Shocking! HVAC Sales Tactics! Grubby Strategies by Shrewd Salespeople.

[@mikekolczynski5665]

I once estimated a job to install a cooling only system in a finished house. It was a Trane system going into an attic. The homeowner had another company come out and bid the job. The second company was $1000 less than my estimate. The homeowner chose to go with the other company. Time goes on... A few weeks later, I get a message asking to call the homeowner back asap. I'm curious as to the urgency of the call. I speak to the homeowner, and he's really apologetic about not using me, and would I mine helping him out ? I had the time, so I went over to his house. The lower estimate company is on-site, and they're wondering how I was planning on getting this monstrous air handler in the attic. I explained to the homeowner and the installation crew how to dissamble the air handler by removing the coil and blower assembly. Collapsing the cabinet and reassembling it back in the attic on a 95-degree day. Homeowner was very impressed, installation crew was impressed and wound up working for me. I explained to the homeowner that the extra $1000 was the labor rate for the crew to dissamble the air handler and reassemble it in the sweltering attic. Homeowner recommended a lot of new customers to us.

[@SuperNickbailey]

I have found that if you educate the customer during your presentation, you don’t have to sell anything… it sells itself whether it be your product and/or your company. New subscriber. Thanks for your video.

[@NewHVACGuide]

You said that perfectly. A good decision today is still a good decision tomorrow. So there’s no need to apply pressure and “make the sale”

[@SuperNickbailey]

We have actually changed our name of sales people to estimators due to the fact we have mostly all previous technicians and are all mostly state licensed. The companies I believe you are talking about are mainly hired gun sales people. IMO

[@rickorourke4464]

Had a furnace salesman out the other day and after determining what I needed to replace our older furnace and a/c, he started with the high pressure tactics such as calling his boss in front of me to get me "the best deal'. Then he shows me the quote with all of the discounts and money off his boss approved and told me what an incredible deal I'd be getting. He also added that they needed the work due to it being a bit warmer and sunnier lately (it was in the 20's in Michigan in February). And finally he told me that I had to decide on the spot, otherwise I would lose the deal. I asked for another day to decide, (even though I already decided no) and he agreed. After he left I called another HVAC company for an exact quote on the same furnace and a/c and he was almost 2 thousand dollars cheaper.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Interesting tactic with the boss “deal”.

[@destroyer.e]

Skilled labor isn’t cheap, cheap labor isn’t skilled🤟🏽

[@bensteffey190]

Cheaper is not always better

[@jeremybrown8733]

I use to work for a company that really pushed the "close the sale in the home" tactic. My closing percentage was sub par, and it made me feel terrible. As soon as I got to a good company that cared about the integrity of the HVAC business, I was free to actually do my job, take my measurements, and provide options and solutions. I email the bid AFTER I've been in the house. My closing has gone way up! Be human, and treat your customer as such. Listen to what they want, and offer multiple solutions. Follow up, but do not pressure!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Nice pal! Plug your company if you’d like 🙂

[@richardpbenaidrene6458]

You should do a video how sales people from HVAC With the menu presentation When they give you 3 options 1-12500 2-$13000 -3$16-18 k What I do I shop before my AC goes out I don’t have to have it . They pisses them off .

[@YankeesFan74]

Our companies reasoning behind pushing the "Close while at the home" is they say it doesn't give them time to shop around or change their mind. If you pressure them they are more likely to cave in and sign right then and there. i personally have a problem with that thinking but that said I have noticed they have really relaxed on enforcing that and the techs are waiting until they get back to the office to send out proposals and honestly I haven't noticed a huge difference in people accepting or going somewhere else. Plus i feel like they are less likely to miss something if they take the time to sit down and do the proposal than feel rushed to get it done while on site. IMO if you are doing your job correctly and representing your company in a professional manner 90% of the customers are going to go with you either way.

[@KPHVAC]

I'm in Residential HVAC sales. A replacement appointment takes at least 1 hour and often it's 2 hours. It takes time to run a static pressure test, measure equipment and ductwork. Run a detailed heat load calculation on the house. Check on electrical and find out how a new system can be ran. (Generally we are adding a Heat Pump or AC to a furnace only, or going ductless). It also takes time to find out what the customer wants and what will work best for them. I'm happy to show them all the options, low end to high end, and everything in-between. This all takes time to do it right.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Very true. But that’s different from someone staying in the home just to close a sale.

[@KPHVAC]

@@NewHVACGuide Yes, that's true. I do ask for the sale but I'm never pushy about it. I usually find out what part of the process they are in during the first half of the appointment. Generally there is a lot more going on than just pulling out one box and replacing it with another box. (Box meaning an AC, Heat Pump, or Furnace)

[@joelvargas3635]

I'm curious doing all that if you don't mind answering what is your average sales per month doing what you said?

[@KPHVAC]

@@joelvargas3635 My average ticket is about $13,000 and I live in Northern Washington State. Meaning about 1/3 of my jobs are furnace only with NO HP or AC. This month I've sold 22 jobs and had 49 appointments for a total before tax of $293,805 sold. 7 sales were tankless water heaters or furnace only.

[@joelvargas3635]

@@KPHVAC That's actually very good Here in socal I'm at 18.5 per call Avg 390k per month Equipment cost is alot higher here

[@bradjohnson2649]

Glad to have found your channel. . As an owner of a company with 20 trucks on the road, I did all the quoting (for the most part) Your sales approach is much like mine, and resisted the temptation to be pushy, and close the sale at all costs. It just wasn’t my style, being a tradesman more than a salesman. Customers will quickly discern if you are telling them the truth about your product and service.

[@Multi8384]

That’s the truth !

[@ethanberdejacortez4845]

my company put me on commission fresh out of school, and it feels kinda shitty because i've sold items as preventative maintenance that didn't need to be replaced just to sell something, feels more like ima salesperson not a tradesman.

[@nolanharris640]

There are a lot variables that go into a quote for me at least including size of equipment, type of equipment, crawl space fee , attic fee, length of line sets, etc. If I gotta crawl it’s obviously going to cost more than if I’m standing upright in the basement.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Very true sir. This video isn't referencing that. It's referencing those folks that gouge people because they can.

[@cruisemates]

@@NewHVACGuide Really, I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying that these are things salespeople do.

[@Thatguytim987]

A part of you made this video to help people, and a part of you liked to see a lot of people saw and like it. There's alot of perspectives you can have but all in all know the person's true intentions yes sales are great but doing the right thing with being honest is great and can still make good sales

[@nightone9720]

Hey man I appreciate you just bringing these things to light and airing out the laundry. I'm a service tech and as a service tech I want to repair everything I work on because I get a rush of dopamine every time I get equipment working again however I do know there is a point when replacing the equipment is the most honest and logical thing to do. With that being said as a service tech that has a desire to repair everything, I make the worst salesman lol. I just feel bad everytime I actually do sell a new furnace, AC, refrigeration system, because in my subconscious mind I feel like they don't NEED a new system. I feel like they need the existing equipment fixed even though I know it's not always the case. So I have been trying to learn more about how to be an honest salesman and learn how to show the customer that I'm sincerely trying to help them instead of seriously trying to help myself.

[@robertpalmatier2699]

Can't run a profitable business changing capacitors.

[@mikekolczynski5665]

My boss sent me the Trane mini boot camp. Two days of sales training. How to overcome objections by homeowners. The class was on 9-11- 2001 in NY.

[@nigelgarrett6247]

A salesman has a responsibility to keep their installers busy. It’s not sleazy to discount money off of your companies list price or offer a better finance than normal to secure the work. If your company does great work and the solution is amazing you are not hurting anyone.

[@ricfax]

I just had a pitch with a "$1,800 same day discount" that supposedly expired when he left. Reminds me of a sleazy car dealer.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Wow! I’ve heard of expiring prices because of rising costs but never a same-day discount!

[@KPHVAC]

That is straight up shady business. We use set pricing and I don't care if you buy today or in a few weeks. Now if it's months later we will have to add for equipment cost changes.

[@yourmomma3132]

The first thing to understand is, sales is an honorable profession when done honorably. I’m proud to be a sales person. I believe that the customer is better off going with me and my company. Objections are signs of interest by the buyer. If they weren’t interested in your offer they would just tell you to leave. Sometimes they need a little better explanation on how something works. Nothing dishonest about talking them thru it. There’s a big difference between pressure and objection training. As long as you are doing what’s in the best interests of the customer.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Sales is certainly a fine profession.

[@haljordan9160]

I was new to a company about 10 yrs ago. I had been in the field around maybe 6-7 ish years or so before that, but left different outfits for various reasons like quality of life, excessive hours/on-call, & sales. This new outfit I was with for a couple of months, they fired the service manager & all of a sudden push this 3 day seminar on all us field guys. Well we all show up to this Holiday Inn & they have this convention type set-up w/ several different other trades & outfits. It was Nexstar training. I rolled out right after my free lunch on that 1st day. I went straight back to the shop & told that new service manager this isn't my thing. I told him I'm no seller, i fix things that are broke. I then went home, stripped all my stuff out the van & told them to come get it out my driveway before i have it towed. Unfortunately i've had to tell a few outfits to come get their van.

[@BirdRockin]

I have spoken to 7 HVAC companies, some had to come to the house first, some quoted me over the phone, 5 were within $250-$500 of each other. but 2 others who do heavy advertising from KZbin adds to mailers to fancy uniforms and trucks with flashy wraps were the highest priced. I mean really high; one was nearly double the others and I realized they have to pass on those marketing costs to the customer. lining the furnace closet one said I needed it to cut down noise and make the closet look nice, another said don't need it at all just a way to jack up the price. One said I only need a 2.5 ton condenser and furnace and the rest all say 3.5 condenser and 4 ton furnace. I think talking to multiple companies was good, but it also is forcing me to do research myself online to better understand what they are telling me and to know the BS from the truth. Thank you so much for being truthful and explaining what to be aware of. I have never bought HVAC before. This is a lot of money for me to fork out and so I appreciate your videos greatly!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Wow! Good luck and thank you for your kind words!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Let me know what you end up going with!

[@YankeesFan74]

any company that quotes you over the phone without physically looking at the system you need to run away from asap. Those are the companies that will usually be the cheapest but once they get there they find different things that are going to cost more money for one reason or another. Always always always have the company come out and visually look at the unit and see if there will be any issues and the really good ones are going to take lots of pictures. There are many instances where the new unit is bigger than the one that was shoved in a tight attic or 2 ft crawlspace 25+ yrs ago and they are going to have to figure out how they are going to make it work. That is something you simply can't do blind behind a telephone.

[@ShonnMorris]

I work for one of the largest HVAC companies in San Diego. We put everything up front and it's reflected in our pricing. This pricing frequently puts customers off then they tell us that they got a quote that was 7k cheaper than ours. After talking to them for a few minutes about it I often discover that the other company didn't include the new ductwork they need (if it's needed) which is about 7k. In California because everything here is so heavily regulated, about a month after an install, a third party comes out and performs what's called a HERS test. If they find that the ductwork leaks by more than 15%, they fail the HERS test so if they every go to sell the home in the future, they will have an open permit on the home which must be taken care of before they can sell it. A lot of companies are just trying to make the sale at any cost. If one quote is significantly cheaper than others, you gotta start asking questions.

[@painfreehvac]

Airmaxx sucks

[@ShonnMorris]

@@painfreehvac I've heard that too

[@michaelbaldwin3356]

Hey I love when guys go and condemn compressors and I get a call to come check it. I go change a cap or add a 5-2-1, get it going, new customer and free word of mouth recommendation.

[@marcusfitzgerald59]

Temp fix

[@SyriusXR7]

The classic "I'm not here the sell you a system, I'm here to give you peace of mind" "When you say is too expensive, are you referring to the full price or the monthly payments"?..etc..etc..I just want to be a great tech, if I wanted to be a pushy salesman I'd go work for a car stealership...my 2 mexican pesos...

[@kadasfiterrell]

How are you doing sir? Can you tell me how do you turn up the power on the unit for the heat and air condition?

[@neehuf1637]

Enjoy your channel👍! The other day we had a salesperson come out to do a quote. he was in our home for about 20min. He provided the proposal via email. He was not pushy or "salesy" at all. We are looking at two estimates this week. Should they all follow this guy example? Thanks!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Sounds like it 🙂

[@painfreehvac]

You can’t properly bid a system in 10 minutes. Im a 3rd generation hvac technician and not a salesman and you have to do a load calculation on the home, measure ductwork, see what customers looking for, explain different options to customers, figure out how often they use their equipment and how long their going to be in the home , measure lineset size and much much more. An average sales call takes at very minimum 30-45 minutes. If anyone spends on 10 minutes in your home they’re doing you a disservice, especially when the average homeowner only buys 1 hvac system in their lifetime.

[@robertmoran3589]

How do you know your really going to a second opinion and not a first generation service call?

[@gailann226]

🌟🌻🌟 Thank you for your information.

[@NewHVACGuide]

You are so welcome!

[@QuietRiverBear]

This video had a lead generating ad just after you mention third party lead generator companies.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Crazy

[@mattalba6216]

This is a great video!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Thanks!

[@Dmc963]

I am in richmond va …some people hate honest hvac guys i have a hard time in the industry because of it but i rather be honest then manipulate people for more money.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Nice man. I lived in Richmond for 8 years

[@cousinjohncarstuff4568]

2 questions. System is R22. Furnace is 25 years old. Outside unit 12 years old. I have furnace and coils replaced, it can stay R22? With age of the outside unit, best to replace both, due to its age? Appreciate your feedback! (I am asking you, and not some sales rep, we know what THEY would say!)

[@YankeesFan74]

Yes it can stay R22 as long as the outside unit is R22. If you change the outside unit the new one will be R410a and then it will depend if the coil is rated for R410a because it operates at a higher pressure than R22. Some coils can do both refrigerants and some can only handle R22. The name tag on the coil if it's still readable should say if it's rated for R22 only or is rated to do either R22 or 410A. That said to answer your main question. The outdoor unit being 12 yrs old it's out of warranty and if you are going to replace the furnace it's probably in the long run more beneficial to replace the entire system at the same time and get that new 10 yr warranty on everything.

[@ivannightly1919]

many industry's dont have constant prices, engineering is slow we have even done jobs at cost to maintain our staff the reasons vary sometimes your just obligated to sell a certain number of product so sell of most at a high price and a lower one to clear them out.

[@kelseywinter-troutwine1928]

You guys are amazing. I’ve been watching a ton of your videos. Know or recommend anyone in west Michigan lol?

[@NewHVACGuide]

So sorry but no

[@monteglover4133]

I’m a semiretired 40+ year HVAC&R tech/contractor at many of the sales seminars the tactics taught I’d show the salesman the door and they traded on me. Number one rule when ever making a large investment be it HVAC equipment, new car … it is almost Always best to sleep on it! If it won’t be there tomorrow it’s most likely not a deal. I have greatly reduced my work load and have un-condemned many air conditioning units this summer over the phone bad capacitors were the problem not the compressor, parts not available system too old called the supply house the part was in stock. Most of these bad actors were large “reputable” companies mostly 3 in our area.

[@TucsonCommercialRealEstate]

The best way to price HVAC is: closing ratio, price per ticket & ancillary products.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Thanks!

[@ChrisGuzman-n6j]

Stuck in a company that is straight commission and pushes sales we go in to do inspections and create 4-6 options 700 dollars and up And I’m paying off the tools they gave me for 8 months why I’m stuck got a truck with gas card too, and my epa card should I leave after paying off my tools they are high quality

[@ChrisGuzman-n6j]

Also can I email you dude?

[@NewHVACGuide]

Build your resume pal. Maybe you can start your own thing someday?

[@NewHVACGuide]

Sure!

[@Yaahboi52]

When I think of sales I think of cars, bizopp, courses, etc. but I’d never think that HVAC would have those issues even though I shouldn’t be surprised. Is this industry just as lucrative as others?

[@NewHVACGuide]

Lucrative? My bank account says no 🤣

[@Yaahboi52]

@@NewHVACGuide hahaha

[@scholavitae4172]

So basically you’re saying don’t sell. Just provide quotes and take the order.

[@NewHVACGuide]

If the product and company is good… you shouldn’t have to “sell” 😉

[@markmcelmeel7850]

Down here in South Florida where humidity is ridiculously high all the time you need to service your drain line every six months to a year. Therefore we offer a free drain service 6 months after the installation. We also check everything and address anything the customer might want to have addressed at that time. I don’t think that’s a sleazy tactic at all

[@NewHVACGuide]

I think if you’re honest about it, there’s no sleaziness about it. In my market and other other markets from other pros that I’ve talked to, there’s folks offering useless tuneups as a sales tactic.

[@Cheers7076]

Mark McElmeel... who is your company?

[@solventtrapdotcom6676]

Changing pricing based on how heavy demand is? Oh, no! Not fundamental economics!

[@NewHVACGuide]

Ha, I don't disagree. I'm just not a fan of folks that are gouging and hiding it.

[@mateo85tx]

Hey bud so I had a technician out getting all sorts of codes like blower motor not communicating, ect. I have a daikin gas furnace and inverter system. 2.5 yrs old. So tech came out said it was the water pan sensor and cleaned it up everything is working. However now it seems like furnace don’t ramp all the way up to high on really hot days and wondering, you think he messed with something or just a reset to the unit or whats your thoughts on what happened?? I hate calling these people but only place in town “certified” to work on daikin stuff unfortunately. I have all the paperwork if you’d like model numbers or anything. Hell at this point I’ll send you a check for any advice. Lol

[@NewHVACGuide]

What's the model numbers? Sorry I'm just now seeing this.

[@mateo85tx]

@@NewHVACGuide Gas furnace is a DM80VC/DC80VC Outdoor unit is a DX17VSS Thermostat is comfortnet CTK04 Just so you know my wife says I’m crazy, blows just as hard as it use to. I did spray soapy water on outdoor condenser and definitely seems to blow colder now. Got a lot of dirt out of coils. Unit may be fine idk. Lol 🤷🏻‍♂️ It keep’s up even on 105* days house stays 70 no problems. Also change filters every month merv8, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

[@NewHVACGuide]

I haven’t installed any of the dx17s. They are straight Ac and we do mostly heat pumps here. So we’ve installed a lot of the dz17s. That said the dz17 has to have a zoning module installed for the ctk04 to operate properly with the system. That may not be your issue. It’s great your system cools your home well.

[@mateo85tx]

@@NewHVACGuide yes sir so maybe it is operating fine and I was paranoid due to coils being dirty outside. Lol Seems perfectly fine now that it’s clean. Thank you very much for taking time out of your day to answer my question. God bless

[@barnabyhitzig486]

You were in/out in 15 minutes? So obviously you’re not measuring to ensure a new system fits, finding out what equipment or factors are important to a customer, going in the attic to check ductwork or making sure everything is to code, thus not pulling permits.

[@NewHVACGuide]

All that and more 🙂

[@bensteffey190]

Of course they change their price. HVAC is seasonal !

[@davidlindgren7605]

Is a tune up ever needed, even for equipment older than a year? I hear HVAC companies advertise tuneups all the time. What is there to "tune up?" If you change the filter regularly, is there anything more to do, other than inspecting components on the small chance you might be able to detect a pending failure before it actually happens? I think tune ups are a scam in the HVAC industry. Your thoughts?

[@NewHVACGuide]

Some are probably scams. However, a proper tuneup usually involves cleaning the system to make it new again. Dirty coils can make a system run inefficiently. We also do things like check heat exchangers (safety issue if not checked regularly), treat drains to inhibit back ups, and seal ductwork issues.

[@mattalheim1961]

Man I really wish you serviced Fairfax County. Demand has exceeded supply and most of the contractors around here are showing it with my effort to get quotes. Literally had one unapologetically blow off an appointment today for a consultation because they were "on another job". Getting 3 quotes is taking weeks and they are all leading with how much costs and lead times have increased (which I don't doubt, but that is not the best way to lead your sales pitch). And I'm asking to quote a whole modulated Furnace, inverter A/C, dehumidifier, Hot Water heater replacement....so a good sized job.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Wow. I wish we did too. You should move here ;-)

[@mattalheim1961]

@@NewHVACGuide It's taken me a whole month to get 3 written quotes after speaking with 5 different contractors (big to small).

[@NewHVACGuide]

@@mattalheim1961 Wow. I think there's a labor shortage everywhere right now

[@mattalheim1961]

@@NewHVACGuide I think it's more that there is so much demand that they can afford to be picky and choosy about new projects. I have an old stacked hydronic/forced air heating system that I want to convert to a straight up furnace...and a couple of them didn't hide that they really didn't want to deal with tearing out and rebuilding everything. Seems like they are focusing on only doing jobs they can turn around quickly and keep margins high.

[@gjackson5616]

The heat exchanger sell I had 3 technicians come over 1 tech told me heat exchanger was separating and had second opinion the next day and said there was nothing wrong with my heat exchanger the first technician camera wasn’t charged my second technician came out the next day did everything from top to bottom nothing was wrong with my heat exchanger’s no cam was used on my first visit she eyeballed it 😂

[@brixmoore9871]

The third party lead generation sites like Agni’s List and Home Advisor are the worst. Those companies claim that the contractors are screened and trustworthy. My research has proved differently. One such contractor has a prison record. Great screening, right?

[@mikebaranHVACGOD]

When A Tech Says, " My Service Mgr is Coming"....its Really Tbe SALES GUY

[@NewHVACGuide]

Ah. That’s an interesting trick I had not heard of.

[@yourmomma3132]

My manager happens to be around the corner.

[@Locustandhoney2024]

Anti-sale is a sales tactic 😂

[@NewHVACGuide]

Very true. Some folks like doing business with someone doesn’t “need” their business

[@nf325]

Longer they can stay in your home=creepy. I'll take the sales pitch on the front curb or these days over zoom.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Haha. I hadn’t thought of that

[@anthonycotner4483]

TELL WHAT YOUR STRONG POINTS ARE, WHAT HAS MADE YOU SUCESSFUL? DUMPING ON SOMEONE ELSE DOSENT MAKE YOU SUPERMAN NOR SUPER TECH.

[@bubbaharrod2530]

Hvac labor prices are way over priced. You should be able to file charges against a tech who tells you that your compressor is bad when it’s not.

[@hunterhill1013]

😂 why dont you do the labor then?

[@JoeAlonzoenterprises]

Your company might do very well but if you keep leaving quotes you are just losing revenue.

[@jakev1972]

So let me get this straight. You don’t believe that equipment should be serviced after the first year which is required by all manufacturers, and you sell maintenance plans known industry wide to be the biggest scam out there

[@airinchvac]

10 - 15 minutes. HA HA! That is just enough time to rip off a customer, whether you are the lowest price or the highest price. You have NO IDEA if that salesman was crunching load estimate numbers, trying to save the customer money on their energy bills, trying to locate equipment for the customer due to the shortages we are subject to. 10 to 15 minutes only explains how much you do NOT care about the customer and only about a sale. It will take well over one hour to introduce yourself, ask questions to find out if the customer was having any issues, what improvements would the customer benefit from, explaining these options, measuring the home, calculating a load estimate, putting together a proposal, explaining the benefits of the one or maybe up to three options, and asking for their business. I despise the 15 minute salesman. NOW THAT IS THE REAL SCAM!

[@Machoman-ct]

You know what's worse than a salesman, sponsorship.

[@NewHVACGuide]

I wish I had a sponsor 🙂

[@omaralexander7406]

Bro you spent 2 minutes complaining about people complaining about you. I had to click away.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Sorry pal

[@waltermoss6094]

Thank you for you good content but can you please just get to the point.

[@NewHVACGuide]

Sorry pal

[@gumby-vk4mo]

company is just another word to hide behind dishonesty.

[@NewHVACGuide]

I'm not sure what you're saying...

[@orlandoellisduran]

@Gumby, what?

[@2Adad1775]

That's just capitalism. There not mad there just upset your perspective is misleading