Build Value
Brent Meier of American Air Conditioning & Heating in Los Angeles Sold Over $1.5 Million on His Way to Becoming an AirTime Crown Champion in 2016. The Senior Technician Managed to Do It Thanks to His Strong Work Ethic, Building Value Throughout His Calls & Knowing How to Address Objections Before They’re Asked.
by Bob Houchin
“I got into this industry by dumb luck,” Brent Meier said before bursting into laughter. One thing for certain after talking with Brent for another 30 minutes, luck has nothing to do with his success in the industry. The senior technician with American Air Conditioning & Heating in Los Angeles has become an AirTime Crown Champion by selling over $1.5 Million in 2016 thanks to a strong work ethic—and knowing how to build value.
Prior to a life in HVAC, Brent worked at a boat dealership. He was the parts-and-service manager. “When I started, I was just washing the boats. Before long, I was working closely with the store manager doing sales, financing, and working with parts and inventory,” Brent explained. “Then, we all know what happened in ‘08. The economy went south. The recreation industry died in a year. My employer closed its doors.”
Brent was out of work for about a year. During that time, he pursued a dream in motocross, but was injured. “When I healed up, I thought it was time to look for a regular job. That’s when I found American. I was just shooting off resumes. I got an interview and then the job,” Brent said with a smile. “I’m not kidding when I say it really was dumb luck that I ended up at such a great place.”
Brent began at American in November of 2009 as a maintenance technician, learning the ropes. He didn’t have an inkling of experience, but he had a big sales background and strong mechanical aptitude. “There was a learning curve, but I feel like I adjusted well,” Brent said.
Less than a year after starting, he was given the opportunity to be a senior technician. He trained for months, including attending an AirTime sales training in St. Louis. “I got all of the ideas, theories, scripts, and the presentation,” Brent shared. “But then you have to make it your own. That means putting in some work. I’ve never been afraid of work. It’s worked out in the long run.
How has Brent become a Crown Champion? Let’s take a look in this issue’s “Learning from the Best.”
How often do you train at American?
We have sales meetings every Friday. We discuss what’s working. We’ll share successes or funny stories. The market is constantly changing here. In LA, we’re saturated with cheesy used-car salesmen [selling HVAC], and you can’t be like that. People see through it. We work together to understand how to best communicate how much more value we provide than other companies.
How do you go about building rapport with your customers?
You have to be real with people. My big thing is finding common ground. I know a little bit about a lot of things; that helps me connect. I can talk pottery with an elderly woman, or I can talk about boating with the river rat. I can talk motorcycles, radio-controlled cars—all sorts of things. You name it, I’ve probably seen it, done it, or been around it.
How do you get people involved and communicating with you?
We’re a value company. You have to show people value. You can’t walk in the house, tell them something is wrong [with their current system], and say, “You need to spend 10-grand with us.” A big part of my presentation is taking pictures. You have to show people. I get them outside and get them involved. I want them to touch the parts and the equipment. You can’t just let them sit in their house and then come at them with all this information and a big number. Eighty percent of your customers will want to come outside. For those who don’t want to or physically can’t, that’s why taking pictures is so valuable. Even then, I still will double-check to see if they want to go outside, because seeing is believing.
How do you get customers thinking about a replacement when you were initially called for service?
It goes back to communicating with them and educating them about what’s wrong with their system. Ultimately, I want them to ask me, “Well, how much is a new [system]?” Ninety-nine percent of people—if you lead them down this replacement path—are going to tell you, I don’t want to buy; please, put the system back together. Or you’ve piqued their interest and they’ll want more information.
In those cases where I don’t get the reaction I want, I’ll try to get them more involved. I’ll really take the equipment apart and try and show them what’s going on. Or I’ll move from the air conditioner to the furnace. I’ll try to talk with them while I’m working.
On a call that’s going well, they’ll ask, “How much is a new one?” or, “What should I do?” At that point, I’ll say, “Let me grab my books. Let’s find a place to sit down.” We’ll go to the kitchen table or even a couch.
Do you always give options on a repair?
Yes, but I try to keep my repairs away from the ridiculous. If you come at someone with a $7,000 repair, they’re going to look at you a little ridiculously.
But on smaller repairs, you’ll give options?
You have to give them the immediate repair. You give them what’s going to get it running today. I’ll give them some future repairs they should consider. And we’ll give them the replacement options.
How many system options do you offer at American?
We give four options. And all but one of our systems comes with IAQ. On our basic, it’s a no-frills, standard efficiency, one-year warranty system. The deluxe has a 7-year warranty with IAQ. The premium has a 12-year warranty and a little more IAQ with it—like a Wi-Fi thermostat. Then, the supreme has all the bells and whistles, two-stage, and Wi-Fi.
Do you ever push one system over another?
I definitely don’t. I want them to choose what’s best for them.
How much of a tool is financing for you?
It’s huge. Huge! I start talking about financing when I’m giving them a repair estimate, and you can tell people are worried about the cost. I’ll tell them we have financing and we have a popular plan, which is 18 months, no interest. We also have 100 other plans; I’m sure we can find one that will work for you. At that point, I’m just touching on it. While I’m doing the presentation with our four system options, I’ll ask them again—before I give the prices out—are you interested in a payment plan?
I’m guessing you have all the financed prices readily available?
Oh, yeah. I have all that. You have to know that by heart. You need to have it memorized. We do a lot of the Synchrony 1.25 Payment Factors and a lot of 18 month, no interest. Being able to show that super-low payment closes itself. For a $17,000 system, it puts it at less than $200 a month for a lot of people. It just makes sense for people. As I write it up, that’s the number I put on my price sheet every single time. From there, we can transition to: Do you want 18 months? Do you want a different interest rate?
Even with financing, you must get price objections. How do you handle them?
I try to close all those doors with the presentation. On the service side, it starts by explaining how poorly their current system has been installed. They’re never up to code; they’re never installed properly. I may run into one or two installs a year that are done well. That’s a big reason I take pictures because I can then tell the customer, “This is why we pull permits.” And then I’ll explain how we do installs differently. So, hopefully, there’s enough value built right there.
I’ll be honest, I don’t get many price objections. When I do, I stop, slow down, and have them pick an option out of my four. Then I ask, “What about that option do you like?” “Based upon the problems I shared with you about the installation of your current system, do you think another company can offer the same value and peace of mind?” You have to put that doubt in their mind.
If I need to, I have a book of estimates from about 90 percent of the companies out here. I can show them similar systems and what their quotes are leaving out. Half of them aren’t even pulling a permit. We have 40 things we check off on our contracts; they have 12. I’ll ask them, “What do you think that’s worth?” “As a homeowner, do you know how it’s supposed to look after it’s installed? You probably won’t, right?” They’ll agree. That’s when I say, “That’s why we pull a permit, and that’s why we pay for a third-party inspection to make sure that it’s right. So, when you’re doing business with us, you know it’s done right.”
Why do they buy from you?
I try to make it as personal as possible. I try to make a friend. I’m an open book with people. I’ll tell them what’s going on in my life. I give them my cell phone number, and I say they can call or text me with questions at any time. I do my best to get on a personal level. And you want to do what’s best for people. I believe that I do.
It’s also our company, too. Our company and the value—it sells itself. And the financing is huge—there are still a lot of companies that don’t offer it. But being able to show people what we do and how we’re different, you see it resonates with customers.
A lot of your competition still doesn’t offer financing?
With HERO, a lot of people jumped on that bandwagon. HERO has a bad rap out here because a lot of contractors took advantage of people. But as far as Synchrony and Interbank, a lot of companies don’t offer that. So, they’ll come in at 6 or 7 grand, and we’ll come in at 15—but we can get them a payment at under $200 a month. Most people are going to go with us.
What advice would you have for someone new to selling?
It’s going to sound funny, but don’t let the customers infect you. Whatever happens, sell it or don’t, leave it at the call. Move forward. Never allow yourself to get negative. Also, be open to advice. Listen to people. Pick up on things if you’re a junior tech, and listen to what the salesperson has to say. Stick around and just listen. Take all of that in and use it. You can never stop learning.