We have so much to offer, and it’s important to establish all the various ways that you can help contractors offer products to their customers. Whether that’s tankless on-demand water heaters, garage space heaters, energy-recovery ventilators, carbon monoxide alarms, in-floor radiant heating products, etc., the point is that every distributor has a wide variety of products that can be sold to its customers. The fact is, consumers are looking for and buying these products. When you fulfill a need that no one else has touched, you will not only get that sale, but you are setting yourself up for future sales as well.

You will also need to be a top-flight service provider. You should be helping your contractors find the right software programs, sharing best business practices, and sharing design and sales tips. The more you help people grow their businesses, the more you will be looked at as a consultant rather than a salesperson.

If you’re a contractor working in the business, it’s sometimes hard to work on the business. It is easier to see things when you aren’t attached.

All businesses become even more profitable when they upsell or add in-demand products. I recommend creating a one- or two- (front and back) page options sheet that shows contractors the various products that you have to offer. I would recommend laminating the price sheet. I also recommend providing literature, so your contractors have plenty to share with the consumers.

What I’m suggesting isn’t anything new. The problem is that most people do not put the time into learning how to present these various products to their customers. Growth can come from simply teaching all your contractors how to properly present the various products they can sell.

Do not prejudge a contractor; that is common mistake. You may have been dealing with a contractor for a while, but if selling options aren’t well-incorporated into his or her sales process, that really only means you need to work more on training the contractor. You should ask to do ride-alongs on sales calls to demonstrate how easy it can be to sell accessories.

Contractors should be handing out their own one-page (front and back) options sheet as often as possible, and especially as the seasons change.

I encourage contractors to develop their own options sheet to hand out every time they are inside a customer’s home — and, yes, that includes service calls and simple clean-and-checks. The contractor option sheet should always include a monthly payment cost for everything that’s offered. Consumers want monthly payments that they can easily fit into their budgets.

Contractors and consumers today want easy solutions that are at their fingertips, so be sure to let each and every customer know what you can provide. You should be making it easy to purchase these various products, because your contractors should always have their laminated product options sheets updated and on hand.

Your contractors should also be doing internet sales. If a contractor lets consumers schedule a service call online, why wouldn’t they let them pre-buy a product or service while they are on the contractor’s website? You need to help teach your contractors best practices when it comes to selling options.

Have you trained everyone who works for you to constantly promote everything you sell? If I call your shop and am put on a brief hold, will I hear a recording about your offerings?

The key to any success is discipline, and your sales teams are typically only going to be as disciplined as you make them. Selling HVAC options needs to be a part of your sales budgets and constantly tracked and reported on.

A business does not sprout up overnight; neither will a new revenue stream. It will take learning new things, getting trained, practice, and above all, discipline and drive, to turn a concept into a revenue-driving machine for your company.

Happy selling!