Easy as PIE – Come and Get It

You can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

PIEcing It All Together

As I go through the entire presentation (as you can see in the many role-play videos in the training section), I also review the survey to discover the issues the homeowners are facing. When I find those problems, I’m going to ask myself, “What’s the impact?”

Let’s use another example. Let’s say the homeowner reveals that little Bobby’s bedroom is really cold in the wintertime. That’s the problem.

Tech: So Mr. Homeowner, what’s the real impact of Bobby’s cold room in the wintertime?
Homeowner: Oh, man, he comes out and he ends up sleeping in the living room where it’s warmer.
Tech: Well, how do you feel about that?
Homeowner: Well, it bothers me. It frustrates me because I come down for my coffee in the morning and he’s grumpy because I’m making noise in the kitchen and he’s trying to sleep on the sofa.
Tech: Is that something that I should keep in mind when I design your system?
Homeowner: Absolutely.

So the problem is the cold bedroom. The impact is that he’s sleeping on the sofa. The emotion is it frustrates or annoys the homeowner. And so I’ve asked for their permission to keep this in mind, so in the end when I’m done with the inspection, I’ll offer solutions to Susie’s allergy problems. And little Bobby’s bedroom problems.

That might be variable speed. It might be new ductwork. It might be a mini-split. A lot of different ways I can solve that problem for my homeowner, but what’s important now is that I find the problem, find the impact, understand the emotion underneath the impact, and then say, “Is that something I should keep in mind when I design your solutions today?”

I’m gathering all my information for the end presentation. I’m getting all my ammunition ready because I know the impact and the emotion, which I can use in my close, plus I’m getting permission to design a super comprehensive system. Now that’s not to say they’re going to buy that $25,000 or $30,000 solution, but that’s where I’ll want to start.

Starting at the Top

I want to start at the top of that price mountain and come down. To do that, I have to first disregard qualifying by budget. Because if I qualify them at $10,000, they’ll get sticker shock if I quote them at $25,000. But at least I have a justification. “You told me to keep Susie’s allergies and Bobby’s bedroom temperature issues in mind, but let’s look at some less expensive options.” I start coming down the price mountain, right?

Again, their budget’s going to play a role ultimately, but as I start high and come down, they’ll find that number where they’re comfortable, and I guarantee you it will be a number larger than what they tell you if you just qualified their budget. So just keep that in mind.

Sometimes your homeowners don’t know they have a problem, right? For example, here in Colorado, if you ask somebody, “How’s the humidity level in your home?” They always say, “It’s great,” right? But the truth is they have dry skin, they have static shock, they have tons of dust in their house because it’s very dry here, right?

Sometimes, even the homeowners forget, so I will remind them with questions. “So you guys don’t have excessive dust or static shock in your house? Something else that happens a lot with kids, it used to happen to my son when he was little, the little capillaries in their nose get so dry and they’re so fragile, they actually crack and they’ll bleed. But it’s a very common thing here. People don’t understand that it’s caused by low humidity. So if we add humidity into the home every night, they get those nostrils all nice and moist and cut down on nosebleeds.”

Sometimes they need a little prodding, so I might continue.

Tech: Do your kids get bloody noses in the winter?
Homeowner: Oh, yeah, they always have that.
Tech: Well, that’s because it’s too dry. Is that something I should keep in mind as I design your system?
Homeowner: Absolutely.

So during the inspection, I’ll need to uncover these problems and find the impact of the problem. I’m going to find out how the problems make them feel and then ask, “Is that something I should keep in mind?”

By the time I’m done with the survey, I’m going to have four, five, or six major issues I’ve pointed out. The scope of the problem is expanding. I’m gathering all my ammunition, my emotional triggers. I’m getting permission to offer solutions. This is all happening in a very subtle manner. I’m preparing myself to be powerfully effective, powerfully strong at the end during the close. The more problems that are found, the higher the tier of product they are expecting to be shown.