HVAC Contractors Success in Technician-Generated Leads

All three forms of leads inside an HVAC independent contracting company whether referral leads, tech-generated leads, or marketed leads, work to make a company team more successful and clients completely satisfied.  Last Thursday, we explored the first part of this series with a focus on relationship-driven service excellence that leads to referral leads.  In our post today, we are going to be focusing on the next type of lead- the technician-generated lead.

In order to grow tech-generated leads inside of a service company, it is first important to ensure that technicians have a mindset geared toward success in leads when going out into the field.  These next two points are vital to the health and growth of tech leads.  They center around two of the most important skills technicians can possess- thoroughness and observation skills:

Take time and energy to thoroughly perform the diagnostic process as well as to explore all client concerns and questions

The diagnostic process is the most important step within a technician’s initial meeting with a prospective client.  It is the point when the client’s external problems with a product or system turn internal so that the ultimate malfunction can be discovered.  It is important that the client feels comfortable expressing all of her concerns and questions before and during the performance of the diagnostic.  Thus it is essential that initial client trust and rapport has been built before the tech jumps into the technical diagnostic process.  When a client feels that she has been given time to ask questions and get thorough clarification during the service call then it builds the client’s confidence in the technician, what he discovers, and what he recommends.  Taking time to build a relationship in which the client feels comfortable with the tech is a vital step in the tech lead process.  When this rapport has been established then the tech can work to move the call along to set a lead.

Use visuals to show clients the problem components and be ready to compare repair vs. replace options

When a technician’s diagnostic evaluation has been thoroughly explored and repair or replacement needs have been discovered, then it is time to visually show the client the problem areas.  The best way to allow a client to see the component that has caused the problem is to show them first-hand.  However, at times that is not possible, so in those situations it is best to show a picture of the malfunctioned component and then use comparisons or analogies to explain how the part functions to make the system work.  When a client has a clear understanding of what has caused their problem then they can better understand the need for the next step in the call process.  This next step requires that the technician be ready and prepared to write out and calculate a cost comparison calculation in order to visually display to a client what the best option may be for them and to get the most efficiency and R.O.I. out of their system or product.  When these steps are taken, it will make setting a lead a more natural process in which the client clearly sees and wants the benefits that will come from her meeting with a sales technician.

Technician-generated leads start with the mindset and the skill-set of a technician.  When a technician works to create client trust before and during the diagnostic process as well as use observation skills, visual aids, and analogies to prove the client’s need then leads will be set because the client has the knowledge and information he or she needs to make a lead-setting decision. Thank you for following our weekly post.  Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning!

-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training