by David Montanaro, Service Manager

Building the Value Part II

As we continue on our “Rocky-like” series that focuses on building the value, we find ourselves on the topic of decontamination treatments. Whenever I say this to a customer, images of Cher in the movie “Silk Wood” race though my head. Not to worry though, no one will need to be scrubbed down afterwards.

Air-Care offers a host of chemical treatments that can be applied to both residential and commercial applications. With the exception of instances where we are dealing with fire damage or infestation, this is a simple three step process. Presenting it to the customer can be done in a very straight forward manner and you should always approach this from the position that the customer is going to agree because they need this service.

After explaining what you are going to do while cleaning the customer’s ducts, and usually before we begin to discuss electrostatic filters (remember last month’s article?), we should all be discussing decontamination treatments. “Decontamination” is a strong word that will sometimes raise concerns and sometimes slightly offend a customer, but after explaining the process and the benefits, all that goes away very quickly and I always use that word.

I begin by telling the customer that it is a three step process where we “fog” in a series of treatments. I try to avoid use of the word “chemicals”; no one wants a chemical in their home. Here is a quick run-though of what I say, “The first step is a sanitizer that is specifically designed for duct systems.” Most people do not have any questions as this is a very straight forward statement. “Step two is the application of a product called Soot Set. This will allow us to capture all of the VERY small dust particles that remain after cleaning and settle them. After all, the idea is to have less dust in you home right?”

Time to look for the all important customer nod or smile of approval. “The last step is a deodorizer. This has a mild lemon vanilla sent and is not designed to deodorize you home, but rather treat you air system.” As an added step Air-Care always places a solid Odor Block in the return, which of course, we tell the customer about and suggest that they replace them every thirty days or so, this is a great time to suggest that they order a case so that they have them on hand.

Earlier I mentioned fire damage and infestation, not to worry…Air-Care has everything that you need to address these issues. All you need to do is pick up the phone and give us a call.

A truly professional duct cleaning involves a number of steps and being “The Professional” will separate you from your competition and build your credability. Last month, we spoke about math and how wonderful it is, do you remember? Well a little basic math for everyone – add this service to every job you do and watch your billable revenue grow. I may be an awful speller, but in case I haven’t mentioned this, I love math!

How to integrate commercial projects into your business
by Wayne Tracy, Operations Manager

Last fall we started offering a one day training class on commercial duct cleaning.  We also introduced a training DVD on commercial duct cleaning.  We have had a huge response to both the classroom training and DVD training.  Listed below are topics covered in both the live training and DVD training.

• Commercial Air Handlers
• Commercial Air System Components
• Commercial System Designs
• Who Are Your Commercial Customers
• Evaporative and Swamp Coolers
• Commercial Duct Cleaning Procedures & Steps
• Duct Cleaning Equipment
• Blueprint Reading
• Quoting & Estimating Commercial Jobs
• Many more topics

Over the next several issues of our newsletter, I’ll discuss in detail some of the topics included in the DVD and live training.  This month I’ll discuss one of the most common questions I’m asked about commercial work:

WHY DO I WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN COMMERCIAL WORK VERSUS RESIDENTIAL?

My first response to this question is you need to be involved in both residential and commercial work to get the most return on your investment in this business.  If you’re already established in this business you’ve probably already built a residential customer base and if you’re new, you’ll develop your residential customer base fairly quickly.

There are less commercial buildings than residential and it will take a little longer to develop a solid commercial customer base.  You’ll need the residential business to get started as you build your commercial relationships.  Many new companies who aggressively seek commercial customers find success very quickly, but you have to work at attracting commercial accounts and maintaining them as regular customers.

Once you’ve done a few commercial jobs you’ll quickly realize how much more profitable they can be.  If your average residential job is $300 to $500, it will take a lot of jobs to give you the same return a  $5,000 commercial job will.  Commercial jobs can easily yield a return of up to 300% if quoted and managed properly.  It’s quite obvious where the profit lies, but you also have to consider you may not have a job of this size every week.  That’s why it’s important to have a balanced flow of residential and commercial work.

Some commercial jobs can amount to tens of thousands of dollars – imagine a $25,000 dollar job with a 100% plus return.  It may sound too good to be true, but in my 9 years of employment with Air-Care, I have sold and been responsible for many 5 figure jobs.  The largest job Air-Care has done was a little over 10 years ago and it was for over $270,000 and took 9 months to complete.  Five and six figure jobs are out there, you just have to be aggressively pursuing the commercial market to have a chance at landing one.

I’m sure some of you are thinking, “I don’t know how to do a large commercial project or how to price it.” Don’t let that be a concern!  If you’ve purchased equipment from us, we’ll get you started on the right foot for any size job by providing guidance on quoting and steps to complete the project.  Attending our live training or investing in the training DVD’s will also give you the basic information you need to quote and provide the service.

WHO ARE MY POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS?

It’s very simple – any building that’s not a residential building is a potential commercial account!  Even some residential properties are commercial accounts; apartments & condos are good examples. Sometimes the work will be there simply by asking for it. You need to develop a strategy for contacting the many types of commercial properties in your market.  You have to have a balanced approach and not try to conquer the world in a week.
Next month I’ll cover this subject in detail.

If you have a subject area related to commercial duct cleaning you’d like to see covered, call or send me an e-mail and I’ll try to cover it in future issues of our newsletter.  Until the next issue, “HAPPY SELLING” and go chase those commercial accounts; that $5,000 or $10,000 job may be just around the corner.