By Dominick Guarino
Like many during the pandemic, I have been checking important house projects off my to-do list. As a result, I've had a chance to spend time with salespeople from several different home services companies who came out to give me estimates on work ranging from roofing to gutter guards to generators.
It was an eye-opening experience. While I met with these contractors, in my mind, I tried to compare each experience to how the typical HVAC salesperson comes across to homeowners.
It was interesting to meet with salespeople who ranged from the used car "sales guy" to some very knowledgeable people who knew their stuff. It was apparent many of the better ones had once worked in the field.
For example, one of the roofing salespeople who worked for a large company showed up in a truck equipped with ladders and tools. He was very knowledgeable, and he even noticed a leaky boot on an exhaust vent, went to his truck, grabbed his caulk gun, and went back up the roof to seal it. That simple gesture immensely raised his credibility with me.
This series of different experiences led me to think about the different types of salespeople in our industry. It boiled down to two categories:
The Swap-out Salesperson
This HVAC salesperson has varying degrees of knowledge and sales abilities. His or her main focus is to replace equipment. Those at the high end of the spectrum are typically clean and well-spoken. They have their pitch down to a science, know all the latest closing techniques, and do a decent job convincing the customer to swap out their furnace or air conditioning equipment.
At the other end of the spectrum are the salespeople who mostly just show up – maybe. Some mutter a few words to the customer before they try to figure out the equipment size to quote like-for-like. The worst is even insulting to women, treating them like they are just the "pretty little lady" who couldn't possibly understand this stuff.
In fairness, many salespeople in our industry are somewhere in the middle. They may have a decent approach but often leave a lot on the table regarding what the HVAC company can do to provide good solutions to often long-standing issues.
The Knowledgeable, Teaching Salesperson
In contrast to the swap-out salesperson, these knowledgeable, teaching sales professionals understand how to deliver highly performing HVAC systems. They know how to test systems using high-quality instruments to learn enough to educate their customers about their HVAC system and why it's acting the way it is.
The knowledgeable salesperson sizes equipment properly and includes solutions to issues uncovered during the walk-through with the homeowner.
These salespeople check the system's blood pressure and estimate airflow. They convince the homeowner to go with them as they walk through the house, asking key questions about their comfort, air quality, and so forth. As the salesperson tests airflow in problem areas, they teach the customer what they are doing and why in simple laymen's terms.
Rather than just quote "like for like" replacements, they size equipment properly and include solutions to issues uncovered during the walk-through with the homeowner. In other words, rather than trying to "sell" customers or hard close them, they educate them on being smarter buyers.
When done right, the customer asks you how soon you can do the work. They usually aren't quibbling about the price because they plainly see the value in what is being offered.
Which Would You Choose?
As a customer, who would you rather buy from? The second salesperson can effectively dismiss their competition. When done correctly, this approach makes the average consumer more knowledgeable than most or all of your competitors who come in before or after you.
The fact that the competition appears clueless puts you head and shoulders above the others who were just focused on swapping out the boxes.
The fact that the competition appears clueless puts you head and shoulders above the others who were just focused on swapping out the boxes.
If you see yourself somewhere in the spectrum of the first salesperson, this is a great time to take your game to the next level. There's lots of excellent education available on becoming a high-performance salesperson who comes across to customers as a true HVAC professional.
Dominick Guarino is CEO of National Comfort Institute (NCI) (www.nationalcomfortinstitute.com), the nation's premier High-Performance training, certification, and membership organization focused on helping contractors grow and become more profitable. His e-mail is [email protected]. For more info on Performance-Based Contracting™, go to WhyPBC.com or call NCI at 800/633-7058.
Quote: "Rather than trying to "sell" customers or hard close them, they educate them on how to be a smarter buyer."