Cut the Crap: At Last! a Book for the Plumbing Technician

By Lawrence Enright

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9781462816804

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Copyright © 2008 by Lawrence Enright.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

47581

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

The Company

The Support System

Team Players

Owners and Upper Management

Equipment

Vehicles

Subcontractors

Medical and Retirement Plans

Number of Potential Sale Calls

Chapter 2

The Customer

Setting the Stage

The Typical Scenario and Approach

The Typical Customer Response

Now Let’s Try It My Way

My Key Principles

Approach Number 1

Approach Number 2

Let’s Discuss Those Responses Further

Chapter 3

Fear

The Fear of Talking

Fear of Asking for Help from a Coworker

Using Fear to Sell a Job

People Skills

Chapter 4

Building a Business Within a Business

Building a Customer Base

Chapter 5

Sales

If a Person Likes You, Believes in You, and Can Trust You, They’ll Buy from You

Chapter 6

Selling Your Services

Drain Cleaning: Main Line Stoppage

Cleanouts

Kitchen Sink Stoppage

Tub/Shower and Bathroom Sinks

Laundry Line Stoppages

Toilet Stoppages

Fixture Leaks

Shutoff Valves

Shower Valves

Pressure Regulators

Water Heaters

Other Ways to Sell a Recirculation Pump

Chapter 7

Final Thoughts

Thanks to my wife who puts up with all my crazy ideas and makes it possible for me to do what I do.

Dedication

To my family, friends, and coworkers. This book would not have been possible without the efforts, dedication, and talents of every person I have ever worked with in the plumbing industry. The success of all the technicians I have taught from day one has convinced me that I should publish this book.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Tammy Dinwiddie and Kristi Bibbey for jumping in to help me with this book, no questions asked. If it weren’t for the two of you, I don’t think it would have ever come to life. Thank you very much for all your help.

Introduction

It has been said for many years, and is a running joke, that a plumber makes more money than a doctor. There is some truth to that. If you think about it, in order to become a doctor, one has to go to school for many years and borrow several thousand dollars before they obtain their degree and begin their career. Then they spend several years working to pay back what they’ve borrowed.

What does it cost and how long does it take to become a plumber? It costs virtually nothing and takes little time. There are no loans to pay back, and a plumber actually gets paid during the training process. Once properly trained, a plumber can make more money well before a doctor hour for hour, year after year.

Think about it for a minute. If you choose an occupation, such as a doctor, lawyer, or any other high-paying profession, you need to learn everything about your practice in order to be successful. Why is it that most plumbers don’t study what it is that they make their living at? Don’t you think that you should know all there is to know about what it is you do? You are your most valuable asset, so invest in it. You too could easily make a six-figure income in this business.

I had never worked for a plumbing service company. I came from the construction industry. It wasn’t until I worked on a few jobs, helping friends and family, that I discovered how difficult it was to find a good plumbing service company. I realized at that moment all I had to do was show up on time and give them what they want, and they give me their money. This was too easy. I wanted in.

I am a regular guy who came up the hard way, with lots of hard work. I don’t have an education in business. I don’t even have a high school diploma for that matter!

Ever since I was a young kid, I have been working. I started when I was ten years old, delivering newspapers and picking and selling avocados. I worked for fast-food chains and worked at a golf course. One day, I became a plumber.

The one most important thing I learned was customer service. The next most important thing was making the sale! Most of everything I have learned has been self-taught. I have studied, listened, experimented, and figured out what it takes to be successful. Now I own and run a multimillion-dollar plumbing company.

Whether you work in the plumbing industry or any other service-based business, this book will help you. I will give you answers. You won’t find all of them, but you will find ones that work. I will tell you what it takes to be successful in the service business, plumbing or otherwise. What do you have to lose? A little time, a little money, you never know. This book may just change the way you think and work. Why not give it a try? You can always go back to what you are doing now. These are tools that simplified the plumbing service business for me.

I would never ask you to do something that I have never tried myself. My ideas have been proven to work! If any of these ideas work for you, then you are one step closer to success. If they don’t work for you, I suggest you find what does. Educate yourself and make the best of what you can.

I have learned hundreds, possibly even thousands, of things. Some of which I will share with you in this book. I have been asked several times throughout the years by techs just getting started in the business if there is a book or video that they could get their hands on to help them in this industry. Honestly, there are very few out there, but not much to them. That’s when I decided to put one together for you.

I believe it is important to educate our industry by teaching people how to do the job right and how to charge the right price. Educating technicians is a win-win combination for both the customer and the industry. If we don’t take the time to teach our technicians, then at some point our technicians will become our competition, performing low quality work and charging low prices, eventually ruining it for everyone in this business. As a consequence, it’s our customers who end up with poor quality work.

There are three basic things as a plumber you need to know in order to be a top tech at a