For HVAC Leaders, one of the best ways to know where to steer the ship is to look at progress toward KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). KPIs provide targets to shoot for, milestones to gauge progress, and insights to help make better decisions.
During the summer demand season when things can get crazy, it is really important to focus and monitor one KPI in particular. The most important summer demand KPI is the maintenance agreement close rate. Your technicians should be at or above a 40% close rate.
There is a saying that whatever you are feeling in your business right now is based on decisions made 6 months prior. Putting a big focus on selling maintenance agreements during the summer demand season (when it is the easiest time to sell them) invests in staying busy and profitable 6 months from now when demand has slowed.
Summer is full of visiting systems that are 10+ years old which are the exact systems that you want to capture and keep in your pipelines via the maintenance agreement. There is so much opportunity available and unfortunately, it is easy to get missed without a very intentional and strategic effort.
Check out the latest episode where two of our coaches, Krista and Josh talk about selling maintenance agreements.
The first step is to make sure tracking is happening. If not, set up a tracking system like the SBE App & Dashboard so you can keep an eye on it.
Here is a quick breakdown of what the tiers of Maintenance Agreement close rates mean:
5% and Under: Means your techs aren't trying to sell them either from not being incentivized enough, not viewing it as their responsibility, and/or they just don't know how from not enough coaching/training.
15-20%: Many techs can quickly get to this level with training but then can plateau here. This comes from them knowing how but not pursuing it consistently or often skipping it when feeling rushed (Like during the summer).
40% and up: These technicians have the process down and consistently use it. It is not unusual to see technicians at this level bump it up to 60-80% during the summer. Consistent coaching and accountability are key for keeping at this level and reaching the KPI.
Check-in and monitor your team's maintenance close rates. If your techs aren't at 40% seek out resources and training to help them achieve it.
