sounds, sounds pretty, pretty incredible. And what I really love is I feel like you have a really good like customer service focus too. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Like how does that weigh into the whole thing? Like, like, how do you, how do you, how do you? So you have, you have customers, you have clients, right, you have people like me that own a home inspection company, but then you have customers that are calling in. How do you? How do you balance all of that and realtors and everybody else it's a wide, dynamic range of people that are calling in all the time.
Speaker 3:It is. It absolutely is so being able to know how to talk to all people. So if a client is calling in, being able to get the information that you need from them in the easiest way possible. They're going through a stressful situation. They're buying a home, they need a home inspection, they may need insurance appraiser guy come out. All these things are happening in their life. Really, the easiest thing they should be able to do is pick up the phone and schedule a home inspection. So making that easy.
Speaker 3:If they call in, they have the address of the property. We can pull up the property details. We don't need to ask you a million questions that maybe you didn't notice if it had a crawl space, maybe you didn't notice if it had things on the windows or whatever. So these are things. We're looking up, the property we're verifying. Okay, I see that it's this square foot. I see that it was this year built. Based on the year built, I would recommend this service to you. Based on the size of the home, if you're getting this service, you may want to being able to negotiate that like it's a conversation rather than somebody is calling in and we're selling them something.
Speaker 3:The last thing they need is somebody's selling them one more thing. And they got to think, oh my God, do I need this? Do I need to call my agent? I have no idea what I'm doing, right, right? So then, on the flip side of that, you get agents who call in and I need to quick, quick, quick book an inspection. Here's the least amount of information, in the fastest way possible. Put me on your soonest available, send me the information. So you got to know that you know in this much time, you know as short amount of time, you're getting all the information that you need to be able to book that inspection completely for them in the quickest way possible, because they don't want to be on the phone.
Speaker 1:Right, and the realtors have done this a hundred times, like they don't need to right. So to them, yeah, because they're an industry professional, they've done this a hundred times. They don't need anybody to explain anything. They're just like bam bam, bam, bam bam. I got other things to do, hurry this thing along. Whereas the home buyer is like they buy a house every five to seven years. They don't even remember the last time they had a home inspection and they had one. They know they did, but they don't remember any of the details. And so, yeah, you have to take slow down and really take your time to explain that to a home buyer, whereas a realtor, you may or may not have to explain very much to.
Speaker 3:Right, exactly so, it's all about realizing who you're talking to and then kind of developing that persona to deal with that person. So it could be different every time. Client who was up in Canada and he had a TV show and actually a couple TV shows and this whole business built around his name and his company, right. So when people would call in to schedule inspections, you never knew if you were getting somebody calling in who saw the show and they wanted to ask questions about the show, or they were somebody who needed help. They have a certain type of home and they were hoping that this inspector would go out and help them maybe his show. So it just depends. Every company is so unique.
Speaker 3:You need to be able to, for me, hone in on their uniquenesses but also kind of keep them in the call center box, right Like we can only do these things for you, and it's a lot, but there are some things that we can't go outside that box because it would disrupt the flow for everyone.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, yeah, that totally makes sense. That totally makes sense. Yeah, Wow, that's interesting. So this has been fascinating. We started this and I was thinking we're going to talk about call centers, but you actually have the whole the sales process and your team building and there's really just a lot more. A lot more to you and just as a person and as a company, then then maybe people would initially think when they hear call center, and so you really help with the whole marketing backend solution and and you keep it simple, like your company's called simple solutions.
Speaker 2:I love that. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:Well, jamie, thank you so much for being on the show today. This has been fantastic. Um, I imagine that people that maybe want to get ahold of you or learn more about your company. What's a good way for people to to learn more about you or get ahold of you or reach out?
Speaker 3:Sure, absolutely. So they can go right to the website, they can book an appointment with me, they can fill out a form and get some more information in regards to our pricing and everything that we do. What's? Your website, it's dot com, or on Facebook. Social media is just Jamie Ward or Simple Solutions. Either one.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's fantastic. Well, thank you so much for being on the show. Thanks for this is a great conversation and I look forward to seeing you around, maybe at some different inspection events.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me, Matt.
Speaker 2:You've been listening to Empire State of Mind. For the home inspection industry and beyond, our passion is to elevate the home inspection industry with mindset, strategy and tools. We hope you've enjoyed the show. Make sure to like, rate and review. For more, follow on Instagram at IEB Coaching and don't forget to hit the website at wwwiebcoachingcom. Learn about IEB at no cost and have all your questions answered on our open call once a month on the third week of the month. We hope to see you there and we'll see you next time on the Empire State of Mind.
