Jim Hinshaw
It has been said that the only constant is change. That feels truer today than ever before. In our industry, everything is being evaluated — CRMs, dispatch procedures, maintenance agreements, replacement offerings, employee pay structures, and even how customers view our products and services. Nothing is staying the same for long. This article is dedicated to a few companies who are doing things differently than others in their market.
At the recent Service Nation International Roundtable in San Antonio, I had a couple of conversations that really stood out to me.
The first was with a member from the Northeast who attended one of my sales classes years ago when I was consulting on my own. That class focused on inverter-driven systems, and he completely embraced the concept. Today, he told me, all they sell are inverter-driven, side-discharge heat pumps. That’s it.
What surprised me even more is that he operates in a market with real winters and a heavy gas furnace presence. On top of that, about 90% of his installations are ductless mini-splits.
So I asked how business was going. Not only has he succeeded in his original location, but he also purchased a second company and grew that business dramatically in just a few years. Interestingly, he didn’t buy the building or the trucks — only the customer list and phone number. One employee stayed, and today that business is three times larger than when he acquired it. And again, all they sell are side-discharge mini-split heat pumps.
The second conversation was with Ryan St Michel, Grove Mechanical, who has refined his sales process in a very different way. Instead of providing estimates in the home, his technicians schedule appointments for customers to come to the company office for replacement consultations.
When customers arrive, they are brought into a simple room with no phones, no clocks, and very few distractions. Just a couple of chairs and a dog named Whisk. The entire setup is designed to help customers focus on the comfort presentation and the decisions in front of them. What they have recently added is chocolate chip cookies, which improved the sales immediately.
And it works. Their average replacement ticket exceeds $25,000. They are also successfully selling heat pumps with furnace backups in a rural farming market where very few contractors are even presenting that option.
I also want to recognize another Service Nation member, Just In Time, owned by Justin Norquist and Janeen Norquist. Their company runs a monthly “Hero of the Month” program on Facebook, recognizing individuals who step into dangerous situations to help others.
One recent honoree was Dale Stanford, who rescued a young woman trapped in a car submerged in an icy ravine. He climbed into the freezing water, pried open the door, carried her to safety, and stayed with her until emergency crews arrived. That is true heroism.
What makes the program even better is that Justin and Janeen rely on community nominations through their website, creating local involvement and positive visibility for their company every month.
The common thread in all these stories is simple: these companies are doing something different. They are finding ways to stand apart instead of competing with everyone else at the bottom of the pricing pyramid.
That is the challenge for all of us. Dare to raise the bar in your market. Do the things others won’t do — or can’t do. That’s where real growth and long-term success happen.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll share more next month.