From countless discussions with sales teams across the country about post-covid customer expectations, I have distilled one key takeaway:
Customers today expect more than ever before in the history of HVAC.
And it doesn’t take a sociologist to figure out why.
Modern life has trained us all to expect more, faster.
From video conferencing, to online banking, to analytics tools that put every decimal point at our fingertips, we expect more for less at a moment’s notice.
Mark my words, the days of simply telling customers that you’re going to save them money, reduce building costs, or increase uptime are coming to an end.
The highly discerning customers of today want to actually be shown the data.
How are you going to accomplish the selling points layed out in your pitch? What will be the measurable gains I will see from working with you? And once I’m sold, how will I know you’re actually delivering?
An interested customer may be thinking one or all of these things (consciously or subconsciously) when considering whether to engage you:
- "I need accurate and significant data and information, and I want it yesterday. I need increased visibility and access to information about my building(s)."
- "There’s never enough time in the day. Is it worth spending hours listening to HVAC service sales pitches? I need to know UPFRONT why this is important to me."
- "I don't want to be coddled and buffered from my building information."
Overlay those expectations on top of an increasingly competitive service market, and you get the perfect storm that service sales teams face as we close out 2022.
Competing on the “old school standbys” like:
“We have the best trained technicians!”
“We’ve been servicing buildings since 1893!”
“We can lower your energy bills and/or operating costs with our PM!”
…Are beginning to feel a bit faded. Customers nowadays will simply cross their arms and say “show me the money.”
So with these emerging demands and expectations, how will sales teams compete?
Interestingly, the core value propositions of a robust PM program like:
- Lower building operating costs
- Comfort
- Uptime
- Extended equipment life
…Are STILL valued.
It’s just that people want claims with real, tangible substance. Service can no longer be invisible.
The nClarity Predictive Maintenance Platform was created with this need in mind.
The need for sales teams to differentiate their service offering.
Real time monitoring and reporting on each piece of equipment enables us to redefine service delivery and customer communication. It opens up a whole new frontier for customer engagement.
I won’t say we have it all figured out (we’re gathering boatloads of data!) but we are making incredible progress in helping teams visualize the value of service delivered for their customers.
A report like this can be used both during sales & service processes to show potential & current customers the real, measurable ROI driven by your services performed.
Real energy savings documented in data reports…
Demonstrated value of frequent virtual unit inspections…
Accurate reporting on the number prevented failures…
Sales teams now have ample evidence to not only meet, but exceed prospects’ buying criteria moving forward.
Imagine sitting on a first call and being able to SHOW future clients real data and bring undeniable substance to your value proposition.
Think your close rate might go up?
The only way to rise to the top in the hyper-competitive HVAC industry of the future is to secure a powerful competitive advantage. When it comes to sales, the ability to deliver data-backed pitches (and bring it home with next-level service), may well be the biggest competitive advantage of all.
