Beware of the High Pressure Same-Day Discounts
Have you ever been cornered in your home into a 2+ hour sales presentation and know in 10 minutes that this company and salesman is not for you? Unfortunately, this happens a lot in the residential HVAC industry where the salesman puts on a lengthy, high-pressure sales pitch, that usually ends with a ‘same-day discount’ with a huge number and very big discount, that will magically ‘go away’ the moment they leave your home.
Sometimes it looks a little different than this, but you get the picture. Frequently these are the same companies that advertise heavily on TV, radio and the internet. In most cases they do not encourage you to get additional bids, and that they are the foremost experts in the field, and everyone else is an incompetent poseur.
Safe to say that, at Evergreen, we do not use this tactic. Of course we offer discounts, some for a limited time, but we will never push you into an immediate sale and ask for an immediate deposit. That is not part of our culture, and in the long run, our customers would lose trust in us and our sales process.
In our low-pressure sales meetings, we begin by finding out we are a good fit. This conversation should take 30-45 minutes and help us understand how your present system is (or is not) working as well as your goals and budget restrictions (we offer a variety of options, some more expensive than others). We want to make sure you can reach your goal, and in a way that is not too financially painful (unfortunately nowadays a new HVAC system cost can rival that of a car, but thankfully our systems a built and installed to last 15-20 years, not 5-10).
The other problem with a high-pressure one-call close is that the likelihood of mistakes or miscommunication increases drastically. There are many decisions to be made on location, efficiency, specific features, etc. that you need to think about; this is a 15–20-year commitment for the comfort of your home. Very likely you will have follow-up questions, from those who were not at the meeting, or new ideas that arise (some from other HVAC system providers). Of course, you want the best system and post-installation service, at a fair price. You also want time to think about things. What you do not want is buyer’s remorse.
Finally, there is the issue of trust and ethics. As stated before, a high-pressure one-call close is focused on getting you the ‘best price today’, and if you wait the price goes up (and schedule gets delayed), and over time the price increases higher. These folks usually have a logical-sounding explanation for all of this, usually something about not guaranteeing costs or schedule. But will the costs changes by thousands in a day or a week? Usually not.
At Evergreen we believe that selling is about teaching. Providing resources and information about the HVAC industry so you can make an informed decision. We value building relationships and get most of our leads by referral from happy customers. We want to work with you to design the optimal system for your home.
