Sales is all about intent. From the products you choose to the decisions you make about how you will represent the industry. In recent years we have seen a perpetual decline in product quality and built-in obsolescence as prices continue to rise.
Some service providers see this as permission to take advantage of a customer’s vulnerability, while others see it as a way to establish and protect long-term relationships with their precious clientele.
The first time I discovered one such opportunity to build massive brand loyalty and respect was with our client, Dylan Rucker, at All Heart Heating and Cooling in Lancaster, CA.
As the name suggests, Dylan is one of the good guys.
Dylan understands and cherishes the value of taking care of his clients on the small stuff. He knows this will earn his company the opportunity to sell the big stuff when the time comes. Not only will he get the new unit sale and all the demand service calls, but he will also get all the 5-star reviews, unsolicited (and unpaid) referrals, and ever-important word-of-mouth advertising.
He will also earn the right to sell more to each of his clients to properly maintain their systems proactively. This means more consistent revenue in the shoulder seasons and happy, busy Technicians selling scheduled maintenance, not just endlessly pitching discretionary purchases to no avail.
Without a doubt, Dylan Rucker and his team of All Hearts are on a meteoric rise to fame and fortune.
But WHY is Dylan one of the good guys?
Here is the moment I knew we were working with someone who is sure to be a huge success. During our uncovery of how Dylan run’s his business, our first step with every new Wizard of Ads™ client, Dylan was telling me about AmRad Capacitors.
These capacitors completely obliterate the overseas capacitors that you see floating around Amazon for 30 bucks. Not only do they have a 5-year, over-the-counter swap warranty, but they have a 0.5% failure rate. YES! Read that again!
But how, you’re wondering? Isn’t a capacitor just another capacitor?
There are a few key elements that make AmRad Capacitors especially awesome:
- The PCB-free dielectric fluid is far more dense and able to absorb and distribute heat better than some of the absolute nonsense found in overseas options. Seriously, it’s ridiculous. Look it up.
- AmRad upgraded the film inside the capacitor on all of their products to last substantially longer than the cheap alternatives.
- They have a compressor protector terminal (CPT) added to all of their capacitors to protect your Technician and your customers from frying the compressor when paired with a hard start kit.
And with further supply chain issues anticipated for the foreseeable future, having an American-made product only makes sense.
Now, AmRad Capacitors cost more than their cheaply-made counterparts. But what is the real cost of offering a capacitor that has a 5-year warranty with a 0.5% failure rate? After all, some of you are thinking it means you will lose the potential opportunity to sell another capacitor to the same customer 3 to 5 times over the 10-year warranty period of a new unit.
It all comes back to the lynchpin of sales. Intent. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Fool me three times, your dead to me, my family, friends, and anyone I can reach. Bad news always travels faster than good.
It is far more difficult to calculate the lifetime value (LTV) of a customer than it is to count the sale you make today, but as Roy H. Williams says, “Today’s closing ratio determines tomorrow’s leads”. When you burn a customer today, you lose them for a lifetime.
The best customers are loyal customers. At Wizard of Ads™, we call these beautiful specimens ‘relational buyers’. You know them as the ‘good customers’. They are often the ones who value their time more than their money and are looking for someone to trust that they have their best interest at heart.
It is SO expensive today to acquire the good customers, and when you find one, you want to do everything in your power to keep them. Does this mean being the cheapest? Not to the relational buyer. When they trust you, they are happy to pay a reasonable premium for your competent convenience.
When you treat a relational buyer right, they are what we call a High CAP customer. They are inclined to close on the first sit, at a higher average sale and profit. Isn’t that a salesperson’s dream customer?! Isn’t that your dream customer?
So why would you sacrifice your lifetime opportunity to sell a few capacitors that cost $50 less than the cheapy cheapy junk? Why would you break the trust of your High CAP customers when the lifetime value of the relational buyer is exponentially higher than any capacitor sale? Why would you ruin your priceless reputation to squeeze a vulnerable customer when you had a perfectly good alternative that would provide them with actual value?
You wouldn’t.
But your competitors are only thinking about today. It’s a decision to live in fear and desperation, not generosity and abundance. It’s a choice to toil in survival mode, not thriving mode. It’s a choice that will last about 2 years before they burn their otherwise great business to the ground rather than embrace a proud legacy and generational wealth.
“If you want the ‘good customers’ you’ve got to be good to your customers.”
– Ryan Chute
Here’s a spin-off benefit that Dylan Rucker is enjoying to this day. By moving to TurboCaps, Amrad’s all-in-one universal capacitor with CPT, Dylan only needs to have 3 different units on his trucks, not 200. This has reduced his inventory dramatically, simplified his training on how to install caps, and decreased shrinkage from damaged unboxed caps rolling around in trucks.
With AmRad’s updated training, it has never been easier for Dylan to get new Techs up to speed on the proper installation and care of capacitors, especially when there’s a hard start kit involved. With a little bit of simple math and QR code accessible wiring diagrams, Dylan’s Techs stand 600 ft above the competition.
This ridiculously simplified inventory has eliminated the need for Dylan’s Techs to run to the supply house to try and find the right sized capacitor if they are even open when your Tech needs it. With his competitor’s geo-fencing supply depots with recruitment ads and the cost of fuel, it was a no-brainer for Dylan to drop the junk and start making All Heart a real asset to his best customers.
All told, if you offer your Residential HVAC Services at a premium price, you need to provide a premium service if you ever hope to run a sustainable business. Anyone can make money in a bull market. The ones that survive the storm of a bear market are the ones who have earned a place in the heart and minds of the ‘good customers’.
Once bitten, twice shy. Don’t burn your customers.
Be like Dylan.
Be one of the good guys.