• Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
  • ENGINEERS
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
  • RESOURCES
  • EMAGAZINE
  • SIGN UP!
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • CONTRACTORS
  • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
  • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
  • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • WATER TREATMENT
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • PMC COLUMNS
  • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
  • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
  • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
  • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
  • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
  • CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
  • FIRE PROTECTION
  • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
  • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
  • PME COLUMNS
  • PME COLUMNS
  • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
  • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
  • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
  • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
  • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
  • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
  • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
  • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
  • CODES
  • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
  • PROJECT PROFILES
  • COLUMNS
  • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • COLUMNS
  • Codes Corner
  • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
  • Guest Editorial
  • MEDIA
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
  • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
  • DIRECTORIES
  • EBOOKS
  • PM BOOKSTORE
  • CE CENTER
  • MARKET RESEARCH
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
  • EMAGAZINE
  • ARCHIVE ISSUES
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!
Columns

Don't Blame It On The Economy Or Cheap Customers

By Adams Hudson
November 1, 2009
The following is a true story (much as I hate to admit it)

It happens. I was nervously preparing a speech to my church (for both services: 2,500 members or so) and as you might guess, I was just a tad behind getting ready. I decided to take a shower at the last possible second, since it’s considered bad form to reek at the lectern. Then, because I have remarkably sensitive powers of discernment, I noticed ...

No hot water!

That’s right. Go ahead and laugh. I took a shower that would give a penguin hypothermia. As a result, I completed the entire cleansing process in 2.8 seconds. Possibly God’s way of making sure I wasn’t late.

The water heater was in the home when we moved in 11 years ago. I figured it’d be on “the list” soon enough. We did the roof three years ago (no, I don’t remember by whom, haven’t heard back) and painted the following summer. (I referred the painter one $11,000 job, never acknowledged, never got re-contacted. Oh well. Guess I can’t remember him to refer him to the neighbors across the street.) The parenthetical remarks are marketing lessons, by the way.

Yet since we’re now contemplating a kitchen remodel, the water heater must’ve gotten jealous.

When I swung open the basement door to view the hulking heater, I thought I heard, “Fix me! Fix me! I’m gross and underappreciated!” in a rusty little voice. So by golly, we did. Called the plumbing company that also does our heating and air. Things went downhill from there.

Sales Mistakes

The rest of this story might be a tiny bit painful. Please realize that most homeowners would just be happy to get hot water again and most contractors will leave it at that (another marketing lesson). See, homeowners will rarely volunteer that they’re very “sellable,” mostly since the contractor doesn’t ask. And that’s because you aren’t thinking in the buyer’s “code.” This story reveals the code.

The Sunday answering service had no idea who I was. That’s understandable. Told her my problem. Tech called me back. “HAY!” he said at Volume 12, “CAIN’T GIT THERE FOR TWO HEURRS.” Understood. What he lacked in couth he made up for in conversational economy. He said he was busy, but his timing bore a remarkable resemblance to a NASCAR race. Ten minutes after the final lap, the doorbell rang.

“HAY! I’M RONNIE WITH and ...” since I refuse to put the rest of this article in capital letters for fear of grammatically correct hate mail, just know that Ronnie doesn’t have an “inside voice.” People two blocks away became startled when he spoke.

He did a good job telling me of his “trip charge” for a Sunday visit. Understood. Said it had gone up from $69 to $80 recently due to fuel prices. However, my wife promptly pointed out that fuel prices had “dropped dramatically, so was the trip charge going back down?” For the first time in our 87-year marriage (rounding up), I actually gave her The Look.

I gave Ronnie an out by complacently saying, “It’s a moving average.” But Ronnie interrupted, feeling compelled to defend it anyway. For five minutes he discussed the $11 rise. He told of customers who were mad about it, didn’t understand it and the problems the CSRs were having with explaining it. Frankly, this sounded more like “their” problem than mine, so guess who wasn’t interested?

Ronnie forgot that my “real” problem was no hot water. Never confuse your customer’s problem for a reason to vent your own or to create a problem that clearly wasn’t. It got worse.

When Ronnie and I ventured indoors, he stopped. “HAY! I GOTTA PUT ON THESE!” Sorry. He put on his shoe covers but instead of “gotta,” he should’ve said, “At , these are required to protect your property.”

Note the small sales infraction above: Justify your behavior, habits and practices as your “difference” on every opportunity. Otherwise, is it branding or a burden?

Eventually, Ronnie tells me he “can’t” get a gas water heater down there like I had. Said the last plumber fouled things up. Said it was too dangerous, code wouldn’t let him, plus if he did (though he’d already said he couldn’t), he’d have to move it way away, run more gas lines, lots of cost. He recommended full electric, but said there was another option for “instant” hot water - no tank but a bit more cost. Would get us the estimate on both.

Stop right there.


Two Sales Mistakes

He told me everything he couldn’t do, then compounded this with “bad history.” Sometimes this is done to support the upsell. But in this case, he told me what a mess things were, how the last plumber was an idiot, a code violator, etc. He failed to mention why his company had stood inches from this area repairing a sink drain, but never mentioned my water heater was a highly illegal Saturn V rocket, spewing carbon monoxide.

Ronnie had unwittingly entered the Serious Risk Zone. What if I had put in the water heater? Or my beloved, well-meaning, but now-deceased relative? Or an ill-guided representative from this company? Is Ronnie psychic or just regularly prone to insert shoe cover in his overly loud mouth?

Ronnie told us he couldn’t finish the job that day but shut things off to be safe, which we appreciated. Said his supervisor would get with us early Monday to report and suggest. He did. He said to remove the old one (a job and a half) and install a new 50-gallon, “low boy,” all-electric heater, it would be $850.

Two More Mistakes

First, the “exact” number of $850 is too round, imprecise. Prices weren’t broken down. Since I don’t browse the water heater section often, how am I to know if or how this compares? Is the labor $50 or $500?

Second is worse: He failed to quote us the “other” option that my wife was honestly interested in. We then would’ve had comparative value instead of mild sticker shock and actually gotten to choose.

Though very shaky in his sales presentation, we half-reluctantly bought from the company. (A lesson in there, by the way. They mail us several times a year, call us for reminders, thank-yous, treat us very well on the HVAC side, and we have an “agreement” with them. I’d call myself a “tentative” customer on the plumbing side. We’ll see.)

Would others have overlooked the missteps? Checked around? Bought more if asked? Ronnie also committed at least two more sales infractions above. Find them and send me an e-mail (support@hudsonink.com). Your answers may make the next issue of PM.

Epilogue: Those of you convinced the economy is solely to blame for hurting sales, look inside to see if a little training investment might bring sizable returns. Anyone in touch with customers needs it. (Hint: Your CSRs commit even more infractions, which will be covered in a future column.) You are leaving money on the table that your customers want to spend to solve their problems. Leads and customers are too precious just to “wing it.” No training is quite draining.

Links

  • Contact Plumbing & Mechanical
  • Follow PM on Twitter!

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Hudson

Adams Hudson is president of Hudson, Ink — a national marketing firm for contractors. Readers can get the free report, “What You Should Say (And Never Say) to a Prospect,” and a free subscription to the Sales & Marketing Insider eNewsletter by emailing a polite request to freePMstuff@hudsonink.com or by calling 800-489-9099.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Worker using the Milwaukee Tool SWITCH PACK drain cleaner

    Pipeline profits: Drain cleaning, pipe inspection create opportunities

    Drain cleaning and inspection services offer lucrative...
    Green Plumbing and Mechanical
    By: Nicole Krawcke
  • Uponor employee, Arturo Moreno

    The reinvestment in American manufacturing and training

    Plumbing & Mechanical Chief Editor Nicole Krawcke and...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke and Natalie Forster
  • March 2024 Women in Plumbing hero image of woman engineer overlayed by circle of hexagon shapes with numbers from 1 to 10

    Celebrating 10 Influential Women in the Plumbing Industry

    Celebrating Women's History Month and Women in...
    Plumbing News
    By: Nicole Krawcke
Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • eMagazine
  • Manage My Preferences

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

Bell & Gossett Illustrates Path to Net-zero at AHR Expo

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

AI can boost efficiency and profitability for plumbing, HVAC contractors

NIBCO Press Solutions

NIBCO Press Solutions

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

IPEX celebrates grand opening of new Florida distribution center

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Plumbing & Mechanical audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Plumbing & Mechanical or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • J.J. Keller CMV vehicles on road
    Sponsored byJ. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

    The dash cam game-changer for small business safety

Popular Stories

The interior of a government building.

President Trump signs executive order promoting skilled trades and apprenticeships

Figure 1 is a sketch of the flow problems of the current plumbing system.

Hydronic heating glitch solved: Why adding a circulator won't fix primary loop flow issue

Underfloor heating installation with drain sewer hole in bathroom close up on water floor heating.

Using hydronics to leverage time-of-use electrical rates

PM BEMIS June 25 Free Webinar: Optimizing Plumbing Solutions for Single-Family, Multi-Family & Public Spaces

Events

November 13, 2024

Future Proofing MEP: Navigating the 2026 High Efficiency Water Heating Standards

Join our deep dive into DOE’s new standards so you can future-proof your MEP practice.

EARN: 0.1 ASPE CEU; 1 AIA LU/HSW; 0.1 IACET CEU*; 1 PDH

View All Submit An Event

Poll

Will business be up or down in 2025?

Do you anticipate business in 2025 to be up or down in comparison to 2024?
View Results Poll Archive

Products

The Water Came To A Stop

The Water Came To A Stop

See More Products

Download the FREE Water Conservation, Quality & Safety eBook: Plumbing Trends Increasing Safe Water Availability

×

Keep your content unclogged with our newsletters!

Stay in the know on the latest plumbing & piping industry trends.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Supply House Times
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

search
cart
facebook instagram twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • PRODUCTS
  • CONTRACTORS
    • BATH & KITCHEN PRO
    • BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
    • HIGH EFFICIENCY HOMES
    • TECHNOLOGY
    • WATER TREATMENT
    • PMC COLUMNS
      • Dave Yates: Contractor’s Corner
      • John Siegenthaler: Hydronics Workshop
      • Kenny Chapman: The Blue Collar Coach
      • Matt Michel: Service Plumbing Pros
      • Scott Secor: Heating Perceptions
  • ENGINEERS
    • CONTINUING EDUCATION
    • DECARBONIZATION | ELECTRIFICATION
    • FIRE PROTECTION
    • GEOTHERMAL | SOLAR THERMAL
    • PIPING | PLUMBING | PVF
    • PME COLUMNS
      • Christoph Lohr: Strategic Plumbing Insights
      • David Dexter: Plumbing Talking Points
      • James Dipping: Engineer Viewpoints
      • John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design
      • Lowell Manalo: Plumbing Essentials
      • Misty Guard: Guard on Compliance
  • RADIANT & HYDRONICS
    • RADIANT COMFORT REPORT
    • THE GLITCH & THE FIX
  • INSIGHTS
    • CODES
    • GREEN PLUMBING & MECHANICAL
    • PROJECT PROFILES
    • COLUMNS
      • Codes Corner
      • Natalie Forster: Editorial Opinion
      • Guest Editorial
    • SPONSOR INSIGHTS
  • MEDIA
    • PODCASTS
    • VIDEOS
    • WEBINARS
  • RESOURCES
    • INDUSTRY CALENDAR
    • DIRECTORIES
    • EBOOKS
    • PM BOOKSTORE
    • CE CENTER
    • MARKET RESEARCH
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EMAGAZINE
    • EMAGAZINE
    • ARCHIVE ISSUES
    • CONTACT
    • ADVERTISE
    • PME EMAGAZINE ARCHIVES
  • SIGN UP!