In the Topeka market, if a person sells a million dollars a year in the food business, that person is thought to be doing OK. Von Kopfman was doing OK, but he wanted something more. "I didn't have any idea how much an HVAC salesperson should be able to earn. I became the lone salesperson at our company after three guys had combined for only $800,000 [in sales] the year before. The No. 1 guy had sold about $600,000.

"I had been told that $600,000 to $700,000 was very good in this business. Everyone laughed at me when I told Jeff Weinberg, the boss, that I was going to sell $1 million in my first year. I didn't know what I couldn't do, and I wasn't going to let anyone else tell me that I couldn't do it," recounted Kopfman.

Kopfman sold $1.5 million his first year, $1.35 million his second (with only nine days over 90 degrees F), and is on track to break the $1 million mark again in 2005 for residential sales. What's his secret? "Some principles of selling are the same no matter if you're selling food, rubber bands, or HVAC," said Kopfman. "My job is to build a relationship with the customer and tell them every conceivable benefit of the product. I have found that if you are really sincere about wanting to get to know the customer and finding out what they want, people will buy from people they like."

A Lesson In Tenacity

He said, "If it's worth setting up the call in the first place, it's worth taking the time to do it right." Kopfman makes a point of involving the customer as he performs a thorough load calculation. While he's evaluating the existing system, he takes the customer into the basement with him. He points out every item that is different about the old furnace compared to a new system the customer could buy from his company.

"If they have a standing pilot on their furnace, I explain how the new electronic ignition I offer will be more reliable. If they have a clamshell heat exchanger, I explain how the new tubular heat exchanger will last longer. I also do the same thing with the air conditioning unit. When I'm looking at the ductwork, I show the customer exactly where a humidifier would fit in their new system.

"They might say they don't want a humidifier, and I ask, ‘Why not?' I then explain all the benefits of a humidifier. I never sell people something they don't want or need, but I never fail to explain all the benefits. The customer buys what they want from the person who offers," said Kopfman.

Kopfman now sits on the board of the Topeka Technical Institute. Though not technically inclined, he was invited to join based on his suggestion that the school teach people skills in order to help students interact with the public. "All the technical skills in the world won't help if the technicians can't communicate effectively," stated Kopfman.

With a first-call closing ratio that averages more than 80 percent, and a gross profit on sales that has averaged nearly 38 percent for three years, perhaps students are not the only people who might benefit from some of Von Kopfman's suggestions.

For more information on Kopfman in HVAC sales, contact Mike Murphy at 248-244-6446, 248-244-2905 (fax), or mikemurphy@achrnews.com.

Publication date: 05/16/2005