Lay-Out Pricing & Materials

We recommend this step is done prior to discussing the pricing and subsequent quoting of equipment. You should have already laid out your upfront pricing on the client’s table in a clear & organized way before sitting down with them to discuss options.

At a Trades Company, we call them pricing sheets or laminates because we have this type of sales material printed on heavy-gram laminate paper. This is done by a printing company that has an industrial-sized laminator when possible. If not, you can do it in-house, but make sure you use as thick as possible laminate, so they feel heavier. This is important, and why will be explained below.   

At The Kitchen Table

While it may not be at a literal kitchen table, you are sitting with the client in their home.  Once you have discovered what system they need and want, you should be presenting 3 to 4 options to them. Start circling the packages (system combinations) on the laminate with dry-erase markers.

Use a good, better, best model, or a low, mid, and upper tier of a product line when circling options. While circling the different packages make sure you are using a color-coded system, for this, pay attention to the client’s preferences and needs, and gently guide them towards it by making the highest chance option circled in green, the close second in yellow, and the far third in red (throw in blue when a 4th is needed). We are not suggesting you sort the circled option by price, but by what you believe the client is leaning towards. For example, they spoke frankly about heat pumps and are more comfortable with an AC replacement. In this case, we would circle the heat pump package as red and an AC as green.

After circling the packages on the laminates, start to transfer them to the options sheet, where you will not down any addons they want (duct cleaning, HRVs, water heaters, chimney liners, additional supply runs, etc.).

Add value, do not discount!

We advise against offering a discount on products and services and instead adding something at a reduced price. This could be an HRV, warranty package, or duct cleaning.

Client Quoting Process

(1) Display on table pricing (2) Conduct Home Comfort Assessment (3) Return to the client (4) Discuss Findings
(5) Discuss Home Comfort Guide (6) Present Solutions (7) Circle Packages on Pricing Sheets (8) Transfer packages on Pricing sheets
(9) Value adds-Budget-Price-Comfort (10) Print Email & Print Quote (11) Ask for the business

Let’s walk through the step of the quoting process specifically, but also keep in mind that this is a part of the larger Consultative Sales Process. This does not include the beginning of the sales appointment or its pre-phase, nor does it go through the heat loss/gain analysis or the follow-up process.

1. Before you begin the home comfort assessment, ask the homeowner where you can place the pricing sheets and sales material. Place the material in a thoughtful manner and tell the homeowner that they are free to look through it while you conduct the home assessment, and you will answer any questions they may have a little later. However, you should try to bring the homeowner along for at least the furnace inspection. This is easily done by asking them to show you to the furnace.    
2. Collect the data about the client’s existing equipment, perform the heat/loss gain, and check airflow in the ducts. Note any pain points that you come across.
3. Return to the client and request to have a conversation with them about your findings and take them to the room with the problem and explain the issue(s) to them.
4. Discuss your findings and indicate possible solutions. Transition into a conversation using the Home Comfort Guide.
   
5. Highlight the relevant pages in the Home Comfort Guide that relate to the pain points, and possible solutions, and use the guide to introduce the company. Do not cover all pages.
6. Now that you have woven a story that shows the client’s problems and comfort issues, present options that solve those problems. Attempt to narrow down what kind of system the client is leaning towards before you start to present options. Since you will only be able to present four as anything more than that will confuse clients and cause choice paralysis.
7. You should already have a strong indication of what the client wants and what will fit in their home. However, never assume and always let the client choose between multiple options. Since the client is likely not knowledgeable about the equipment packages that work together, you need to guide them by circle combinations that fit their comfort and give them the option between low, mid, and high-efficiency systems. The Good, better, best pricing model.
   
8. Transfers the circled items onto the option sheet and discuss additional charges that are a part of the installation. Like if they added on a humidifier, this is a great place to reduce cost but increase value without lowering the price of the core products. For example, half-price on a humidifier. There is also space on the option sheet to list additional line items like a water heater.
   
9. Next step is to bring up the value add-ons they are getting, like warranties, guarantees, free thermostat & filter rack, and any maintenance they have included. Bring up the budget and ask them if they were to move forward with one of the options which one would it be? Once and if the client selects a package from the options sheet.
10. You are now ready to build a quote. There are a few ways to do this, we recommend you use a software called Joist if you are not currently using a quoting building program. See an example from Joist below and how it lists a detailed description of each item on the quote along with the pricing, sub-total, and tax all listed in a clear format.
    
    
11. Ask for the business.  You have earned the right to ask the client if they would like to proceed with purchase and installation. You will not always get someone who signs on the spot, but it will prompt you to interface with any objections or concerns. If you do not get the sale, then we detail what to do in our follow-up process.