Separating the Experts from the Hustlers…

This is a subject very close to me, trust is everything and unfortunately within our industry it's in very short supply. Verity, who is new to our new team, picked up on this issue and after just 1 week in the office, has written this true story, which is her view on how to separate the experts from the hustlers...

By Verity Stone - Chief trust officer at WFP

You’ve worked hard to build your business, so the last thing you need is to fail to protect it.

Although, with a market that’s packed with fire alarm specialists claiming to offer the best service, it’s hard to separate the experts from the hustlers.

Take one of our recent enquirers (who we’ll name Sheila to conceal her top-secret identity).

Sheila, a café owner, recently had a fire risk assessment carried out on her commercial property. She was told she should take fast action to make sure her building was compliant with fire safety regulations. And, of course, safe.

As anyone would, Sheila panicked and was put under pressure by her landlord to get the job done quickly and affordably.

To make matters worse, her fire risk assessor hadn’t specified the level of cover she needed. That’s basically like asking for a set of curtains but giving no dimensions.

Searching for a Needle in a Haystack

Sheila took to Google in search of her fire alarm knight in shining armour. But she broke a sweat when saw just how many there were. On top of this, without knowing the level of cover she needed, she didn’t even know what to ask for!

Eventually, Sheila managed to whittle it down to five companies and began to call them one-by-one.

One fire alarm installer told her she needed a new extensive system and quoted her their price…

Another told her they needed to do an initial survey, quoting an entirely different price.

So on, and so forth.

And all of these quotes came without knowing those vital dimensions, in other words, the level of cover she needed. What psychic powers these companies must have had!

By the time she called us, well – let’s just say – Sheila was ready to pull her hair out.

Paul, our Managing Director, grasped after about the second sentence into the phone call that Sheila didn’t know who to trust.

Paul took it upon himself to call the fire risk assessor and find out the level of cover Sheila needed.

The diagnosis: an L3 alarm. Success! We’re now on our way to solving Sheila’s problem.

Except, there was still one major dilemma. How could we convince Sheila that we were the right company to do the job? How could we gain her trust?

Instead of trying to sell sceptical Sheila his opinion, Paul gave her one simple solution to finding her fire safety diamond in the rough…

Check out the Google Reviews!

There’s one way to tell that a company offers expert advice, professional customer service and a fair price. It’s not by hearing what THEY have to say but what their CUSTOMERS have to say about them.

Whether it’s a fire alarm or a new set of curtains you’re after, chances are you’re going to pick the brand that has a raving customer base. Not the one that’s supposedly offering the best service but not even the crickets are leaving them Google reviews.

At WFP Fire & Security, we encourage our customers to do the talking for us. So, if you’re like Sheila and you need a new fire alarm but you’re unsure we’re the right call, just pop a search in Google. See what everyone else has to say.

It’s that simple.

No sweet talking, no hustling.

Sheila can go back to feeding her hungry customers, safe in the knowledge that she’s chosen a company that’s been given the thumbs up by a number of people before her.

Be Like Sheila