THE HVACR MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE
TERRY Tanker Publisher ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com PETE Grasso Editor pgrasso@hvacrbusiness.com MEGAN LaSalla Art Director mlasalla@hvacrbusiness.com
ADVERTISING STAFF ERIC Hagerman National Sales Manager Tel 216-409-3246 ehagerman@hvacrbusiness.com TERRY Tanker Publisher Tel 440-731-8600 ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com
BRUCE Sprague Circulation Manager bs200264@sbcglobal.net BARBARA Kerr Executive Assistant bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com
HVACR Business, founded January 1981, is a monthly national trade magazine serving contractors, mechanical engineers, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, distributors, trade associations, and others in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry primarily in the U.S. The editorial focus and mission of HVACR Business is to provide business owners and managers with the very best business management concepts available. Critical topics covered include leadership, management, strategy, finance, sales, marketing, training, education, staffing, operations, human resources, legal issues, customer service and more. We are dedicated to helping contractors master these key management skills and provide them with the resources necessary to build strong, profitable companies. Every effort is made to provide accurate information, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Copyright©2021 by JFT Properties LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized copying may subject violators to criminal penalties as well as liabilities for substantial monetary damages up to $100,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys’ fees. This publication should not be utilized as a substitute for professional advice in specific situations. If legal, medical, accounting, financial, consulting, coaching or other professional advice is required, the services of the appropriate professional should be sought. Neither the authors nor the publisher may be held liable in any way for any interpretation or use of the information in this publication. The authors will make recommendations for solutions for you to explore. Any recommendation is always based on the authors’ research and experience. The information contained herein is accurate to the best of the publisher’s and authors’ knowledge; however, the publisher and authors can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof. Subscription Rates: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: U.S. and possessions: 1 year $48; 2 years $75; 3 years $96; Canadian and foreign, 1-year $108 U.S. funds only. Single copies $8. Subscriptions are prepaid, and check or money orders only. Subscriber Services: To order a subscription or change your address, write to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 or call (440) 731-8600; or visit our Web site at www.hvacrbusiness.com. For questions regarding your subscription, please contact bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
BY PETE GRASSO
Go Out on a High Note
G
eorge has a problem. Whenever he’s in a meeting at work, and expresses a good idea, his boss and coworkers all applaud him and sing his praises. The problem, however, is that he relishes in the praise and decides to suggest additional, not so great ideas. Unfortunately, this has the opposite effect on his boss and coworkers and soon, his mediocre, not-well-thoughtout ideas overshadow his earlier contribution and he’s lost his credibility. He expresses his frustrations with his good friend, Jerry. “They loved me ... and then I lost them,” George says. “I can usually come up with one good comment during a meeting but by the end it’s buried under a pile of gaffs and bad puns.” Jerry advises him, once he hits that high note, to “say goodnight and walk off,” because that’s “the way they do it in Vegas.”
At his next meeting, George again comes up with a crowd-pleaser of an idea and, as the room erupts in laughter and applause, he gets up and says, “Alright! That’s it for me. Goodnight everybody,” then leaves. After doing this a few times, he is dismayed to find out that his boss no longer includes everyone in the meetings — he’s taken everyone else off the project. It’s just him and George. “They were boring,” he says. “George, you are my main man. I don’t know what it is, I can’t put my finger on it, but lately you have just seemed ‘on.’ And you always leave me wanting more.” Of course, this isn’t a real story. It’s from “The Burning, a classic Season 9 episode of ‘Seinfeld’ and it’s yet another hilarious take on George Costanza’s navigation of office politics. But, as a regular reader of my columns, you probably already know there’s a real-life lesson to be learned from ‘Seinfeld.’
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Jerry’s advice, to say goodnight and walk off, was sound (George took it literally, of course, which makes the episode so funny). Jerry was simply trying to imply the adage, “quit while you’re ahead.” In other words, know when to shut up.
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What about on a sales call? When you or your sales staff talk to customers and you present them with all the benefits of your system or service, do you keep talking or do you let them digest the information? Let’s be honest, sales are all about being memorable. You’re not selling products — every company has the same or similar products – you’re selling your company. If it were only about products, it would be difficult to distinguish yourself from your competitors. Sure, customers care about a superior product, but they really want to do business with a superior company.
Make yourself memorable, go out on a high note and always leave your audience wanting more.
HVACR Business (ISSN 2153-2877) Copyright ©2021 is published monthly by JFT Properties LLC,31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039, Phone: 440731-8600. Periodicals postage is paid at North Ridgeville, OH and additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-431)
31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104 North Ridgeville, OH 44039 Tel: (440) 731-8600 Web site: www.hvacrbusiness.com (ISSN: 2153-2877)
rather an actual good idea — only to then muddle up the conversation by continuing to speak, thus not allowing the rest of the team time to consider your good idea?
You must make yourself — and your company — memorable. When you make your presentation, list as many great qualities about your company as necessary to get your prospective customer interested and enthusiastic. Then, shut up. If your closing statement is met with silence, your initial reaction is that they are displeased with your offer. But they may just be thinking about it. If you break the silence, you could interrupt their thought process — and they might have been seconds away from saying, “Yes!” I recently read a blog post that addresses this exact topic. In it, the author says: There is something to be said for leaving sales calls on a high note. Most prospects won’t feel shorted or put off if you’ve honored your time commitment to them and yourselves. On the contrary, they’ll be thinking about when they can get you on the phone again. After all, it’s your customer who has an HVACR need they need to fill. If they have a positive experience with you, they’ll want to continue down the sales funnel themselves. How do they have a positive experience with you? Well, as Dale Carnegie said, “Merely stating the truth isn’t enough. The truth has to be made vivid, interesting, dramatic.” Leave your audience wanting more. Alright! That’s it for me. Goodnight everybody! u
How many times have we been in meetings and expressed a good idea — I’m not talking about making a joke, but
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