SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — GE Industrial Systems is throwing something of a party this week, in celebration of the production of the 3 millionth ECM™ motor at this factory. Contractors and distributors who will be in Springfield for the company’s MoneyMakers™ sales training will be in attendance.

The landmark celebration is scheduled to take place Thursday, April 24, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Plant tours will be given throughout the day.

Learning To Make Money

The MoneyMakers training is slated for April 24-25, also at the factory. The course includes lectures, homework, role-playing, and positive feedback.

Topics include marketing basics, lead generation, communication in selling, estimating energy savings, benefit selling, and return on investment selling.

The seminar, which can be customized to fit specific needs, is said to be “100 percent focused on selling value to the consumer,” with “no attempt to create sales clones.”

Steve Kerr, James Wall Plumbing Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, testified to the training’s effectiveness. “As a progressive plumbing, heating, and cooling contractor, we focus on the quality-driven customer, rather than a company that sells its services based on price.

“Over the course of the past 16 months, I have had a close ratio of 55 percent, and approximately two-thirds of the furnaces I sell are variable-speed furnaces. We have performed 137 furnace retrofits, with 98 of those being ECM furnaces,” he said.

Well-Recognized Trainers

The trainers for the April meeting are well-known and respected among HVAC contractors.

Ron Collier, Ph.D., uses a variety of tools to teach business management. His background includes business development instruction, accounting services, individual consulting, software (including flat-rate pricing), and a catalog of business products for all sizes of North American HVAC businesses.

Jim Hinshaw’s HVAC sales background includes positions such as sales manager with Trane, president of one of the oldest and largest air conditioning companies in Arizona, residential business start-up specialist for Carrier Corp., and author of “Profitable Residential Sales,” a cassette tape album published in 1989.

Mark Matteson is in demand on such topics as sales achievement; team and trust building; customer service excellence; attracting, hiring, and retaining employees; actualizing human leadership; personal development; and developing vision, values, and goals. His first book and audio series, Effective Communication for Managers, was written with the University of Washington and won an award for educational excellence. His second book, Freedom From Fear, is a tale of one man’s discovery of simple truths that lead to wealth, joy, and peace of mind.

Tom Piscitelli has more than 25 years’ experience in marketing, HVAC sales, and sales management. During a career with Honeywell and a major distributor, Piscitelli worked to develop markets for contractors, wholesalers, builders, utilities, and OEMs. In 1997, he used his insights and front-line experience and began teaching the “System Selling That Works” contractor sales seminar.

The two-day MoneyMakers seminar costs $450 per person. The duration of customized programs “can be one-half day to as many days as needed to accomplish your objectives,” the company says.

To register or for more information, call 562-598-9671 or visit www.GEindustrial.com/dealer.

Publication date: 04/21/2003