If your service technicians are generating lower-than-normal average service invoices because customers are turning down recommended services, it may be a good time for them to learn the "Done Deal" presentation.
I taught this presentation at a friend's HVAC service company in June, and that month the average service technician's sales increased by almost exactly $10,000 and there was a company-wide increase in sales of more than 20% compared to June 2011. This was at a company whose unique selling proposition is that, regardless of the nature of the call, be it a routine maintenance call for a service agreement customer to a breakdown call, and regardless of the neighborhood, the condition of the home, how the customer is acting, and whether or not the customer appears to have money, they always do a complete inspection and provide an itemized list, in order of priority, of every single deficiency in the system.
These highly trained technicians quote so much so often that they are very used to providing a list of a dozen or so items, much of it pertaining to IAQ and duct renovation. To these technicians, cleaning equipment is not optional. In their mind, replacing the one part in a non-operating system just to get it running, but leaving the coils and blower dirty, or the ductwork undersized, is unethical. They don't worry about being seen as salesmen, or quoting way more than any other technician they’ve met ever does. All they're concerned about is giving every customer they meet at least the opportunity to keep their HVAC equipment running at peak efficiency and making the air in their homes and businesses and clean as possible. They are true HVAC professionals. A side benefit to this is that they don't run many "no charge" callbacks. In nearly every callback, the list they made supplies documentation that the reason for the callback was something they warned the customer would happen eventually.
This company was the perfect place to successfully implement the Done Deal presentation. But it can work in any company.
The Presentation
Here is how the Done Deal presentation works for a service technician.
As soon as you get the initial introductions out of the way and tell the customer you'll get started, the last thing you do is ask, "If I should find any deficiencies in your system, and I'm not saying I will, do you want me to call them to your attention?" Of course, the customer will say yes.
After completing your inspection and compiling your list, approach the customer and say, "I've completed my diagnosis and inspection. Would you like to know exactly what is wrong with your system, the expenses involved, and how long it will take to fix them?"
When the customer responds in the affirmative, ask, "Do you remember when I asked you if I find any deficiencies in your system, do you want me to call them to your attention?" When you get a yes, say, "I did find some deficiencies. Do you want to know what they are?"
After another yes, ask, "While we're at it, would you like to know what is required to return your air conditioning and heating system to its original, factory-fresh condition?" It’s unusual for anyone to not at least be curious, so you’ll get a yes on that as well. You've just been given permission to quote about as many things as you want.
Say, "I've compiled a list for you. There are three categories on this list. There are some things on this list that are mandatory; you don't really get a choice on them. There are some things that can be put off until later, and there are some system enhancements on it that would just be nice to have."
At this point, present and explain your list of items. Then ask, "So, you want to know how much all this is going to cost?"
When you get a yes, say, "As far as the pricing goes, everything comes out of our standardized price guide. This is your assurance that I'm not looking at you and trying to determine how much money you have, making prices up as I go along, or charging different prices by the neighborhood. With the exception of our service agreement customers, everyone pays the same rate, regardless of who they are, where they live, or which tech does the job. Service agreement customers get a discount.
"And as far as I'm concerned, my job is to charge you the least amount of money possible.
"I'll be happy to show you all the prices straight out of the book, but what I normally do is write them down on a sheet of paper to make it easier for you to read." At this point pull out your list.
"As you can see, there are two prices for everything. That's because our service agreement customers get a discount. You pay for the agreement, but the discounts offset the price of the agreement.
"As a courtesy, and with your permission, I'll go ahead and make you a service agreement customer as if you were already one before I got here. That way I can give you all the discounts and keep your bill as low as possible."
You don't need to go over each line on this list. Just run your finger down it and say, "These are the things that are mandatory. You don't really get a choice on them, so that's a done deal."
That's the key phrase right there. That’s the phrase that increased the closing ratios for this company's technicians.
Next, move on to the rest of the list. Explain, "These are things that don't need to be done today, but will need to be done in the very near future, and because of the way our pricing structure works, where the more we do for you on each trip the more discounts you get, it would be a good idea for you to have me do them for you today.
"And these are the system enhancements I mentioned to you earlier, that again, because of the way our pricing structure works, if you think you might want to get them some at time in the future, and you’ve got the money, they’ll never be any cheaper than they are today.
"So, what do you want to do? Do you want to go with the bare minimum, go half-way, or go all the way?"
Print this article for your techs. Have them memorize it and role-play them on it. They’ll make more sales and in the process help your customers save a lot of money and live healthier, happier lives.
Charlie Greer is the creator of "Tec Daddy's Service Technician Survival School on DVD," the video sales training series that provides you with a year's worth of pre-planned 30-minute weekly sales training meetings for your techs. Just pop in the videos and stand back as sales, profits, and employee and customer satisfaction go up. Visit Charlie on the web at www.hvacprofitboosters.com, call him at 800/963-HVAC (4822), or email him at [email protected].