Austin, Texas
June 2012
Inside:
 Simple Sales Strategies
 Does ACCA Have That?
 The Art of Management
Volume 7, Issue 1
Letter from the
Executive
Marketing
Opportunity Knocks on a Year-Round
Income (and Profit) Stream
Hello Friends,
By Adams Hudson
Summer is here and
it’s getting hotter by
the moment.
We hope that as the
weather heats up, your
business is following
suit. Now’s the time to
use the weather to your
advantage. If for some
reason – the slowed
e c o n o m y, h i g h f u e l
prices, or your market is
sluggish – turn to your
ACCAdemics for tips on
bringing in more revenue.
And, of course, we’re
always ready here at
the Austin Chapter to
help in whatever way
we can to move your
business forward. So
thanks for allowing us to
be part of your success.
Meeting ideas, locations,
suggestions are always
welcome! Contact any
Member or Board of
Director
for
your
comments. Find us at
www.accaAustin.org
Cynthia Sanders
Executive Director
[email protected]
I’ve been working with contractors for a long time – many of whom have
had awe-inspiring success. Yet, I’ve met quite a few who have not. It’s
my observation that the majority in the second group tend to fall for the
biggest bugaboo in business: missed opportunity.
Success in HVAC sales rests on selling value – not equipment, not price
breaks, not even your charming smile. So, never present the price apart
from presenting the value of doing business with you and your company.
Perhaps the BIGGEST warning sign that you’ve taken membership in the
“missed opportunity” brigade is this: you don’t try to keep the customers
you’ve got. The fact is, your current customers should be viewed differently
from other prospects, and they should be contacted differently and more
often. Anything less and you’re missing a tremendous opportunity.
Just such an opportunity is indeed knocking and you’ll find it in
Maintenance Agreements. When you offer Maintenance Agreements to your
customers, you position your business above your competitors by:
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Creating a more predictable profit center, where income comes in year-round.
Providing yourself a “built-in” mechanism for contacting and visiting your
customers multiple times a year – keeping your name foremost in their
minds for future sales and referrals.
Developing an ever-expanding customer base that funds itself and pays
huge profits – much better than paying for less loyal new customers.
Keeping good employees profitably active in the “off-season.”
A Maintenance Agreement takes your technicians into your customers’
homes two times a year for a full system evaluation, for which you’ll be
paid. Plus, Maintenance Agreements strengthen a contracting company’s
bottom line, typically adding thousands of dollars of predictable profit. By
providing year-round work and cash flow, they are very important for a
company’s financial health.
Imagine being able to start the year knowing you’ve got appreciative,
high-value customers with a prepaid service that only needs scheduling.
Now, that’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed!
Adams Hudson is ACCA’s National Marketing Partner. You can request his free
marketing and sales magazine by emailing [email protected].
©2011
Hudson, Ink Corp.
2
Simple Sales
The Strategies
Secret to
Your Success
Train Your Techs to Sell
“I Wonder If ACCA
Has That for Me?”
During peak seasons, your competition would gladly eat your lunch if
you settled back. Here’s a big-time warning: DO NOT get pulled
under the mat by service calls.
Want to keep up with the latest
news in the industry? Look no
further than ACCA…
It is quite easy to do. You get a bunch of calls, you think you’re busy,
your guys work 72-hour weeks and then you take a breath sometime in
early fall only to find that you’ve spent the summer fixing instead of
installing. Oh well, maybe next year.
As needed, ACCA offers “Hot
Topics” webinars exclusively
for our members, covering
breaking news or items of
urgent importance to the
HVACR industry. Members
may participate in “Hot Topics”
at no charge, and as soon as
possible after the webinars are
held, we make recordings
available for viewing online.
So, if you’re getting tons of service calls, when would it be wise to
offer a service or product upgrade? When the tech is at the home!
What about a Maintenance Agreement? What about offering the 3option close: “Repair, Replace or Upgrade”?
Your techs can see opportunities for upsells – if they look for them.
But it’s not always easy for them to do what you might think is so
obvious.
Technicians can have a hard time “morphing” from tech to salesman.
They’re technicians and usually not salespeople. To help here, you
can do one of two things. You can have them call in a “Field Rep” for
a second opinion when the opportunity is there (and pay a bonus if it
sells). Or, you can have them trained by your salespeople or pro
trainers to overcome objections and capitalize on sales situations.
Arm your technicians with the words and tools to capitalize on good
opportunities. This could include a few phrases to “paint” the sales
picture; 3 ways to overcome objections; 3 “do-all” sales closes; or a
few comfort guarantees. To complete the “upsell” job, they must have
the sales tools they need.
All technicians should know how to sell benefits of replacing an older
system. All technicians should be schooled on energy savings
(especially in regard to the age of the system), repair savings, new
system warranties, property value increase, financing and overall
comfort now.
Your techs should carry a price book, and last but not least, they
should get some sort of incentive for selling benefits to the customer.
This incentive is most likely a commission on the sale or a simple $100
on a split, $200 on a full system, or whatever.
But make sure you impress upon them that “selling” should meet a real
need, not take advantage of a customer you are serving. The first time
you catch someone selling a system that the customer really could’ve
gone without, immediate walking papers are in order.
The better you develop a tech’s skills, the better your profits are likely
to improve. The tech is there. The need is there. The customer can
buy. Why don’t you all get together?
Learn more at www.acca.org.
Yeah. ACCA has that for you.
SmartWords
“Business is a
combination of war
and sport.”
Andre Maurois
Product Spotlight
Elite Software
RHVAC completely implements
the Manual J 8th edition with all
addenda on your computer.
Calculates heating and cooling
requirements for rooms, zones,
systems, and whole buildings.
Plus thousands of modern
construction materials are
accounted for.
Learn more when you visit
www.acca.org/store.
3
ACCA Benefit Highlight
News Flash
Industry Relations
The Latest from
ACCA National
ACCA takes seriously our mission to represent our members before the
manufacturers and corporations whose products and policies impact the
contracting industry. Hence the CO-STARS program (Committee on Special
Talks to Advance Relations and Strategies) to bring contractors and senior
manufacturer executives to discuss areas of mutual concern, and create
specific solutions that can help the entire industry.
CO-STARS meetings are held 1-3 times a year with various manufacturers in
both the residential and commercial sectors. For more information on ACCA’s
Industry Relations program, contact Hilary Atkins at [email protected].
The Art of Management
Sometimes, You Just Have to Let Go
It’s inevitable. If you run, own or manage a business, at some point
you’re going to have to let someone go. It’s not pleasant for anyone,
but delaying can only cause more hassle, frustration, and in some
cases, lost revenue.
But just because you have to let someone go, doesn’t mean harsh
feelings have to be involved. Perhaps it just wasn’t a good fit. It’s
business, not personal, and these tips will help you keep it that way:
1. Be direct. Trying to sugarcoat the news only makes it harder for
both of you.
2. If you feel you should, offer one or two reasons for the
termination, but avoid any long or drawn out discussions of
what went wrong.
3. Have everything you need for the termination before you begin
– that means final paychecks, any severance pay and necessary
personnel forms.
4. Shake hands, wish the departing employee well, and thank them
for their time with your company.
5. Keep your other employees in the loop. While you certainly
shouldn’t spread the news around the office before you meet with
the terminated employee, a short meeting afterwards to inform the
rest of your staff will calm the questions and water-cooler whispers.
Rule Breaking 101
“If you raise your prices, you’ll lose your customers.”
FALSE: Why are your customers buying from you in the first place? Is
it because of price, or is it because of value? If your customers are
your customers because of the benefits you offer, they’ll be willing to
pay for your services even if the price is higher than the competition.
ComfortU
Online Training
ComfortU offers a whole
new way of learning for
contractors and their
employees. Users get
access to seminars and
training sessions from the
nation’s leading contractors
and industry experts ... all
from the comfort of your
own desk, office or
training room!
You get to participate in
live, interactive training
without taking time away
from work. Or access
online training archives
whenever you want, 24/7.
The best part? It’s all for
one low monthly fee. No
risk. Cancel anytime.
Enjoy topics like:
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QA Orientation
Residential System
Design - Load
Calculation
Residential System
Design - HVAC
Quality
Residential System
Design - Duct Design
That’s ComfortU!
To learn more, go to:
www.acca.org/comfortu/ .
4
June 2012 News & Events
“Split Decision”

What: Chapter Meeting

When: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Time: Noon-1:30

Price: $20

Where: Third Base Sports Bar*
1717 W. 6th Street
Austin, Texas
*Plenty of free covered parking!
Join us for a lunch time meeting at Third
Base Sports Bar on West 6th Street for two
timely presentations. First, Steve Wood
with Southwestern HVAC Sales
presents: Condensate Removal for Mini
Split Systems, a NATE approved course,
that includes a comprehensive overview of
condensation control technology for mini
split equipment. Second, Bennett Cromer
with Federated Insurance brings his new
video, “In the Blink of an Eye” to
the chapter, this 10 minute video
highlights the consequences of distracted
driving.
May Meeting at
Independence Brewery
Everyone Wins at ACCA Austin!