Getting a customer to appreciate a product’s value is one of the most difficult parts of selling.
Selling the cheapest product is not salesmanship. Providing the best product to fit your customer’s needs at a fair profit is what salesmanship is all about. That’s what justifies your paycheck.
One of the biggest traps of selling compressors is letting your customer treat your product like a commodity. You don’t just want to sell a compressor. You want to create a happy customer. To do that, you need to educate your customer before an urgent need arises so they’re ready to make an informed decision -- hopefully before their current compressor fails.
Not all compressors are created equal, and no one unit is a fit for every shop. Few customers even think about their compressed air system until it’s time for a new compressor. Then they tend to focus on the lowest price and fastest delivery.
Here are some thoughts on the technology and sales techniques.
Q: Don't all compressors do the same thing: make air. Other than the name on the front, aren’t they really all the same to a customer?
A: That’s like saying: isn’t a car just a car? They all have four wheels. What’s the difference other than the nameplate?
When shopping for a car or a compressor, knowing what’s “under the hood” and the unique features are what makes one brand or model worth a premium price over another.
“Because a compressor is a big ticket item, customers tend to focus on the price tag and want to save a dollar,” says Dan Leiss of Jenny Products (jennycompressors.com). Say you’re selling to a body shop: they likely spend far more on paint in a year than they will on this compressor. But they buy paint in much smaller increments. So, they don’t always see how paying a few extra nickels per gallon of paint may cost them far more over a year than the couple hundred dollars they’d pay for a better compressor. That’s often because they see a compressor as an expense and not something that makes them money. You need to change that mindset.
Your job is to help your customer see the benefits of one compressor over another. The best way to do that is to start selling before the customer needs a compressor.
Q: How do I sell a compressor before a customer needs one?
A: Start by selling your customer the small things he needs to keep his system running smoothly like new filters and couplers, fittings and lubricants. Then educate the customer on topics like horsepower, consumption and lifetime operating cost.
It’s only air. And air is free, right? Not compressed air. Add up the cost of hardware, maintenance and daily electrical costs and the compressed air system may be the most expensive “utility” in your customer’s shop. Especially if it’s not working at peak efficiency.
When a compressor is working smoothly, it sits unnoticed in a corner of the shop. But when there’s an issue, a shop’s operations can come screeching to a halt as a frantic call goes out for repair or replacement, says Leiss.
Although you want to be the first to get that call when a customer needs a new compressor you want to avoid getting that call when he is in a crisis. At that point, the customer doesn’t want an education: they want a working compressor -- and they want it now. And although you probably appreciate the order, you still have a route to run and other stops to make.
Q: Most of my customers wait until their compressor fails to buy a new one. Is there a more proactive way for me to close a sale rather than under time pressure?
“Most shops purchase a new compressor at the time when their current unit fails,” says Richard Campbell, vice president product management North America, compressed air systems and service, Ingersoll Rand. “At that point, it’s not about price, it’s about who can deliver a new unit quickly and get the shop back up and running.” He suggests dealers carry a trusted compressor brand from your flag or a warehouse that can deliver quickly.
“Pneumatic systems have a finite life before the parts have to be serviced or maintained,” says Ben Echtenkamp, commercial product manager with Campbell Hausfeld. Knowing the life for various components and compressors can help drive the sales, build trust and avoid downtime. “Work with the shop to develop a maintenance/replace schedule that would help for budgeting and planned purchases.”
Budgeting? Planned purchases? Those probably sound like foreign concepts for your customers. But it’s a smart idea. If you are the go-to dealer for fittings, hoses, filters and consumables, you can help a shop customer plan expenditures and have a timeline for their next compressor purchase.
“The time dealers spend training customers on the basics of air compressors is time well spent,” says Ingersoll Rand’s Campbell. “Helping customers understand cfm, psi, horsepower, electrical – that creates a lot of value. Upselling premium features like low-oil protection switches, auto drain valves and air-cooled after-coolers can help dealers become more profitable.”
No matter how hard you try, often compressor sales will still be made under time pressure. But if you can get just a small percentage of customers to think ahead you can do an air audit and help them plan ahead and buy based on need -- not just in a rush in the midst of an emergency.
Q: Air audit? That sounds tedious and complicated. Is it?
A: It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. And air audit can be as simple as asking a few questions about current usage, futures plans and calculating the consumption of each tool being used in the shop.
“Our distributors don’t sell anything without doing some type of an air audit to get an idea of current needs and future needs,” says David Andrews of Sullair (sullair.com). “If somebody is looking to grow and expand, don’t put in an undersized compressor today and have to double the work tomorrow. Put one in that will meet the needs of the business for the future.”
Although there are expensive tools that can be used to determine air consumption and system leaks, most of the experts agree the average shop air audit can be done with your eyes and ears. Look at tags on air tools for cfm and listen for leaks.
“If you want to figure out what his air demand is going to be, go around and add up the tools he’s running (the cfm) at any given time,” says Jenny Products' Leiss. He suggests then adding 20 percent for reserve capacity in case the shop is running a few extra tools one day and/or to allow for leaks.
“There are many quick-sizing tools available from manufacturers,” says IR's Campbell. The Compressed Air & Gas Institute (CAGI) has detailed selection guides at www.CAGI.org.
If you want to find leaks, just listen. Go into the shop after hours with everything turned off but the compressor and listen for hissing. Most leaks are audible. Or check the gauge, if your losing pressure over time without any tools running, you have a leak.
“Air leaks cost a stunning amount of money because the compressor is running,” says Leiss. Also the extra run-time is eating away at the compressor’s life. Often the air leaks are simple to fix. Just find the leaks and sell your customer new O-rings, couplers or hoses.
Helping your customer keep his compressed air system running efficiently and save money will make you a hero. Customers like to buy from heroes.
Q: Can’t I just ask them what they want and sell it to them? Or isn’t it easier to just look at the current compressor and sell one with the same specs?
A: Easier? Yes. Better? No.
For example, if the current compressor was too small and failed early, you don’t want to do the same thing. Or if usage has significantly increased or decreased since the unit was put in service you don’t want to guess wrong. Take the time to do the work. You’ll customer will appreciate it and put more trust in your recommendation.
“Even if a person has a 50hp compressor today and they replace it, that may not be the right compressor for their need,” says Sullair's Andrews. Understanding the usage, the need, the location, the footprint, the lines, their energy usage, or whatever the case may be can help determine the best compressor for a situation.
Some customers may ask for something like a rotary screw compressor because they are “sexy” or because another shop down the street has a rotary screw. They may not realize they aren’t the best shop environment for a rotary screw or the often higher maintenance costs involved. You want to help them make an informed decision so they don’t blame you later.
“Don’t be afraid to call the manufacturer before you walk into a compressor sale,” says Jenny Products' Leiss. Find out what questions you need to ask the customer, then call back with the answers and get the manufacturer’s advice on the best offering. That’s why they have presale hotlines.
Q: How hard is it to sell/install aluminum air piping systems?
A: Aluminum piping is the way to go for a lot of customers today. It’s lightweight and can be installed by the shop staff quickly with minimal tools and no special training. The system allows the shop to easily add a drop or reconfigure the system at a later date.
And aluminium air piping systems are “portable." If the owner is renting a shop, he can disassemble the piping and take it with him.
“You basically just need a spanner wrench and a pipe cutter or circular saw with a carbide tip blade,” says Mark Thomasson of Prevost Corp (prevostusa.com). “It’s not like installing black iron pipe. There’s no threading, no sealant and no pipe dope. Aluminium piping goes together by hand, and you just tighten it with a spanner.”
Unlike black pipe or galvanized steel, aluminium pipe will not rust. Also, the coefficient of friction is much lower, so the air will flow with less turbulence giving the shop more flow downstream.
Q: I have a customer with an eight-bay shop that is asking me to look at his whole compressed air system. I think he’ll qualify for financing, but I don’t feel comfortable with how complicated it is. How hard is selling a full system?
A: When you are selling a compressor, you should look at the whole air system whether you are selling a one-bay shop or a 10-bay shop.
I encourage dealers to stretch themselves for big ticket sales -- especially if someone else is financing it. But I agree with you here. If you’ve never done a whole shop before, this may not be the time to start. This sounds like a big customer. You don’t want to fail and lose their trust.
I’d say hand off the job off to someone for a finder’s fee.
“When you start talking about hardwiring and plumbing, that’s usually a sign to turn it over -- my wife usually reminds me that those aren’t my areas of expertise,” jokes Sullair's Andrews. Often mobile dealers can partner with a compressed air specialist like independent compressed air distributors to service large, multi-bay shops.
Stretching yourself is good. But know your limits.
