WHAT THE A/C GUY TAUGHT ME....

A COOL STORY.

By Ben Pedersen (c)2000


Here in northern California it can get hot. Real hot.
When that happens, we all lunge for our thermostats. Power
crises or not, I'm an A/C junkie.

When things go well, I'm a happy camper. When things run
amuck in my ol' A/C, I'm a grump. The latter happened to me
last week and I had to call the A/C guy.

I made the call. I told them that "I have no A/C. It runs
but no cool air comes out". To my delight, the voice on the
phone informed me that a tech would be out in the afternoon.

Same day service, not bad.

With a steep glass of iced tea in hand, I waited. I went
about some chores including tending to some business in my
office. Being immersed in my work, time went by. At about 4
P.M. the door bell rang.

Upon answering it, I was greeted by a technician, gauges
in hand, ready to service my air conditioner. I pointed
him to the attic where the A/C unit is. I helped him open
the door and then informed him that I'd be in the office if
he had any questions. Off I went, leaving him to work
his magic.

After some clanking noises, the A/C came on. I felt the
cool breeze sweep over me like a refreshing blanket.

Ahhhh. Heaven at last (well close anyway).

Soon after, the tech appeared in my office and asked me to
follow him. We soon wound up at the attic entrance and he
motioned me to go up there. Up I went with him in hot
pursuit.

Looking at the unit with the cover off he said "Ben, this is
a new unit and it has reset switches for the heater and the
A/C." Pointing to two small silver disks with little black
buttons on them he says "If the unit ever doesn't work, try
coming up here and pressing these. That way you won't have
to pay to call a tech." He then went on to say with a smirk
on his face, "You should change the filter every three
months. If it gets dirty the unit will stop working like it
did today." He then replaced the filter, put the cover back
on and we both left the attic.

D'oh!

Boy did I feel like a schmuck.

"It'll be $65.00 this time Ben but hopefully next time, you
can take care of it yourself, saving money on an unnecessary
service call."

Hugely satisfied and commending the young tech for his
honesty, I quickly cut a check. I even took it one step
further that evening. I called the owner of the company.
I told him how pleased I was with his company and no doubt,
would USE THEM AGAIN.


THE MORAL OF MY MECHANICAL SAGA....

Next time I need an A/C or furnace repair, I wont hesitate
to call this guy back.

Why?

Because he's honest. I know that because he was honest
with me about how to take care of a problem I had. He
didn't try to sell me a new part and he even told me how
to fix it myself next time - even if he doesn't make his
65 bucks.

And no, my A/C guy's not an idiot. In fact, he's far from
it.

You see he knows that by being honest, I'll like him.
I'll trust him. I'll feel loyal to him.

You know what?

It worked and it's gonna pay off too!

You see, my dad's building a house and where there's a house,
there's a need for heat. You guessed it! After a chat with
my father, he hired my contractor.

It looks like our A/C guy is clearly the winner here, even *if*
I were to climb up into that hot attic and fix the A/C myself
next time.


IT'S CALLED WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING.....

Word of mouth marketing, that is being recommended by others
is the MOST powerful and precious marketing tool you could
ever harness.

My A/C guy uses word of mouth marketing by building trust
and loyalty among his customers.

You should too.

When someone emails you......

Give a little advice back, even if it's "for free". I don't
want you to give away the house, just give 'em a taste! :-)

Make them feel like they got something special from you.
This will inspire trust and loyalty among your customers
and prospects.

When someone buys from you......

Give a bit more than promised. "Over deliver" as some call
it. Follow up with customers and ASK them how they like
your product or service. Offer some pointers related to
your products or services or ask them if they need help.

Like the service tech who paid me a visit, if you do those
types of things you'll reap the rewards.

People will like you. They'll trust you and recognize you
as an expert. They'll feel loyal to you.

They'll even buy from you and maybe tell their friends
about you.

THAT'S a marketer's dream.