All right so preliminary conversations that we have with customers - uh, that's gon na cover, when i say preliminary, i'm saying before we get started, whether that's replacing a capacitor, completing a condensate system, treatment or installing a whole new system for the installers or bigger projects too, like Evaporator coils, so this is going to apply whether it's a really small project, an approved scope of work, while you're on the job site or a proposed scope of work that has been approved and you're going to complete that portion of work via the proposal couple things. So we'll start with the service side from the service perspective, you want, if, if you're on site, proposing a couple different solutions for our clients, we want to slow that process down. So they understand what you're doing, how long it's going to take and how much it's going to cost. Does it include the diagnostic fee? What is the subtotal? What is the grand total? What is the payment type? What that's going to look like once the scope has been completed right.

So if you go there and it's an after hour fee, then you need to have clear communication that hey it's going to be the 215 plus the 89 plus the 120 and your grand total is going to be this. I can get started uh once i'm done i'll collect payment. Is that going to be check cash or card right you're? Having that up front? That's your preliminary conversation that you're having with that client. So that way, you are on the exact same page as far as how this is going to work, i'm going to provide you with a solution.

I'm going to do this this and this and in return you're going to pay me x amount of dollars for the work that i performed. It's an exchange of product or value right. So that's what we're doing and we want to establish what that looks like it's much better to hit speed, bumps or hurdles since we're on that terminology from a month ago, early in the morning we want to know, is there going to be a chat? Ah, i actually don't. I don't have my credit card and i don't have cash.

You know my husband has the credit card or my wife has the credit card right now they have time to make a phone call and it's not holding you up right and now. You're not stuck there like. Oh what now right, so the office can call get the credit card information. Give you the green light, knock it out, provide them with that solution.

Make sure the office runs, the credit card make sure everything's good and then you're done you're out of there right so slow down. Have that preliminary conversation that preliminary conversation on that particular scenario for the service guys should be three minutes, tops two minutes right. It's not a long conversation. It's just a really quick conversation.

Here's what i'm going to do! Here's the total amount. It's going to be out the door that includes this, this this plus the diagnostic fee. If there's any discounts that apply, you can bring those up at that point. If they're part of our membership plan bring that up and say, okay deduct the 10 discount you get since you're a member and here's your grand total two minute conversation.

That's all quoted repairs. So that's another example of something we're going to see. Gon na be a bigger project. It's gon na be a compressor.

It's gon na be an evaporator coil. It's gon na be ductwork, something. To that extent a txv, uh reversing valve a little bit more involved and you haven't had the money conversation you haven't. Had the diagnosis conversation right because you're coming into this after somebody's already diagnosed diagnosed it after somebody's had some money conversations right, so you're kind of coming in a little bit blind, not completely you've read through the proposal.

You know the dollar amount, but still a preliminary conversation needs to happen. So when you get to the customer's house, hey mr mrs jones, i'm here to perform xyz the total amount today is going to be 1272.. This project is going to take me anywhere from four hours to six hours. I have everything i need on my truck once i'm all done i'll.

Do a full test of the system make sure everything's working properly. If we're all good to go, then i'll collect payment. Just so i know will that be check cash or card, they tell you, okay, perfect. You notate that any other questions that you have for me any concerns anything that we didn't answer from the office perspective or previously.

Then they can ask you. Well. Are you going to be doing a new line dryer with you know, does that include refrigerant? Does that you know? What's the warranty on that all repairs come with a one-year parts of labor? That's your response. All of our repairs come with a one-year parts of labor.

If you have a manufacturer's parts coverage, warranty it'll run through that course. So let's say we're in year two when we replace it. If they have a 10-year manufacturer parts coverage that part's still going to be covered for the 10 years for the equipment manufacturer warranty right. But then we'll cover it from a labor standpoint for one year now you know all that stuff and you're.

Having that preliminary conversation answering any questions, complete the work fill out, the invoice make sure everything's working good, get it perfect for them answer any questions. Now you can collect money right money, conversations for clients for people in general, much easier to have before the exchange of value right before you've completed what they're paying for once you've completed a repair once you've driven off with a truck whatever it is. You know vehicle whatever thing that you're wanting to buy right once you have it and you feel like it's yours and especially when you're putting it in somebody's home. They kind of feel like this is mine.

So you want to think about that and just understand it's. It's going to be much easier to have those money conversations before before it's done, because once you do it challenge that you could face with a buddy conversation is much greater. Do you want to pull out the evap? I mean, that's always an option. Do you want me to pull out the compressor? That's always an option, but from a really simple standpoint, remember the goal is to provide our customers with really good service right, provide them with something that's of value to them.

So we just need to reestablish before we get started on that quoted repair they've signed off on it from so from legally speaking, we're fine, but from a customer service communication standpoint we want to slow down. Have that preliminary conversation that takes a minute or two and re-establish the exchange of value reestablish, here's, what we're gon na do and here's how much it costs we're in agreement right, yes, okay, perfect and then you can proceed just re-establishing building some trust going over some Details answering any concerns or questions that that client has again we're the professionals, we're the experts and we want to make sure that they feel confident in what we're going to do. That's how you're going to have the quoted repair. Preliminary conversation for system replacements system replacements are big.

They include a lot of work. It involves a lot of conversations before you've gotten there. Certain expectations have been set before you've gotten there. Dollar amounts have been predetermined by somebody else, not you when you're going into that.

It's going to take a little late work on your end when you're installing a system reading through that proposal reading through the notes looking at the before photos, and that's going to give you 85 of what you need to know. As you get more experience, there's little questions like that's weird verbiage. What what does that mean? Why am i bringing wayne's coding? I have a quad breaker. This one says it's a different size.

What am i doing where's that going right? If there's questions, then you need to do some of that leg. Work where you contact the person who wrote that proposal who put that proposal together. Right phone call works that doesn't work text message, works phone calls tend to be pretty interruptive, meaning they can be on another line. They can be with a client they can be.

You know writing up a proposal - phone call's, fine, but that's usually for urgent communication, but a text message is fine. Again. We want to figure that out early in the morning, zach smiling. I like text messages by the way.

I love text messages, shoot me a text, but we want to figure that out early right. We don't want to get to the job and start this preliminary conversation with the client and be like. I don't know that right, we're the professionals, we're the experts. We need to do that legwork earlier, whoever wrote the proposal needs to communicate with you.

If things are unclear some cases they won't be some cases they will be. But again we need to figure that out when we're here when we're at the shop seven o'clock. 7. 30., we need to know hey.

I need some more details. What are those details right now, a little punch list? What about this? What about this? What about this? I see it says the grand total is this check payment and then it says discount is that discount included in that dollar amount, or is that discount? In addition to that dollar amount? I can't. I can't see that mostly you're going to look at the proposal. Usually the terms and conditions and dollar amounts of discounts are really detailed on the proposal.

One thing that's sometimes confusing. Sometimes discounts are an addition. Sometimes discounts are included so just notate that verbage, you know kind of upper right side in that area, just below the subtotal. What you pay calos, there's a section there, what you pay calos! Sometimes it shows some financing stuff uh.

You can kind of ignore that portion of it, but what you pay kaylos there should be a dollar amount, bottom bottom payment type. If it says check confirm that you know has all the check discounts included if it says credit card make sure it doesn't have the check discounts included right, because we can have conversations with client where they're like hey you get a you, get a three percent off For a check payment just because we don't have to pay the credit card fees, so we'll just literally hand that back to the client and say hey, that would normally run us. 150 bucks. Here's 150 discount! You know, i don't care.

If it goes, you keep it in your pocket or the credit card company takes. It doesn't impact me it's just. You know that reduces our cost of doing business. So, if you want to go that route, that's fine.

Some people like to fly over miles hotel points. Cash back the three percent cash back's, pretty good. If you think about hey, let me write the check when the sales guy is having that conversation. They may say yeah check's great, so we put that in there check payment.

Then they go through the proposal. They still have the ability to select credit card, the notes and the call are going to be better. But if it says credit card, then again upper right side make sure it doesn't include a check discount. Never are they going to get a check discount if they're, paying via credit card or financing check discounts are going to only apply when they are paying via check.

That's some of the internal leg. Work that you want to do. Are we doing new copper? Are we doing the drain line? Are we doing new platform? Does it have a concrete pad? Do we need a new disconnect? What's the location, are we going to do any duct work? Is it just strapping ceiling, the basic stuff, okay got all that right. Now you go to the customer.

Sorry, i've drawn this out a little bit but being prepared when you have this preliminary conversation, especially with installs, is going to be super beneficial as you do it more. It's going to get easier and easier installs. The preliminary conversation will probably take five to ten minutes. Depending on how many questions there are, depending on, if you're walking the customer around the job site, that's very beneficial to do remember this is a big investment, something they're going to do every 10 to 15 years.

So it's not like this happens all the time. It's not like you're doing a maintenance, it's not like you're, replacing a capacitor. This is a little bit bigger deal right and when we enter that relationship with the customer, where we install the new system, we're kind of taking care of them for the next two. Three four: five: six ten years, so we need to make sure we establish a really good relationship and install that system appropriately, so that they're taken care of because we're attached to that client for quite some time, which is good.

We want to make sure we continue to install equipment appropriately for longevity, because that makes the relationship long-term, really nice. You know really good relationship. Hey mr mrs jones uh we're here to install the new air conditioning system. You can have the proposal right front of you.

If you want all right, so what we're gon na do we're gon na do a three ton. It's gon na be a 16 seer two stage system: new thermostat new platform, top we're gon na paint that out and trim it once we're done new return box, a new concrete pad on the outside. Let's see here we're gon na, you know, inspect the ductwork, strap and seal that here it says you have a two-year labor warranty and then the you know, manufacturer warranty on all the parts total today is gon na be 7500 and you're. Paying via check.

Is that correct? Does that sound right? Yeah sounds good. Okay, perfect you! You want to walk around with me kind of go over anything point out any questions that you have and sometimes they'll say yes, and if they do great any challenges you see bushes, hey. Can we trim this bush back it'll help us work a little bit easier, also that it won't grow back into the unit so quickly? Where do you want us to put the branches, because sometimes it's just a little bit and you can throw it in the box? Sometimes it's like whole bush and you you want to know. Can i put that by the road? Do i put put it out here? Do they have an hoa that's going to be mad if it's on the road for three days, so having all those little conversations right, really going into detail planning out what your day is going to look like and giving them kind of a rough time frame, always Plan for the worst, though, like on an evap, i said four to six hours.

I don't know the last time it's taken over four hours unless it's super difficult, but you want to say you know. Normally we should finish up. You know four to six o'clock somewhere in there. If things go really smoothly, we might get a little ahead of schedule right.

It's just like flights, you're always so happy. When they're ahead of schedule, you pay the same amount, but when you get there a little earlier you're happier right project that it's going to take a little bit longer. If it's going to take a full day, that's okay, but we don't want to under deliver meaning. Take longer than we anticipate puts us in a bad situation.

Customer starts to make plans. Customer is like all right. What's going wrong, what's going on now, they're starting to worry, because they think this guy thought he was going to be done by three and he's still here, it's four o'clock: what what's going wrong right so then they start to worry. Understandably, so we need to project, on average poor case five six o'clock, most of the time you'll be done before that the customer will be really happy with that.

But if you hit a speed bump, if you hit a hurdle, you got that time. You don't have to panic right, you don't have to go to the customer and say you know, what's going to take longer than i thought you just keep rocking and rolling doing your thing, get the job done right and they never know anything. Any challenges arose right, but you know you know it did and they're fully satisfied. Then, when you go to collect payment, hold everything up, great everything's, rocking and rolling working perfect for you.

You want to do a walk around the job site. Any questions concerns so just point them out now, and i can you know, maybe make any minor adjustments go from there. Do the walkthrough perfect, let me write up the invoice again. That's going to be the amount we discussed 7 500 via check, so i'll write up that invoice and uh i'll be in and give me about five minutes.

Then you go right up the invoice clean up the hands so you're not getting dirt on the invoice. Write that up really clear, precise communication that you're having right preliminary conversations. That's where it all starts, though we have to do some internal leg work, but then having a quick, five minute. Ten minute preliminary conversation on those installs on those big scopes of work.

It's gon na be super beneficial on the back end. You don't hit those challenges. Why aren't you done yet? Oh, i didn't know i had to pay today. Oh, let me just pay you with a credit card and then we get screwed, because we didn't factor in the discount that we already gave them and included right.

And then that puts us in a really tough conversation, because we call back hey. Mrs jones, you almost 150 dollars for processing fees. Right, that's not a fun conversation. We would much rather have upfront preliminary conversations that creates clarity and sets the expectations for our clients, and you thanks for watching our video.

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