Selling with digital tools does not have to be impersonal.
It’s true: there is something special about a firm handshake and looking your customer in the eye. Especially when you’re discussing a large investment in a new HVAC system for their home.
But it’s also a misconception that going digital with your customer communications translates to being less personal. In fact, digital tools can help you further personalize your customer interactions in surprising ways!
Why Personalize?
A. Differentiate from the Competition
Your customers are often reviewing multiple proposals, and some may have lower prices than yours. By adding a personal touch, like a customized message to your customer, you set yourself apart from the other proposals your customer received.
B. Show you Understand the Customer
Quoting a “cookie-cutter” proposal for your customers without any reference to their unique situation is a surefire way to tell the customer you just don’t care that much. By personalizing and referring to what is important to their home and family you show that you’ve put some thought into their unique HVAC proposal.
C. Increase Value Today…and through the Lifetime
Establishing a personal rapport with your customer allows you to emphasize the relevance of higher value systems for their situation. For example, a customer may explain how much they’ve been spending on an oil furnace, and how important noise is to them. With a personalized quote, you can reference that the new Amana Inverter Heat Pump solves both of their pain points.
And of course, a personal relationship with the customer — whether in person or digital — can greatly increase the opportunity for future sales and increased lifetime value!
Tips to Keep it Personal
1. Thoughtful Proposal Notes
If you’re sending a digital proposal to your customers, whether it’s a PDF, a simple invoice, or using a more modern selling system like OnCall Air, it can make a big difference to include notes in your proposal that go beyond describing the work and the products.
Here’s a simplified example without notes:
Now, take a look at the difference if you include notes, which reference the customer’s unique situation:
Hopefully it’s clear that taking an extra 30 seconds to personalize a proposal with some notes can make a substantial difference in the sale!
2. Virtual Business Card with Photo
Many HVAC sales begin at the customer’s location, where your customer has a chance to meet you in person. But of course, the sale is often not closed until a later time — after the customer has had a chance to discuss with other stakeholders and perhaps review competing bids.
To make sure your customer remembers you, take the time to personalize your signature — and even include your photo and bio links. This gives you the best chance to create trust with your customer when you can’t be in person.
Try this free service to help you create a professional and personalized signature for your emails. And this service can help you build a great looking profile picture.
3. Connect your Brand to your Customer’s Neighborhood
One of your biggest advantages when selling HVAC is that you typically have a great understanding of the customer’s neighborhood. So make sure that your proposal has a local reference to make your customer feel right at home with your company’s brand.
For instance, you can include a note in your proposal that says “We’ve installed dozens of these new GREE mini split systems for your neighbors in the Madison Township areas over the past couple of years.”
4. Follow Email Etiquette & Best Practices
There are many tips for making emails more relevant and actionable.
Here’s a brief checklist you can use whenever you are sending an email to help you keep it personal.
Do use personal and customized subject lines like, “Mr. Smith, here’s a plan to replace your old heat pump ASAP.”
Don’t use generic, impersonal subject lines like, “Your AC quote.”
Do reference the customer’s situation or unique pain point like, “I realize that noise levels are important, which is why I included…”
Don’t sound too formal or distant.
Do use a familiar conversational style in your writing.
Don’t ignore your customer’s questions.
Here are a few links with many more tips and ideas for writing great emails and text messages:
Salesmate Top Email Etiquette Tips
Personalize with OnCall Air’s Sales Software
While the advice in this article does not require use of OnCall Air, the section that follows does show you examples of how you can personalize your sales specifically using OnCall Air’s powerful HVAC selling system.
Here are a few examples of how you can accomplish more personalized sales using OnCall Air:
Proposal Notes
Add notes to each specific proposal option so that whenever your customer opens your proposal — from any device — they’ll see your personalized message at the very top:
Virtual Business Card
Use OnCall Air’s flexible accessories to create business cards with your photo, and a brief bio about your unique background in the industry.
Company Introduction
OnCall Air lets you customize every proposal with your company’s unique story. This is a great opportunity to show off your credentials, your history, and any awards you may have won. But it’s also the perfect place to remind your customer about your knowledge of the community.
Custom Email Subject Line
Set up your emails — and automated follow-ups — to take advantage of the customization feature so that your email subject is personal — and also less likely to get caught in junk.
You just have to set this up once with an email placeholder, and OnCall Air will automatically embed the name in the email message (see example below).
Get Started
To learn more about OnCall Air and our unique promotions for customers of East Coast Metal Distributors, sign up for a demo at www.oncallair.com/ecmd.
