The Energy Savings Presentation
If the customer honestly believes that a new system will indeed pay for itself over its lifetime, then they will buy one — if not from you, from someone. (Note — Don’t go into how many years it takes for the energy savings to pay for the equipment. The fact that it will pay for itself over the lifetime of the equipment is more than adequate.)
Occasionally, you’ll find that the energy savings aren’t all that great. Never consider yourself the final authority as to whether or not the customer’s savings are high enough to justify investing in new equipment.
I use www.hvacpcost.com to show energy savings. It’s a free site and very intuitive. For a small annual fee, you can find the original energy efficiency rating of the prospect’s old equipment at www.prestonsguide.com.
Divide the annual operating cost of their old equipment, and the new equipment you’re recommending, by the number of operating hours and degree days; that will give you the cost per hour to operate their equipment. I find that, while customers may or may not believe the large savings they’re going to save for the year, I don’t recall anyone disputing the operating cost per hour, and they tend to get rather excited about it.
Look the homeowner straight in the eye and ask, “Is there any doubt in your mind as to your receiving the energy savings we’ve discussed when I install your new equipment for you?”
If you’ve got credibility, they’ll generally say “No.” Regardless of their answer, ask them, “Why?”
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Part 9: CLICK HERE
Part 10: CLICK HERE
They’ll frequently say, “I’ve had the utility company out here, and I’ve had your competitors out here. They’ve all given me all kinds of numbers on how much money I’m going to save on my utilities when I replace my furnace and air conditioners. Yours are the lowest. Consequently, I believe you’re the only one who’s being honest with me and actually knows what he’s talking about.”
This is an all time high for the call, so it’s time to start wrapping things up and prepare to close.
The “Walk-Through” Close
You want to help your prospects envision themselves enjoying the benefits of owning the equipment. Do that by painting a word picture of a quick, upbeat, energetic and very general description of the replacement job. Included in that description are some subtle hints that I’m looking out for their best interests by not overdoing anything or leaving anything out that really should be done.
You've been sitting for a while and it's time to get their blood pumping and their energy level up before asking them to buy, by asking, "You want to know exactly what I'm going to do?"
They'll say, "Of course. That's what we've been waiting for."
Take them to their indoor equipment. Their seeing it all opened up, dirty, and falling apart helps to remind them of their sense of urgency.
Say something like, “Everything from here to here will be brand new. This over here all looks good, so I couldn't see spending the money to replace it. If it needed replacing, I'd do it, but it doesn't. I'm going to enlarge this duct over here so you get more air through it. This will make it, cooler, so you'll be able to sleep better at night. See all these minor air leaks? Put your hand over here and feel that. I’m going to seal all those. Can you imagine what that’s going to do for your comfort and energy efficiency? Sound good to you?”
I then provide a brief description of the installation process. It goes like this: “Once we reach an agreement, I’ll take a credit application. I’ll handle all the paperwork on that. You won’t have to go anywhere or do anything. After obtaining credit approval, I’ll call you to confirm the installation date. In the mean time, I’ll get together with the installers and go over the job with them. They get into the office in the morning and load the truck, then head over to your house. They probably won’t be here until nine o’clock or so. The job will take two days, but you won’t be without heat or air conditioning overnight, they won’t leave a mess between the two days, and it will be done on two consecutive days. I’ll come out and visit the job while it’s going in to make sure they’re doing everything according to my specifications. Sound good to you?”
I’ll usually take them back to the kitchen table to complete the closing procedure and reach an agreement.
Next month, we'll actually close the deal using my signature move, "The Paper Towel Close."
CHARLIE GREER was recently voted the 'Favorite Industry Trainer," and is the creator of the audio book, "Slacker's Guide to HVAC Sales." For information on Charlie's products, or to get him out to your shop, call 1-800-963-HVAC (4822) or go to www.hvacprofitboosters.com. Email your sales questions to [email protected].