Winter ahead? Time to sell!

To quote a familiar warning, “winter is coming”! With that in mind, consider what you can do to help your customers get ready for the winter months, so they avoid problems later. Now is an excellent time to use the changing season to increase sales opportunities.

Take advantage of year-end budgets
As the year comes to an end, companies are reviewing their 2019 budgets and actual expenditures. They may have additional funds that were deemed for items such as maintenance, facility improvements, or they could simply be in a general account. This makes it an ideal time to ask your customers if they have extra budget to implement projects you have proposed in the past. Or, you can engage your customers by proposing customized solutions to prepare their building systems for winter. Have open discussions with your customers around their current budgets and potential future resources. This will help you determine options that will fit their individual needs.

Help customers with a system check-up
Customers should consider checking building air leaks and sealing them, changing air filters in the HVAC system and making sure they have a smart thermostat installed. A full HVAC inspection should be encouraged, especially if it’s been years since it was last done. If it has been more than a year since their last full inspection, many things could be worn-out or functioning improperly. Even their lighting system could need some attention as we move into the season of less daylight and begin using more artificial lighting. Your inspection should include:

• Are all the fixtures working properly?
• Are they experiencing significant lumen depreciation?
• Are there controls, such as occupancy sensors installed where needed?
• Have all the interior and exterior spaces in the building been replaced with LED?

If your customers have any extra budget at the end of the year, they may want you to move quickly to use it. Are you ready to help them spend it and add value to their business?

Be sure to contact your local utility in advance for current incentive offerings or talk with your regional field specialist for additional assistance.