Standby For More Sales

If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s a shared goal of growing and diversifying business while providing value to customers.

While that may sound good on paper, when you’re caught up in the day to day reality of operating your business, it may seem difficult to know where to start.

That’s where standby power comes in.

Adding standby generator offerings to your business is a simple and effective way to grow. You can offer the customer base you serve today an additional solution on every sales call. Your current sales staff and technicians can easily be cross-trained to sell and service standby power, which means increasing your revenue stream and profitability without making a single new hire.

Offering standby products instantly diversifies your business, which minimizes your risk of loss. While your traditional services may be slow, your standby business could pick up or vice versa. You can also pair services by performing maintenance on both the generator and your HVAC products during a single house trip. Add all those things up and you’re providing more value across the board to your customers.

Now, you’re probably wondering where to start to effectively add and sell standby offerings. Look no further than your staff.

Start with the basics, such as training your staff to perform site evaluations for a generator set installation — turning an HVAC service visit into the first step toward a home standby generator sale. Teach them to ask customers probing questions that can lead to an explanation of the benefits of standby power, such as, “Do you experience power outages often?” Also make your staff aware of areas where many homes already have standby generators. This indicates the area may lose power more frequently, setting a sale up for success.

Plus, equip your service staff with a leave behind for your customers to raise awareness of all the services your company provides. Once you’ve trained and equipped your staff, it will be easy for them to walk into a home and make a sale with a pitch like this one:

 “We’re finished with the maintenance on your AC, and I wanted to pass along a flier on everything our business offers. I noticed several of your neighbors have standby generators. Have you ever considered getting one? If so, I can perform a site evaluation right now and pass the information along to our sales team for a quote.”

Encourage your team to use their training by spiffing your service staff for each lead they drive that results in a sale. Consider adding monthly or quarterly incentives for the most leads and the highest sales.

Also consider offering your sales team higher commissions on crossover sales. For example, if they’re on a site quoting a new air conditioner and also sell a home standby generator, pay a higher commission on the dual sale. You can also combine your marketing efforts by advertising both your HVAC and generator products together, doubling your effectiveness.

All the training, spiffing and marketing tactics in the world won’t ensure your standby offerings will be successful unless you have a good partner. Research manufacturers and be sure to choose one that not only offers a high-quality product, but provides reliable service after the sale.

Briggs & Stratton offers high-performing home standby generators up to 20kW, powered by air cooled Briggs & Stratton^® and Vanguard^® commercial engines and the best warranty in the industry — up to 10 years without add-ons including parts, labor and travel. It also offers liquid cooled generators up to 200kW for large home and light commercial use.

Your customers benefit from quality generators with patented power management technology that allows for efficient sizing, reducing overall cost, and you benefit from the support of a company like Briggs & Stratton committed to your success since its founding in 1908.

Learn how you can power your business with standby power here.