Latest from Best Practices
Sponsored
Every one of us is in sales. And, all of us are good at sales. Let me give you an example. You are in a relationship with another person. You are dating, engaged or married. Some of you are single but you want to be dating, engaged or married, right? To have that significant other in your life, you had to make a call or ask them out in person. For you to even get to that point you had to be someone they would want to see more of. Be someone of value on a regular basis long enough for them to see you as a potential long-time companion. You had to clean yourself up, look good, smell good enough times so they would look at you and say, “Hey, I want that!” And “that” was you.
You sold yourself to that person. You have probably done it many times in your life. Over and over you have helped other people get what they want: YOU! You are what people want. They want your charm, your knowledge, your help. Your service customers want you too. No, not like that. But they want and need you to help them get what they want.
So, what does a service customer need and want? First, they want their comfort restored. When you do that you are already the hero. We have to look around to find out what the next need is. Did you just repair a 23-year-old furnace? Is the water heater old and inefficient? Is the ductwork falling apart? Is the thermostat old? Is there mercury in it? Just look around.
Many of us miss these opportunities to help customers save money and become more comfortable. Let’s be clear. A 23-year-old furnace is costing them way too much in utilities and repairs. They will save money if they replace it. That old water heater is not only costing more than it should to heat water but because it is probably full of sediment, it could break and spill hundreds of gallons of water on their floor creating an expensive mess. And ductwork issues make the system work harder. Programmable thermostats save approximately 10 percent off their heating and cooling bills every year. Hundreds of dollars wasted until it gets replaced.
Are you allowing your customers to waste their hard-earned dollars? Let’s say your mother takes her car into the shop for a tune-up. The mechanic fails to tell her that her tires are worn and are becoming dangerous. His shop does not sell tires so he does not think it is his responsibility to address tires. But he knows they are bad. A professional mechanic had the opportunity to explain to your mother how she could be safer and he said nothing. How does that make you feel? Would that upset you?
Don’t be that person. Don’t be the one who could have helped someone save money and said nothing. Don’t be the one who didn’t say anything about the old leaky water heater. Don’t be the one who did not address the flue piping issue because you were there to fix the air conditioner. Talk to people. They will appreciate what you have to say when you are compassionate and helpful. If you are just trying to make some extra money by creating a lead for the sales department they will see through you. If they need to consider a new system, then let them know why. If they don’t need a new system, don’t talk to them about one.
When you do it for the right reasons you will be successful. Truly care about people. Think about what you would want to know after having a professional look at your equipment. You would want to know whatever they observed and what should be done. Give your customer options to keep what they have. They will appreciate that too, but let them know the cost of keeping what they have. They have the right to know either way and you will be amazed at how many people will choose to do the right thing.
Establishing good relationships with customers and turning those relationships into ongoing leads and sales starts with the technician communication process. To learn more about tech communications and selling, and to download a free training package complete with an online course, step-by-step in-home presentations, industry research and much more, visit www.EGIA.org/CBS-Techselling.
Mike Treas brings experience in the contracting industry as a sales manager and comfort advisor for one of the largest and most well-respected residential heating and air conditioning contractors in the United States. He has personally worked with hundreds of contracting companies across North America conducting training and consulting in the areas of sales, sales management, business management, customer service and technician lead generation training. His background consists of 35 years in sales and sales management bringing expertise, knowledge, techniques and strategies proven in the contracting industry to increase sales. He is an EGIA Contractor University faculty member.