System Selling Sales Bytes®: Electronically-delivered “byte”-sized bits of information to help
sales people create more satisfaction and success for their customers, their companies,
and themselves.

• 5 Ways to Retain Good Sales People by Tom Piscitelli
• HVAC Spells Wealth: You Deserve a 25% Net Profit by Ron Smith
• Accurate Financial Statements - Part 1 by Ruth King
• The Presentation Book by Patrick Carr
• Mr. Control Pro: Selecting the proper heat anticipator setting by Bill Ribble
• System Selling Lead Generation Marketing Tips by Tom Piscitelli
• Service Roundtable Announces a Dealer Newsletter Offering for Members
• More

 Welcome
by Tom Piscitelli

The Plan

I was tossing out some old files this weekend and out of one folder fell a document I’d seen 30 years ago. If you work for a company of any size that has “a plan” then this will surely resonate with you:

In the beginning was the Plan

And then came the Assumptions

And the Assumptions were without form

And the Plan was completely without substance

And darkness was upon the face of the Workers

And the Workers spoke unto their Supervisors and said,

“This is a pail of dung and we think it stinks.”

Click here to continue

 Selling with T.R.U.S.T.®
by Tom Piscitelli

5 Ways to Retain Good Sales People

Are you an owner who’s lost an effective salesperson? Are you a salesperson who’s bounced around from company to company? Are you thinking about getting into HVAC sales but unsure about taking the leap? Here are five of the most important factors to consider in attracting a successful sales person and keeping him/her happy and productive:

1. It begins with hiring the right person for the job. Sounds obvious to say but the reality is that some people aren’t a good fit. For instance you would NOT want me to install a furnace in your home; trust me…I am not qualified. There are “tests” that can be taken to give you some indication of a person’s natural abilities. The person must also fit into the “culture” of the company. The DiSC Behavior Test is an example of a personal evaluation tool that can help. I’m looking into a specific sales ability predictive test used in a similar industry. Email me if you would like to see a sample of either report. (tom@sellingtrust.com).

2. You must train them for success. As a sales trainer you’d expect me to say that but you know good training is vital to any job…including sales. The effective sales person doesn’t have to have been an installer or technician but they must be knowledgeable about the products, installation practices and challenges, company processes and policies, and so on. Having the new sales person do “ride-alongs” with installers and technicians is a double-win: s/he gets to learn what’s important and relevant to their job and the installers and techs get to know, and become comfortable with, the sales person. Error-prone sales persons or those who have a contentious relationship with installers or techs create bad company juju.

3. Compensate them fairly…and well. To those who don’t sell it looks like a cake-walk. It isn’t. Sales people earn their money to be sure. Money is an important way of rewarding and recognizing the sales person’s initiative, motivation, commitment, skills and competency. Pay them according to their contribution to the company. Remember, nothing happens without a sale. If you’d like an example of an effective compensation program email me (tom@sellingtrust.com).

4. Provide leads. Sales people generally like to be busy. Too often they also expect leads to be handed over to them. And they want them to be pre-qualified, 2-legger, one-call-close leads. Who wouldn’t?!!! In some home improvement industries the sales person gets few leads; in others they get 3-4 a day. Ask the top sales people in other industries if they want company leads or they prefer to generate their own they will nearly always choose to generate their own. I advocate meeting everyone in the middle. The company provides half and the sales person, over time, builds his own network for lead generating half of the leads they need to make their goal. For more on how to self-generate leads email me (tom@sellingtrust.com).

5. Be a Sales Coach. While sales people love their independence they also like support and encouragement (when they are down) and recognition when they are on a roll. Selling has its ups and downs like everything else and the Sales Coach can do a lot to keep the sales person on track and fully charged for every sales call. I think this is the most important job of the Sales Manager/Owner…and one that does not get done well. Call or email if you’d like to discuss this and what you can do about it. It’s not that hard.

 System Selling™ Lead Generation Marketing Tips

Lead Generation Ideas From System Selling seminar graduates…that work!

• Make a presentation to Women Groups, neighborhood associations, garden clubs, junior league and have “info seminars” on IAQ, Lower Utility Bills, etc.
 
• Service techs give literature and a promotion coupon with every Invoice.

• Company refrigerator magnet has 4 stars on it. After each call the tech punches out a star. Punching all 4 stars gets a discount on the service call or a Dollar$ Off on a Replacement unit or system.

 ***** Service Roundtable Announces a Dealer Newsletter Offering for Members *****  

A consumer newsletter is designed to keep your name top-of-the-mind when they think about heating and air conditioning. It’s designed to give them a warm and fuzzy feeling about your company.

Click here to read more

 Articles by Tom

READ TOM PISCITELLI'S SYSTEM SELLING WITH T.R.U.S.T.® ARTICLES THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN HVACR Business Magazine.

Go to HVACR Business Magazine.

 Thank you!

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