When people buy an HVAC system, up to 80% of their decision is based on the emotional benefits they receive. How important are those emotions? If it weren’t for emotional benefits, the average price of a car sold in America would be less than $10,000 (instead of over $30,000) and the Yugo would be a hot selling car instead of a one-word joke that hasn’t been sold in the US for years.
When we want something new, we want the benefits it delivers. Specifically, we want the emotional stimulation: we want to feel smart, happy, proud, etc. Your customers’ strong emotions are laying dormant, just waiting for you to stimulate them during your sales presentation.
Understand emotional benefits
We don’t get emotionally involved with the equipment, but with the benefits the equipment delivers.
When selling in the HVAC arena, the emotional benefits you provide are never completely obvious to the customer. In fact, most customers start out looking only for hot and cold air on demand, hardly an experience to get excited about. Here are features of new comfort systems and the benefits you can stress.
Quiet operation
Quiet operation can eliminate the frustration of trying to hear the TV every time the indoor blower starts. Benefit: peace and quiet. Lack of frustration.
Reduced energy costs
If people can reduce their cost of energy it means they are paying more than needed now. No one wants to feel they are paying too much for anything. Benefit: Being smart because you’re saving money.
Reliability
When they understand your system is more reliable, they will not be apprehensive about it breaking down when they need it the most. Benefit: feelings of security.
Latest technology
The latest technology can provide prestige for those who own something their neighbors don’t. Benefit: Pride of ownership.
Improved indoor air quality
Customers can gain a great deal of pleasure knowing that proper air purification is reducing their children’s health problems. Benefit: Caring for family, good health
Precise moisture control
Precise moisture control can protect the end table that grandmother brought with her from the old country. Benefit: Longer lasting home and possessions.
Worry-free warranty
A worry-free warranty reduces fear and provides the strongest buying motive in North America today. Benefit: feelings of security and peace of mind. Also, saving big money on repairs.
Individual temperature control
Even though we can’t totally control our lives, we can control our indoor environment. Benefit: convenience.
Present emotional benefits in the presentation:
Associate it with what they know and enjoy. . . and they will understand and buy.
During your presentation, review each emotional benefit you provide. “Bob and Mary, you said you wanted quiet operation so you could hear your TV better, is that correct … and you said removing moisture in the summer was important to protect your furnishings … and a warranty that eliminated the worry of future repair costs was very important, is that right….?” This reinforces the emotional benefits and gets the customer involved. It also allows them to support what is important to them. Once a customer supports a decision, it is virtually impossible for them to change their mind.
Use key words to help present emotional benefits. Key words can trigger a deeper emotional reaction and send a message to the mind to buy now! “Our passion in life is your total comfort — Our master craftsmen will install our quiet package to reduce irritating fan noise — You seemed excited about the electronic air purifier that will help with your daughter’s allergies.”
Make it familiar
We buy what we know.
The brain works on electrical impulse, just like an electric motor. And electricity always takes the path of least resistance. When something is new or unfamiliar, the brain must evaluate it, determine if it makes sense, then attempt to move the decision from short-term memory to a conscious decision to buy — an often overpowering task. When you ask people to purchase something totally new, like replacement air conditioning or system enhancements, their minds can quickly go into a defensive mode. Their brain produces an instinctive barrier which tells them to either:
• Gather more information
• Buy the least expensive one
• Do without it
What’s important to remember, is you can offer equipment to a first time buyer without their brain spending time processing unfamiliar information. Just make it familiar. Familiarity reduces risk.
• “Your new comfort system will give you the same feeling as a warm sweater on a cold night.”
• “Our system is so reliable it makes me feel like the Maytag repairman.”
• “You are going to get the same feeling of quality with your new comfort system as you do with your Lexus.”
Today, we shoot terabytes of video and take thousands of snapshots so we can re-experience the emotions of that place and time again and again. We’re all familiar with the feeling we get from photographs, so use them in your presentation. Photos let customers experience their new system before they own it and helps them get emotionally stimulated and psychologically involved.
We want what others want, so let them see the value others place on their HVAC system. Show photos of happy customers enjoying their new comfort system. Because we all want to be better off today than yesterday, research shows that you’ll be more successful if you show photos of homes slightly more expensive than your target customer’s home.
Help them feel good
The better we feel, the more we buy.
The next time you buy groceries, stop and listen. Chances are some of your favorite songs are being softly played on the PA system. As you unconsciously flash back to the happy time, you are grabbing a T-bone steak that’s not on your shopping list. Your subconscious mind is linking the song to the good time you had grilling steaks with friends while listening to the same song.
In each of us, our brain has an insatiable desire to produce good feelings. During your presentation, explain how your comfort system will enhance the enjoyment of everything your customer does in their home.
Conclude with logic
If they can’t brag about it, they won’t pay more for it.
Chances are you bought your new car because it looked better, went faster, or had a great sound system — but, you told your friends your bought it because you get 30 miles to a gallon on the highway. (Since you only drive in town and your old car got 18 miles per gallon, the car will pay for itself in fuel savings in about 900 years).
Each customer must make a conscious decision to buy, and the conscious mind needs logic like a car needs gas. Logic is what converts a subconscious want to conscious desire. If people don’t have at least one compellingly logical reason to buy, they probably won’t.
When customers buy a comfort system, they want to be able to tell their friends about it. It is much easier to explain the purchase of an hvac system in logical terms than emotional terms. As you’re making your presentation, give your customer three to five simple to repeat, logical reasons to buy from you now.
Energy savings
Use energy charts to show that their old system is burning money. Don’t spend a lot of time on it, but show return on investment and payback. Also show how the energy savings helps pay the monthly investment.
Detail your installation step-by-step
Up to 90% of the comfort systems installed today have energy wasting problems. Detail the steps you take to assure the customer will get what they paid for.
Present emotional and logical benefits together
“With the electronic air cleaner your son will sleep better and so will you … and there are no filter replacement costs.”
Discuss financing
“We have many convenient financing options that make owning a new system very easy.”
Detail what makes your company and comfort system different
People will never feel good about buying HVAC equipment if they believe they can buy the same thing for less money somewhere else, so make it different.
Tell why they should be unhappy now
“You’re already paying the cost of a new system with wasted energy — A new system runs on half as much electricity as your old one.”
Explain the cost of waiting
“Your old unit could break again at any time.”
Explain how they will gain:
• Protection for their computer
• Better Health
• Enhanced Comfort
• Increased Property Value
• Safety/security
• Convenience
• Cleaner Environment
Today’s comfort systems provide more benefits than any other product your customers can buy with the same money. But they can’t realize all the benefits and won’t pay more for it until you get them emotionally involved.
