Stop Selling and Start Serving

“People don't like to be sold, but they love to buy.” Jeffrey Gitomer

We must move beyond selling to homeowners and transition to serving homeowners. There are two reasons to make this change: the vast amount of knowledge and research homeowners do before purchasing a new HVAC system and the homeowner’s contaminated perception of contractors. Our approach must consist of transparency, expertise, and an openness to present options based on the homeowner's needs and wants. This is an emotional purchase that exceeds logic, caused by the expense they are about to incur.

Our position, as an expert and a service professional, commands our undivided attention from the communication connection with our office to our demeanor the moment we pull up to their home. Our first impression, our truck and uniform cleanliness, our greeting clearly stating customer’s expectations, set the tone for the in-home evaluation.

Our paradigm must shift from sales to service through education, asking great questions, listening, taking notes, and building trust, all through our positive attitude and empathic understanding.

Your number one goal is to create a “WOW” experience for this client.

Mindset is the starting point and this begins as you travel to the customer’s home. What are you feeding your mind? Have you researched the home before getting into the car? Have you pre-judged the client based on where they live or other external factors that have nothing to do with their ability or desire to use your company? If you pull up believing they can’t afford your company and won’t buy anything … you are correct. That negative mindset will set up failure every time. Start with the mindset of another great opportunity to serve this customer! Understand that you have a responsibility as an expert in the HVAC field to always exceed their expectations.

Your number one goal is to create a “WOW” experience for this client by first differentiating yourself and your company from every other operation. And this begins with serving the customer. Why should I buy from you and your company? How will you serve me? What makes you stand above the rest? If you attempt to compete on price, there is a strong chance you will fail. You must build value and trust through unique conversations with your client and your attitude of positivity, ability to listen and willingness to serve and go above and beyond. People buy from people they like. It’s an emotional purchase that depends on their experience with you. It’s conscious empathy focused on serving others with real intent and the understanding of their emotional state of being. Although you may do this every day, your customer only experiences this pain about two to three times in a lifetime. This experience is unique to them.

A “WOW” experience is that moment when your client realizes you went above and beyond. You have won the moment. Anyone can walk into a home and talk about HVAC and quote a price. It takes a conscious effort, to apply a servant, leadership-driven passion to guide the homeowner with the freedom to choose what investment they desire. We are offering comfort, safety, reliability, and energy efficiency. It has nothing to do with the commodity we sell but has everything to do with the experience we provide. Exceptional, over-the-top customer experiences is our value proposition where we compete beyond price. When I think of exceptional businesses outside our industry that constantly create “WOW” experiences, I think of Disney, Apple, Chick-fil-A, Ritz Carlton … and none of these flagships compete on price. They simply raise the bar with the priority of providing every client amazing service driven by empathy, respect, honesty.

So, I ask you: What WOW service are you going to provide to convince me I should use your company over every other HVAC company in your market? 

In-home sales, and the customer experience delivered during the process, is a key for any home services company. To learn more about the process, and to access a free training package of resources that includes industry research, video lessons, sample presentation materials and more, visit EGIA.org/CBS-IHS.

Brigham Dickinson is president and founder of Power Selling Pros (www.powersellingpros.com), a leading coaching and training firm dedicated to teaching businesses to WOW more customers. Brigham is also a founding faculty member of EGIA Contractor University (www.egia.org/university).