The Importance of a Maintenance Agreement Program Pt. 1
Sales may be unpredictable, but maintenance agreements can guarantee success for the fiscal year. These programs are not only profitable for your business, but they can also help you build sustainable relationships with your customers. Why would you want to miss your chance to turn a one-time client into a lifelong customer?
I sat down with HVAC Learning Solutions instructor Tom Wittman to find out how promoting a maintenance program to your customers can smooth out the highs and lows and ultimately benefit your business.
M: Tom, what would you say are the most important reasons to offer a maintenance program?
T: I would say there are three main reasons HVAC dealers should offer a maintenance agreement:
- Maintenance programs are the lowest risk method of building a business since they are fairly predictable.
- They help you determine at what point you'll need to recruit more technicians based on the number of maintenance agreements you have.
- Maintenance programs even out the sales peaks and valleys and stabilize cash flow in your business from month to month.
M: How would you explain the low risk associated with maintenance agreements to a dealer who doesn't already offer one?
T: The equation for delivering quality customer service is simple - great people plus a great process equals excellent results. Companies that proactively predict when they'll need to hire a technician have the opportunity to teach their work process and ensure the new hire is capable of delivering results before the demand season starts. This way, the business has enough work to support another technician year-round. Plus, the new hire can be brought in early enough to completely learn the culture and understand the company's way of doing business.
In part two of this two-part series, we'll dive deeper into the maintenance agreement discussion with Tom and review how maintenance programs affect your recruitment efforts and your bottom line.
Guest blogger Tom Wittman is an HVAC Learning Solutions instructor from Carmel, Ind.