Kelly Faloon/Contracting Business magazine
Rob Falke, president of the National Comfort Institute, told 2022 AHR Expo attendees about 15-minute measurement/diagnostic scenarios that HVAC techs can take their customers through.

AHR 2022: Interactive Sales—Hands-On Customer Education

Feb. 21, 2022
Amazon's successful business model has something to teach anyone involved in HVAC sales.

Whether or not you like Amazon, its successful business model has something to teach anyone involved in sales.

“Amazon has a closing rate of more than 90 percent,” noted Rob Falke, president of the National Comfort Institute. “It’s a classic example of no-pressure sales.”

He told 2022 AHR Expo attendees in a Feb. 1 session that the key is to focus on customer needs and wants. Talk about the system, not the equipment — let customers know how the system will perform better with recommended repairs or replacement.

Then invite customers to help you.

“We call this a ‘teach-omercial,’” Falke said. “Get customers involved in diagnosing their HVAC systems with you and let them talk through the problem.”

Falke and the National Comfort Institute developed 15-minute measurement/diagnostic scenarios that HVAC techs can take their customers through.

 “Engage your customer on a learning experience of discovery,” he explained. “Changing out equipment is easier; consumers are more receptive to this approach because they believe what they discover. The lower the pressure, the higher the closing rate.”

He added that is it very high-profit work, offering a homeowner a custom product, not a commodity.

About the Author

Kelly L. Faloon | Freelance Writer/Editor

Kelly L. Faloon is a contributing editor and writer to ContractorContracting Business magazine and HPAC Engineering and principal of Faloon Editorial Services. The former editor of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine, Faloon has more than 26 years of experience in the plumbing and heating industry and more than 35 years in B2B publishing. She started a freelance writing and editing business in 2017, where she has a varied clientele.

Faloon spent 3 1/2 years at Supply House Times before joining the Plumbing & Mechanical staff in 2001. Previously, she spent nearly 10 years at CCH/Wolters Kluwer, a publishing firm specializing in business and tax law, where she wore many hats — proofreader, writer/editor for a daily tax publication, and Internal Revenue Code editor.

A native of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, Faloon is a journalism graduate of Michigan State University. You can reach her at [email protected].

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