< Previous10 FEBRUARY 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY THE RIGHT FIT When trying to attract top sales talent, make sure applicants are the right fit. Everyone has potential, but the last thing you want is to put someone in a position where they will struggle. This isn’t always easy. We now use cognitive and placement software (ncilink.com/HireSoft- ware) which changes our efforts for the better. The neat thing about using this type of software is that you can model the scope of what you are looking for around your top performers. When looking for sales talent, it really pays to know what type of person you’re looking for. In other words, you need a clear picture of what you want. For those who have read Jim Col- lins’ book, ‘Good to Great,’ we adhere to the idea of First Who, Then What (ncilink.com/JimCollins). The idea is that our entire team are riders on the company bus, and everyone needs to be matched up with the right seat. That means having the right person in the right job at the right time. We want our employees to be wildly successful. Finding people who are the right fit often starts with what attracted them to Isaac Heating in the first place. When interviewing sales applicants, I often hear that our brand is what grabbed their attention. They tell me that our long history (75 years), being one of the biggest HVAC contracting firms in the area, and be- ing a family-owned business are im- pressive to them. Grooming a sales rep from within the organization is something we have T he sales team at Isaac Heating and Air conditioning consists of 16 project man- agers and 15 Home Energy Auditors across six locations. Roughly 14 of those members are outside hires and the rest previous- ly held installation or service positions within the company before their current sales roles. Being a salesperson at Isaac is a highly coveted position. Some of that stems from the fast-paced high-energy environment of sales. Part has to do with the freedom of their schedule as well as the compensation. More importantly, at Isaac Heat- ing, it’s the culture of the group: a true band of brothers and sisters. Here’s how we do this. How to Attract and Retain Good Salespeople By Andrew Torres SALES Pictured below is Isaac Heating Home Energy Auditor Steve Bibbens working with one of their residential customers.FEBRUARY 2021 11HVACTODAY.COM out equipment. At the end of the day, we sell unfin- ished products that require installa- tion. So much of the customer-value lies in the experience of the company doing the installation. Training helps add to that experience level and it also helps with technician retention. As a tech, learning something new every day has a direct impact on how well they perform. From my perspec- tive, that’s an environment where peo- ple can thrive. One of the ways Isaac Heating active- ly works to curb technician turnover is through a high level of engagement. The COVID pan- demic has present- ed some unique challenges to this concept, the big- gest of which is limiting regular face-to-face meetings. I don’t get to physically see my team. But we still have regularly scheduled virtual team huddles (ncilink.com/ VirtualTraining). Along with this kind of engagement, you must remove barriers to make the sales process as easy to follow as pos- sible. This also works for creating a better client experience. VALUE AND CULTURE In our sales process, we focus on building value, not cost. I see that as a parallel to retention and pay. When bringing on a new rep, the real focus should be on creating a bond with them. They will learn pricing, proper design, and product knowledge, but you have to make them a part of the family. While money can be a motivator, it cannot overcome things like poor cul- ture or poor leadership. What you’ll find is a temporary shot of adrenaline and then it fades. Sales representatives need to have a sense of gratification and clear re- wards for goals achieved. The last thing you want is for a rep to be wor- ried about their pay. Culture includes community service. We often give back to our community by offering our time and expertise. It is through things like a charitable instal- lation or fundraising auction that you see internal bonds being cultivated and relationships strengthened. This part of our culture helps to strengthen our employee retention. Salespeople will always be driv- en by representing the best product. Again, furnaces and air conditioners by themselves are largely unfinished products. Designing and connect- ing them to solid ventilation systems makes the difference. We spend an exceptional amount of time developing and educating our team. We place a heavy emphasis on done for ages. Most of our top sales performers are former service and installation techs — me included. This approach is well-received by our clients because it lends credibil- ity to our professionalism and estab- lishes a level of trust. THE ISAAC APPROACH At Isaac, we have two sales roles. First are our Project Managers (PM). These are our “sales reps,” though they are responsible for so much more than just collecting contracts from clients. A Project Manager oversees the entire sales process, from initial consultation to the completion of a project. Then we have our Home Perfor- mance Auditors. Their primary re- sponsibility is to evaluate the home from a health and safety, comfort, and energy consumption standpoint and make the appropriate recommenda- tions. When these recommendations turn into jobs, our auditors then take on the PM role. Auditors undergo training and con- tinuing education on the compa- ny’s approach to home performance using both internal and external training resources. As a result, our team understands we don’t just swap Isaac Heating Project Manager Ben Walton goes over options with a homeowner. IN OUR SALES PROCESS, WE FOCUS ON BUILDING VALUE, NOT COST. I SEE THAT AS A PARALLEL TO RETENTION AND PAY.12 FEBRUARY 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY sphere. Find ways to bond with your salespeople that don’t pertain to work ■ Use monetary incentives stra- tegically. Don’t just throw cash at the group and watch them all fight for it. Goals should be clearly outlined. There should be individual as well as team goals. Make sure to celebrate wins with frequency and consistency ■ Engage the team through spe- cial projects that either help to im- prove the client experience, or even the internal sales process itself. This can turn into career progression and iden- tify leaders among the group ■ Share direct and concise com- munication via email or meetings. Salespeople tend to have short at- tention spans, so the communication needs to be engaging and short. SALES At Isaac Heating, these are the things we do to attract and retain solid sales- people. This approach also works to build on our culture, to live up to our standards, and to continue our mission to be THE company that is easiest to work with. designing a system properly. This al- lows our sales reps to have the utmost confidence in the product/company they represent. SIX FACTORS FOR ATTRACTING AND KEEPING TOP SALES TALENT When you break it down, attracting and retaining top sales talent requires the following key steps. ■ Understand who your top performers are and describe the key characteristics that make them successful. Then look for similar char- acteristics in potential candidates ■ Groom people from within your organization for sales posi- tions. They have a unique perspective on the client experience ■ Cultivate a family-type atmo- Andrew Torres brings more than 16 years of HVAC sales, installation and leadership experience to the Isaac Heating team. He joined the company when he was 19 years old as an installation helper. He has held roles as a NATE-certi- fied installer, BPI-certified Home Performance auditor, residential project manager, and a branch manager. His goal is for his team to cultivate an unmatched experience for Isaac’s clients by simply being easy to do business with and attentive to clients’ needs. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe.FEBRUARY 2021 13HVACTODAY.COM “ S on, I don’t understand a word you just said,” uttered the chick- en farmer to Napoleon Dyna- mite. Perhaps you haven’t heard these exact words from your customers, but you’ve probably seen it on some of their faces. Let’s take a look at an essential element in sys- tem diagnostics that is not technical but critical – translating test data into ideas your customers can easily understand and act upon. To successfully offer HVAC system solu- tions takes much more than technical ability alone. It requires you to become a translator, a good listener, and a teacher. While you may think these are lofty skills, you’ll be surprised how naturally you can develop them. With some practice, you can translate test data into solutions your customers understand and want. WHAT, NO SALES SKILLS REQUIRED? If you’re like most service technicians, you don’t like to sell or be sold. So, how can you offer pricey system solutions if you don’t follow the traditional high-pres- sure sales route? Think about how YOU buy today. You probably jump online and search for infor- mation about what you want to buy. Once you’ve gathered enough information and are confident you’ve found what you want, you buy it. Do Amazon salespeople hound you to buy something? No, they have intelligent search en- gines leading you to ever more information about products in which you’re interested. You’re well trained to “click” and learn un- til you decide what the best product and deal is for you. A couple more clicks, and it shows up on your front door in a day or two. PEOPLE LEARN, DECIDE, AND CLICK TO BUY What if your role in a customer’s buying de- cision mirrored their online learning pattern, decision-making, and buying? Although it sounds new, this process is time- less. It’s how people have always preferred to make purchases. Unfortunately, most technicians don’t pull together the knowledge, skills, and desire to offer more than the lowest price solution that may or may not solve the problem. While you’re in a customer’s home, you can duplicate the learning and buying pattern they already use online. Instead of clicking online for more in-depth knowledge, you become their source for deeper understanding. You gather the information they need through testing and diagnostics and then translate your findings to them in a way they understand. You can even teach them with live hands-on experience. Translate Test Data into Solutions Your Customers Seek By Rob “Doc” Falke SALES Your technicians should be able to “translate” diagnostic information into everyday language that any customer can easily understand.14 FEBRUARY 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY mal flow of information begins with a very brief description of the prod- uct, accompanied by several pictures. If more information is wanted, you click on ratings and customer reviews. Then, for a really deep dive, you can click on product specifications. When you’re satisfied, you decide to buy. TRANSLATE TEST DATA FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS In the field with your customers, you are their living source of infor- mation. Online they can click on another product in an instant if it’s not what they want. The same reac- tion can happen in person if you fail to provide information in a way that holds your customer’s interest. You will only succeed if you provide rel- evant information they understand. That leads them to a decision they can feel good about. Your ability to translate is essential. Field testing and diagnostics provide very persuasive information, but it ar- rives in a language most customers don’t understand. Out of respect for them, you must become a translator. Unless you’re able to communicate in simple terms, they’ll click over to your competitor’s product, even though you may be the only one able to offer the solution they seek. THREE FIELD TRANSLATION EXAMPLES To help others, you can translate measured CFM into something com- mon like beach balls of air per minute. Translate Inches of Water Column into a blood pressure equivalent, and Btu’s to a reduction in miles per gallon. Your job is to trans- late the highly tech- nical HVAC mumbo- jumbo into simple ideas and solutions your cus- tomers want right now. The basic translation guidelines are: 1. Translate the de- scription of the value you tested (such as pressure) into a compa- rable value they know something about and can easily understand (such as blood pressure) 2. Compare the measured test number to the required num- ber. Without that comparison, there is no reference point on which to base a decision 3. Calculate the percentage of what you measured compared to what is required. You calculate this percentage by dividing the mea- sured value by the required value. CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) or the required airflow volume is un- TESTING IS YOUR “RESEARCH” Some customers ask why testing is needed when others don’t test. The answer is simple: Testing is the only way to get the in- formation necessary to discover the solution to their problem. When you communicate essential test results in a simple, honest, straight- forward, and easy to understand lan- guage, each piece of information helps customers discover what they want. When the time is right for them, they’ll “click” (approve the sales agreement) and buy. Listen carefully to responses from your customers to make sure they re- ceived your message. Stop high-pressure selling and give customers the information they need to make their own informed deci- sion. Some decide immediately. Oth- ers need more evidence before they are sure of what they want. Be patient. There is never a need to force the sale. Forcing is the opposite of teaching. When searching Amazon, the nor- SALES Your ability to translate is essential. Field testing and diagnostics provide very persuasive information, but it arrives in a language most customers don’t understand. Out of respect for them, you must become a translator.FEBRUARY 2021 15HVACTODAY.COM Or “Your heating system should move the equivalent of 1050 beach balls of air per minute to deliver all its heat into your home, and we mea- sured only 522 beach balls. That’s 50% or half of what the furnace man- ufacturer specifies.” Inches of Water Column is the standard unit of air pressure measure- ment in our industry. Rarely will you find a customer contemplating the pressure in their HVAC system before you make them aware of it. So, explain this one very carefully. Each piece of air-moving equip- ment is rated for a maximum oper- ating air pressure, .50-in. WC is the most typical rating. Perhaps you mea- sured pressure at .82-in. WC. You can translate by saying some- “This room needs 120 buckets of air every minute to be comfortable, and right now, the room is only getting 38 buckets per minute. Or 32% of what it needs.” derstood by all HVAC techs. But to the public, it means nothing. Common translations of this test value that most customers will under- stand include: 16 FEBRUARY 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Then divide by rated Btu to find the system’s percent of GPM loss. You could explain it something like this: “Your air conditioning system is rated at 36,000. We measured the delivered cooling and found it’s only 14,300. Your system’s GPM is only 40% of what it should be.” THE POWER OF TRANSLATING DIAGNOSTICS Engage your customers in diagnos- ing their system. Some will want to participate. Others will follow you and ask questions as you test. Unfortu- nately, some won’t be interested. It should be clear to your custom- er that you’re very different from your competition. Regardless of the level at which they choose to participate, they care about the information your diag- nostics produce because that data is essential to their buying decisions. When you test, diagnose, and trans- late solutions for your customers, you help build trust and become the qual- ified person they’ll choose to provide the answer. thing like, “Your cooling system’s air pressure is rated at a maximum of 50, and we measured its pressure at 82. That equals a blood pressure of 180 over 100, or Hypertension Stage 3. If you were in the hospital, you wouldn’t be leaving that day.” British Thermal Unit (Btu) is a measurement of heat. As with all these initials, don’t use them with a custom- er. Try using simple whole numbers to describe the amount of rated or mea- sured heating or cooling in a system. The best way to translate Btu is to compare it to the system’s reduction in Gallons Per Minute. Any custom- er would take action if their car GPM were reduced by 60%. Plot airflow and measure tempera- ture change to calculate delivered Btu. SALES Rob “Doc” Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute, Inc., an HVAC-based training company and membership organization. If you’re an HVAC professional interest- ed in a free table to convert static pressure to blood pressure, contact Doc at ncilink.com/ContactMe or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCI’s website at nationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, downloads, and current training opportunities.FEBRUARY 2021 17 ing manuals, the flue size and height were typi- cal for large buildings, especially those with flat roofs. The purpose of the extended height was to minimize wind effects that could cause flue gas- es to recirculate back into the building. If you drive around most towns and keep your eyes open, you will see many old buildings with massive flues, some even bigger than this one, that never had a problem. ● So why are flues now getting blamed for equipment not operating or venting correctly? ● Why do Code Officials and manufacturers say these flues are too big? ● Why are Code Officials making contractors install flue liners and making flues smaller? CONDENSATION ISSUES? One of the reasons mentioned for adding flue liners and making flues smaller is that higher ef- ficiency equipment flue temperatures are lower today and don’t heat the flue adequately enough. This causes condensation. Having measured thousands of flue tempera- tures on residential and commercial gas-fired equipment during the course of my career, there is little difference in flue temperatures today if the equipment is operating correctly. The excep- tion would be condensing equipment that does not vent into standard flues. TIGHT BUILDINGS? Another reason stated for modifying flues like this is buildings are much tighter today and are removing too much air. I am not even sure how tight buildings have BB ased on the current AHRI (formerly GAMA) venting tables, the flue shown here is not considered acceptable. Well, without knowing the exact size of the flue and the Btus of the equipment vent- ing into it, this would be more of an opinion than a fact. So why do some believe this flue is unaccept- able? Because it is on an outside wall, has four sides exposed to the weather above the roof, and can’t warm up properly. However, it is close to 80-years-old and has been working fine. After reading the original ASHRAE engineer- The Flue is TOO Big? By Jim Davis TECHNICAL Commercial buildings like the one pictured here have been in use for more than 80 years and have had little to no impact on venting or condensation. So why are they the target of such concern today? HVACTODAY.COM18 FEBRUARY 2021HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY the flue pictured in this article would never work. The rumor most likely started in the 1980s when the first induced draft equipment was introduced. Rather than blaming equipment op- eration for condensation in the flue, the flue itself was blamed. New venting tables were developed by Battelle Institute and what used to be known as GAMA (AHRI today), using a computer program to address this problem. This solved very little and tended to be more of a bandage than a fix. Flues are not heat exchangers. If the flue is absorbing heat from flue gases, chances for condensation to occur greatly increase. This is why National Comfort Institute (NCI), spends a lot of time discussing vent- ing and the function of a flue. SO WHAT DOES A FLUE ACTUALLY DO? A question rarely answered cor- rectly by new students is, “What is the function of a flue?” The most common wrong answer is to vent the flue gases. Howev- er, venting flue gases is the function of draft. The function of a flue is to communicate or connect inside pres- sure and temperature with outside pressure and temperature. The next time you hear someone say they are having a problem be- cause the flue is too big, someone is making a bad diagnosis. The equip- ment or the building is at fault, not the flue! anything to do with flues. Tight buildings are a combustion air and ventilation problem, not a flue prob- lem. If the equipment isn’t venting properly (assuming the flue is open), the problem is combustion air. A flue is an inanimate object that does nothing but provide a path for hot combustion gases to flow from the inlet to the outlet. Much like the return duct on a furnace or the re- turn piping on a boiler, an external force needs to be applied to create this flow. In the case of venting, this force is draft. Draft is created by the pres- sure difference of indoors versus outdoors and the temperature dif- ference of the flue gases versus out- door temperature. To maximize this flow, ducts and pipes are sized to create the least amount of resistance. In the case of larger flues, they create less resistance, less contact of the gases with the flue surface, and this minimizes the possibility of heat transfer from the flue gases to the flue. By keeping flue gases hotter, con- densation should not be an issue. I am not recommending oversized flues as the best choice. I am recom- mending we understand that mak- ing flues smaller rarely fixes a vent- ing problem. HEATED FLUES? I do not know who started the rumor that flues need to be heated or are too big. If that were the case, TECHNICAL Jim Davis is the senior instructor for National Comfort Institute (NCI). He has a long and storied career in the HVAC Industry. That career began back in 1971. Today he is con- sidered one of the HVAC Industry’s foremost authorities on combustion and carbon monoxide safety. Jim is credited with developing the first combustion testing protocols and field diagnostic methodologies using digital combustion analyzers. To contact him, go to ncilink.com/ContactMe.FEBRUARY 2021 19HVACTODAY.COM diagnostics into your ser- vice agreements? How do you use social media for marketing your High- Performance Contracting services? How do you ex- plain test results to cus- tomers? And so on. ▼ Technical : How do you train/certify your field service and installation team? We understand you are busy. That is OK. We can help make it as easy and painless as possible. If this is interesting to you, simply go to the following URL: hvactoday.com/ contribute . Fill out the very brief form there, and we will contact you to get the ball rolling. If you have any questions, please reach out to Editor-in-Chief Mike Weil at ncilink.com/ContactMe . February 2021 PowerPack is Here The PowerPack is designed exclusive- ly for National Comfort Institute (NCI) members and includes access to some of NCI’s recorded webinars, online train- ing, and downloads. Be sure to share them with your team during the month of February. We think you’ll find these tools and training materials very helpful as you continue to grow your High-Performance HVAC business. So without further ado, take a peek at the February 2021 offering: ✔ Static Pressure Test Diagram ( Download ) ✔ Cooling Test-in Report (Download) ✔ Fundamentals of Fan AIrflow (Online Training) ✔ Value and Comfort Pre-Season Performance Air Conditioning Tune-up Flyer (Download). Just go to ncilink.com/PwrPak to access it today. If you have any ques- tions or are unable to access any of the tools in this program, please contact us at 800-633-7058. Introducing NCI’s New Video Library NCI members now have a new benefit that can help them teach field techni- cians some of the Performance-Based testing and diagnostics techniques they need to be successful. These short videos are taught by NCI Trainers. Among the videos currently available are: ▼ Diagnose Dirty and Undersized Filters in Less than 2 Minutes (with David Richardson) ▼ How to Measure the Total External Static Pressure of a Gas Furnace (with David Richardson) ▼ How to Perform a ComfortMaxx™ Air Test (step-by-step procedure). The library will be updated regularly with new videos taught by other train- ers. This library is available to you as part of your membership. Just go to ncilink.com/VidLib and check out what is available to you. Do you have a subject that you’d like us to cover? Give your Customer Care rep a call at 800-633-7058 and let us know! We’d Like YOU to Write for HVAC Today! The team at High-Performance HVAC Today magazine is always on the lookout for Performance-Based Contractors who want to write and contribute articles. Sure, you already have a full-time job, right? But think about this: As an author, you have a tremendous opportunity to stand out in your marketplace. Think of your articles as content you can market to customers. So what do we need? The magazine focuses on how contractors are imple- menting and using the performance- based method in their processes, both internal and external – success stories, challenges, case studies, and so on. You are the experts. Some typical topical ideas include: ▼ Tools: This can be a 250-word review of something you use to test static pres- sures, measure airflow, temperature, and heat in residential and commercial HVAC systems. ▼ Processes: What strategies do you have in place for your techs in the field and/or your office personnel to man- age everything from recording field measurements to tracking High-Perfor- mance training, objectives, and so on? ▼ Sales : How is Performance-Based Contracting™ impacting your sales? ▼ Business/Marketing : How do you incorporate testing, measuring, and NCI MEMBER UPDATENext >