Compare your sales strategy to that of a car dealership. Other HVAC salesmen are shilling an old pickup with poor gas mileage. You're offering a luxury sports car that happens to get better mileage than anything else on the road. Geothermal is the most advanced AND energy-efficient HVAC system on the market - it has a higher price-tag for good reason (“The Masterpiece of HVAC Technology”).
From Bragging Rights to Public Relations
Homeowners have a budget for nice things. They want them first, and they want other people to know they have them.
Corporations have the same philosophy, and they have an even larger audience to impress. Of course, they want bragging rights among their peers. But they also want to impress the public. Proving that they've "gone green" with geothermal will make their public relations director’s job easy.
Quality is another high priority for either type of customer. Customers don't want to replace their heating systems. They want a system that will last for a long time. Studies have shown consumers believe that quality products aren't cheap.
Your potential customer will pay more for bragging rights and for the best product available. Geothermal offers those bragging rights and it is the best HVAC product available. You just have to prove it.
How Do You Prove It?
Geothermal is state-of-the-art. It's environmentally-friendly. It has a cool factor. Instead of wasting precious fossil fuels, you're using solar energy stored in the earth's crust to heat your home! Include these qualities in your sales pitch.
Unlike solar panels, windmills, or Tesla badges geothermal is an “invisible” green technology. You have to explain the benefits instead of showing them. Provide customers with a list of features proving that they'll be the greenest neighbor in the hood - or business park - when they purchase a geothermal system.
Tell your customers that geothermal heat will allow them to:
- Remove excessive outdoor equipment, opening up valuable real estate
- Avoid replacement costs associated with traditional HVAC systems (underground geothermal pipes are not susceptible to outside elements)
- Eliminate traditional HVAC noise pollution (fans and compressors outside)
- Eliminate fresh water consumption (from cooling towers; typically on commercial HVAC systems)
- Eliminate on-site greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by replacing the boiler/furnace
- Be the coolest neighbor in the hood (using the earth's crust to heat your house)
Start with these qualities and slowly work your way down to less-exciting aspects. Don't start your sales pitch with interminable flow charts and cliche-riddled speeches about how the investment will pay off over X number of years. Be bold. Tell your customers that your product is more expensive because it is better.
Public Validation
Find an expert to further validate the technology you’re selling. Let’s say you want to build a house. You’re looking for a design expert. An architect would probably be your best bet, right?
Well, architects happen to be outspoken about their love for geothermal. They love the peaceful, quiet ambiance, and the elimination of outdoor condensers and cooling towers. These articles in Commercial Architecture and Green Builder Media will help you illustrate these points clearly. Is there a better spokesperson than someone who designs buildings?
Government officials are also hopping on the bandwagon. Your customers should know that geothermal heat may eventually be required. Things are trending this way in the U.S. and abroad:
- Ontario’s building code will eliminate combustion heating in new homes by 2030
- Enbridge (North America’s largest natural gas utility) is switching from gas lines to geothermal loops in new developments
- The state of New York has earmarked billions of dollars for reducing GHG emissions
- Google spin-off, Dandelion has entered the market
Your Sales Pitch Summary
Geothermal heat is garnering worldwide praise, with advanced technology that justifies its high price. There is your sales pitch.
About the Author
Jay Egg
Jay is a consultant and designer of geothermal HVAC systems, in addition to being author of two books and several articles on the subject. He is the Founder of Egg Systems, and focuses on geothermal consulting, engineering, and contracting technologies.
Jay Egg started Egg Systems in 1990 to provide energy efficient geothermal air conditioning systems to the Florida, and especially the Tampa Bay markets. Jay Conducted his first speech in 1994. Afterwards, Tampa Electric Company (TECO) began to rely on Mr. Egg’s training expertise utilizing him in various forums from conventions to in house educating. Jay co-authored with Brian Howard for McGraw-Hill a professional book on the subject of Geothermal HVAC, Green Heating and Cooling, published in 2010. He also co-authored with Greg Cunniff and Carl Orio a graduate – level textbook for McGraw–Hill, Modern Geothermal HVAC Engineering and Controls Applications which got published in July, 2013. Jay is a featured writer and speaker, most recently having been selected as featured speaker for The Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America 2011.