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As contractors mature they become increasingly aware that chasing after every potential customer requires a lot of time and money.

For more efficient sales results you must clearly define what type of customer is most profitable to your business. A visual representation of this effort has been referred to as the sales funnel. The sales funnel is the process of identifying the right customer for your business, which increases your "hit ratio" of landing desired work.

In this issue and the next we will look at proven techniques and processes that will significantly increase your hit ratio of success in selling.

1. Differentiation. The ability to demonstrate that you are unique from other pavement maintenance contractors is perhaps the most significant effort you can make toward improving sales. In marketing terms, we often refer to this as your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition. This can be a slogan, or phrase, but ultimately it is based not on what you think, but on market research that clearly identifies what your customers see as your advantage.

Most contractors answer the question "what makes you different?" by saying they perform quality work. Well, guess what? Every paving, striping, sealcoating, sweeping, and maintenance contractor in the United States believes he performs quality work. Quality is rarely a defining difference between two or more reputable contractors.