General contractor here, I ran a large service department w/ 26 service reps in 1 location. Here is what we did:
Price condition: Ask clients if they have any idea of what this (repair/replacement) might cost now. Then correct their options with large ranges that are at the high end of your pricing and/or slightly higher so they aren't blind sided by the time you actually give real prices
Proper expectations: Lay out the overview of how your appointments go so the homeowner is less nervous.
Establish yourself: Educate homeowners on WHY things failed or need to be upgraded so you are known as the knowledgable professional
Estimates: write enough information (value) for customers to recognize your expertise and work going into it. Being too specific can harm you as well so keep some loose terms in there that prevent arguments over dollar and cents. (i.e. Replace "up to" 25 ft. pipe and properly seal to existing plumbing, "approximately", "as needed up to") This stops them for arguing for more money back when you replace 23 ft.).
Liability & Upselling: Often, the minimum would be the item that we are 70-90% sure is the ONLY problem. However, to "WARRANTY" that we fixed all of the issues in the area, we recommend replacing additionals in the area. 99/100 go with the warranty for the extra. We also would give the option/recommendation to replace with an estimated timeframe so they could judge if it's good money after bad to repair.
Sales: Using photos and large ipad (with expecatations of how appointment is ran) resulted in customers not hovering as much because they were getting a rundown with photos when I was done diagnosing. A larger screen helps lock in the problem that often times gets brushed out of sight, out of mind. Ask for the sale and if they need anything further from you to make a decision. If they will not make a decision there, get a time commitment from them on when they could make a decision by and follow up on that day.
Now that I'm running my business 5-10 employees, our average ticket has grown by $10k every year for the past 4 years.
