…spoils the barrel, the old adage goes. Here’s a story that will illustrate how the very, very few unscrupulous contractors in our industry can taint all of us.
A friend told me about a lead he ran where he met an elderly woman who had lived in their small family home for nearly 50 years. She was about to replace her furnace for the 5th time and was going to buy it from the Big Box Store salesman but wanted a second opinion. My friend is a sales pro so he went about his business, taking measurements, asking questions and inspecting the existing equipment. Sure enough, the installation was poor, the equipment oversized, and there were weatherization issues throughout the house.
He explained what he had found and why he was recommending a thorough solution to her problems. She decided to buy from him that night even though he was more than the $3,900 the other salesman had quoted.
Just before leaving he asked if she wouldn’t mind sharing what the Big Box Store salesman had recommended. She showed him the “bid”, which was from an independent contractor not affiliated with the Big Box Store. Red flag number 1. On top of that the price quoted was $11,100, not $3,900 as she had been told! The homeowner was nearly blind, couldn’t read the quote and would have signed paperwork obligating her to the full amount. Game over. The Big Box Store won’t like to hear this, nor will the State Attorney General, nor Angie’s List, nor the BBB.
I don’t hear this kind of story very often but even one incident gets around to a lot of people. Your reputation is hard-earned and well-deserved. Make sure to brag about it and defend it if necessary. It means more to you and your company than you might think.
Steve Curtis is a Colorado-based, BPI Certified home energy auditor. He also a Sales Coach for Tom Piscitelli and conducts a one-day seminar on how to incorporate a Weatherization approach to in-home selling of replacement HVAC systems titled, “WeatherizationPRO Edition of Selling with T.R.U.S.T.®”