The 6 Best Plumbing Sales Best Practices for Reps

In the plumbing sales industry, outside sales representatives face unique challenges that those in other home services sales don’t typically experience. There’s an urgency to plumbing services — if a customer’s pipe bursts or they have a severe leak, it could cause significant damage to their home (and their wallet!). And the nature of these emergencies often create high-pressure sales environments for reps. 

Silvia Nestares, Training, Plumbing, and Electrical Manager for My Plumber Plus, says the complexity of the plumbing industry — and hidden issues that arise once technicians begin working — complicate in-person customer interactions. Addressing compliance and safety concerns adds additional layers of intricacy to the plumbing business puzzle. So trust and effective communication are of the utmost importance for your plumbing sales reps. 

With Silvia’s help, we’ve put together a list of six plumbing sales best practices to share with your reps. Discover these tips and suggestions you’ll want to make fixtures of your plumbing sales strategy and watch the business flow in. 

1. Build Trust in Heightened Situations

Plumbing emergencies, HVAC issues, and other home services can be significant sources of stress for customers. Not only do they put customers’ lives on hold for as long as they take to repair, but they can also require customers to shell out a lot of cash. However, the way reps communicate about these issues can put anxious customers at ease.

One key to building trust and making customers feel relaxed is creating scenarios in which they’re able to share information and express themselves — this is known as a “customer story.” Longer conversations with more “interactivity,” the average number of speaker changes within each minute of a conversation, lead to better customer stories, longer time in customers’ homes, and more sales. In conversations that lead to increased average tickets, the average customer story is five minutes. This is the average reps should shoot for.

Demonstrating soft skills like active listening and empathy can also build trust with customers. And when reps educate customers about their urgent plumbing issues, it lends credibility to the process and establishes reps as reliable experts in the field. Silvia says education also helps to:

• Increase customer acceptance of services
• Justify purchases of plumbing supplies like faucets, pipes, and other plumbing products
• Clearly demonstrate value and benefits of services (i.e., improved efficiency, cost-savings)
• Reduce misunderstandings
• Build customer confidence 

When customers feel confident in their decision-making — especially in high-stress situations — it leads to higher satisfaction rates and reduced buyer’s remorse.

2. Simplify Complex Problems for Customers

Plumbing systems are often intricate, and issues aren’t always immediately visible, so it can be challenging for customers to really understand the problems they’re facing. And these aren’t just problems with their pipes — customers also have to navigate financial decisions, safety concerns, and who to hire to take care of it all. 

Silvia says it’s best to break down plumbing sales job complexities into layperson’s terms. A few techniques she suggests for reps:

• Visual aids and demonstrations: Display an agenda card (images that illustrate what will happen during the service visit), before-and-after photos (pre- and post-service photos that illustrate similar issues to those customers are having), and diagrams showing the functionality of plumbing systems.
• Detailed estimates: Provide pricing and financing options that give customers flexibility and control over their choices.
• Technician credentials: Highlight their company’s professionalism by sending customers brief plumber bios that mention their certifications, licenses, and any specialized training.‍
• Safety information: Explain any potential health risks associated with their plumbing issue (e.g., mold growth, contaminated water) and how professional plumbing services can mitigate them.

When reps simplify complex problems and make often unseen issues more tangible, it makes customers more confident in their investment. Peace of mind can help customers feel better about spending money repairing a problem they may not fully understand.

3. Highlight Preventative Solutions and Long-Term Benefits

Planning ahead helps customers keep their home systems running smoothly and avoid extensive repairs in the future. Silvia explains a few solutions and long-term benefits your reps can highlight for customers in the field:

• Preventative maintenance: Explain how regular upkeep can extend the lifespan of their systems.
• Energy efficiency: Speak to how certain upgrades (e.g., low-flow fixtures, energy-efficient water heaters) can reduce utility bills. 
• Avoiding future damage: Emphasize potential costs and damage that can be avoided by addressing plumbing issues early.

By leading with customer benefits — particularly benefits that help save money in the long run — reps put your business value upfront. And customers learn why their potentially large home service tickets are worth the investment.

4. Be Transparent When Addressing Concerns

“Handling objections and concerns effectively is crucial for converting calls and building trust with plumbing service customers,” Silvia says. And the best way to handle customer concerns is through transparent communication. 

When customers are considering common plumbing sales objections like price, timing, and competitor comparisons, it’s critical for reps to communicate clearly and openly. Here are a few ways Silvia suggests reps handle specific objections:

• Price: Reps can compare the cost of continued or extensive repairs to a one-time service cost and use visual aids to demonstrate the service’s value.
• “I need to think about it”: Reps should address the customer’s need for more time directly and provide them with reassurance. Help customers understand why it's urgent to address the problem now and remind them that they're already at their house and can move quickly.
• Competitor estimates: Reps can speak to your warranties, plumber qualifications, and products to differentiate your company from similar businesses or offerings.

Home services like plumbing repairs and HVAC sales are personal investments for homeowners. And for customers to fully understand and feel confident purchasing these services, reps need to walk customers through them. The more effectively reps can communicate with customers about their potential concerns, the quicker they can build trust and close deals.

5. Implement a Consistent Sales Process

Consistency is often the key to successes of all kinds — and plumbing sales are no different. One approach that Silvia’s team has found success with is the six-step sales process:

1. Prepare: Reps do research on the customer, then physically and mentally prepare for the interaction.
2. Greet: Reps first engage customers, ask them specific questions about their plumbing issue, and start building trust. This is where reps can also use their agenda card to explain the service process to customers. 
3. Explore: Reps continue to build trust with customers by asking lifestyle questions, listening, and taking notes about their concerns. This is also typically the step in which reps conduct a detailed needs assessment.
4. Present: Reps provide the customer with several personally tailored solutions that address their specific pain points and objections, and improve the quality of their life.
5. Execute: Technicians do the work and leave the area better than they found it.
6. 5-star service: Reps walk customers through the technician's work and request customers leave a good review.

By practicing and implementing this six-step sales process, reps can effectively — and consistently — demonstrate the value of your company’s services. And consistency breeds trust with customers.

6. Embrace Technology and Use Data to Your Benefit

As with most industries, digital tools have revolutionized field reps’ plumbing sales strategies, customer engagement, the way in which they track leads, and how their success is measured. And tools like Rilla’s virtual ridealong platform provide reps with real-time data that can help them optimize their sales techniques on-the-fly.

Other ways in which digital tools impact conversion strategies:

• Improved lead generation and management: Technology streamlines reps’ processes and makes it easier for them to identify, prioritize, and follow up with customers. 
• Improved customer engagement: Reps can provide timely information to customers through modern communication channels (e.g., email, text).
• Data-driven decision-making: Reps can review their customer and sales data through a customer relationship management (CRM) system and use metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine strategy adjustments.
• Performance monitoring and feedback: Virtual ridealongs allow managers to provide reps with instant feedback and remote coaching.
• Increased reach and visibility: Not only can plumbing companies attract customers beyond their immediate geographical areas, but managers can also coach reps in different physical locations.
• Mentorship and continuous learning: Reps can learn new strategies and tactics by reviewing top performers’ sales interactions. Managers can also design role-playing scenarios for reps using real-life customer conversations.

Technology can also keep plumbing reps updated on the latest industry trends, products, and sales training. It has provided reps with the freedom and flexibility to gain valuable experience and insights — from anywhere.

Help Your Plumbing Sales Flow Freely with Rilla

If reps want to stay competitive in plumbing, heating & air, and other home services sales fields, they need more than just basic industry know-how and a fancy sales pitch. They need a commitment to continuous improvement and access to technology and information to expand their reach beyond their city limits. 

Digital tools like Rilla can help reps and managers work together to improve the customer experience. Rilla’s real-time coaching and data-driven insights can give your reps a competitive edge both in commercial plumbing jobs with business owners and residential jobs with homeowners. And combined with informative demonstrations, a structured sales process, and open communication, it can help your reps build genuine relationships — and trust — with customers.

Ready to get started? Rilla can help. Contact us to book a demo and start closing more plumbing deals.