Selling Hydronics: How Wholesalers Can Create Contractor Demand for Hydronics Systems

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Make It Easier to Buy Hydronic

So, other than providing inspiration to contractors on the various applications available, what else can wholesalers do to get the ball rolling? My advice is to make it easier to purchase hydronic solutions. Take the catalogue and “mainstream” these pieces of equipment. Get rid of the “call for price” note in your price database and be ready when someone requests your availability and pricing so you are the “go to” wholesaler. Feature the equipment in a way that inspires contractors to ask about these solutions, no matter what climate you are located in.

One of the most effective ways to sell a complex, engineered HVACR system and make it easy to understand is to bundle and package it. Take a tip from some of the “high pressure” air duct system manufacturers. Create an installation “kit” that includes everything that will normally be needed to install a hydronic application. The fast-food industry had known for years that bundling the most commonly purchased products together is an effective approach. Packaging and bundling account for more than 80 percent of sales in that industry.

So the next time a contractor calls to order a boiler, ask them, “Do you want fries with that?” Of course, in this case, the “fries” could be an entire expansion, flow control or zoning system.

Packaging can be especially effective when it comes to radiant heating. Instead of trying to remember all the different clips, connectors, controls and manifolds available, package them in a kit first and then adjust from there. Packaging solutions like this are akin to educating the contractor on what they will need to get the job done and to also consider the labor needed to do such a job. Basically, if they don't know everything they will need, how will they know what to do?

I remember that when I first started in the HVACR trade in 1983, one of my best resources was a guy named Jeff who worked the counter for a local supplier. He constantly reminded me as a young tech about what to check or what I should not forget to check as he was selling to me. It is Jeff who told me to think about the expansion tank when I was buying a boiler relief valve. He also reminded me to check the sagging motor mounts on the pumps before I replaced the coupler.

When I think back, there was a series of people like this who were always ready to help me. In fact, they saved my skin more than a few times when I was about to do the wrong thing. The point is that if you want to become strong or even grow your hydronic division, you have to be strong on the front lines, and that begins at the counter. This is the unofficial training school of service techs young and old. Educate your people so they feel more comfortable providing these solutions to your buyer.

So will hydronic heating solutions lead us into the future? Well, it would certainly make sense if they did. A case can be made for hydronics' comfort, quiet, high efficiency, high air quality, easy zoning and, yes, even hydronics being a “green” solution as well. One thing for sure is that wherever we find ourselves in the future, our imagination or lack of it will be responsible for bringing us there. When it comes to growing your hydronic heating business portfolio, remember that it starts with the smallest of thoughts. Then commit to educating, designing and helping to sell this “back to the future” solution to contractors. As the famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky once put it, “You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.”