The news is reporting some recent leaks about the new iPhone, perhaps you’ve read some of it. Consumers are looking for some design changes and a price point that is a little lower than the $1,000 model of the iPhone X.
Most service business owners might overlook this information unless you’re a really big iPhone fan. Otherwise, it’s just tech news that can get drowned out in the busy days of service business owners.
But did you know that the iPhone news can affect your service business? It can! In ways you probably don’t expect.
Let me explain…
Insight #1. iPhones prove that customers aren’t price sensitive. When you go into a customer’s home to sell your services, has a customer ever waffled on their commitment because of the price of your services? As services business owners, we often present our prices and expect our customers to be extremely price sensitive. Yet, if they have ever bought a new iPhone, they are not price sensitive. The iPhone costs hundreds of dollars—as much as $1000—yet has the same functionality as many less-expensive models and brands.
So, when selling to customers, point out that people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a mobile device that keeps them connected to people; surely an investment of a few hundred dollars for their family’s safety and comfort is worth just as much (especially if it lasts longer than an iPhone!) Even if your customers don’t own an iPhone, they will understand the price comparison.
Insight #2. iPhones prove that branding is the secret ingredient. Do your customers call you up because they found your company in the Yellow Pages or maybe because they saw a flyer? They probably did. But the truth is, unless you really WOW your customers with service, they probably won’t remember you because many service business companies have forgettable branding.
Now, compare that to Apple. EVERYBODY knows Apple’s brand. It is powerful and reinforced constantly. In fact, people who are really pro-Apple who might be reading this blog could be so passionate about the Apple brand that they took offense to my suggestion that other phones offered the same functionality as an iPhone. Most of us realize and agree with that but fiercely passionate Apple fans would argue all day long against that idea.
Imagine what it would be like if you created a strong brand with your company—a brand that is as strong as Apple’s brand. Imagine if you had customers who were as fiercely loyal to you as Apple’s customers are loyal to them. What kind of impact would that have on your business?
It’s possible to achieve that by building a strong brand and by reinforcing it over and over again whenever possible. This is hard work (and it’s work that a home service business owner isn’t necessarily equipped to do on their own) but just imagine the long-term impact to your business when you have a brand like that!
Insight #3. iPhones prepare our customers to replace equipment before its life cycle is over. Do you think that your customers hold on to their furnace until it dies and then they look for a replacement? Some customers do that because they don’t realize it’s breaking down, or they are reluctant to invest the money until absolutely necessary, but many customers understand that you can and should replace your equipment before it stops working. This ahead-of-time replacement concept has been taught to customers by Apple. They come out with an iPhone every year, and people line up to spend hundreds of dollars on the phone just to have the latest and greatest device, even though their existing phone works just fine.
Can you use that concept in your sales interaction with your customers? Sure, you’re not selling them an HVAC system every single year but you can use the example of the iPhone to illustrate that they shouldn’t wait until their HVAC system breaks down before they invest in a new one. Rather, they should invest in a new one while their current one is still working to ensure a seamless transition.
Summary
Not every customer will be a big iPhone user or will relate to the iPhone examples above. Some of your customers simply don’t buy new iPhones as much as others. It depends on your avatar. But if you have customers who buy and love iPhones, or are at least aware of how popular iPhones are, you may be able to use this in your sales interactions to help your customers.
If you want more ideas and strategies to help you market and sell your services, and also to help you build a powerful brand to create fiercely loyal followers, then make sure you come to Service Business Edge. These 4-day events reveal powerful marketing, sales, and branding strategies that work in service businesses and can help you generate more wealth, freedom, and market domination for you and your service business. To learn more about Service Business Edge, and to see when the next event is being held, visit ServiceBusinessEdge.com.
