Teaching Contractors How to Sell Your Program

"Leading programs recognize the need to support contractors with sales and business training to help them succeed…, " notes a recent Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory policy brief. Learn from sales trainers who have traditionally worked with "reactive" HVAC, windows and siding dealers but are transitioning to a more "proactive" sales approach that helps home and business owners discover the value of making energy-saving improvements before systems fail in order to lower utility bills and take advantage of current incentives.

This webinar will explain what utility and government sponsored program managers can learn from how manufacturers approach sales training for their single-measure installation dealers.

During this Web Exchange, you will gain these insights on how to:

• Reveal the real $$$ value to contractors of qualified vs. unqualified sales leads, and the industry standards for sales close ratios in home improvement industry
• Acknowledge that contractors almost never fail because they can't do the work, but fail because they can't find enough prospective buyers, can't sell those prospective buyers often enough, and/or can't sell well enough to make margins that will allow them to survive and grow.
• Differentiate the need for contractors to be trained in a consultative sales approach vs. orienting them to pitching the features and potential benefits of specific programs
• Understand why contractors expect you to make their phone ring and why generating leads for them is never enough. Learn why you need to teach some contractors what to do when the phone does ring to establish an orchestrated approach to gathering information and successfully transitioning the ringing phone into an appointment and then the appointment into an agreement to invest in home improvement
• Discover how manufacturers make sure their dealers understand how sales training is a shared investment that must be earned

Who should attend? Energy and water utility and state/local government staff who design and implement programs that encourage homeowners to make energy/water efficiency and renewable energy improvements.

Gift Bag:. All registrants will receive "Contractor Sales Training: Providing the Skills Necessary to Sell Comprehensive Home Energy Upgrades" the latest Clean Energy Program Policy Brief published by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

No need to travel! Learn at your computer! As easy as a conference call! Your EGIA Leadership Academy Web Exchange registration includes one phone line (or Voice-Over-Internet) connection plus a web link to the presentations. You are welcome to use the phone connection on a speaker phone and project the Web Exchange in a conference room so an unlimited number of your associates may participate. After the event, you will receive a link to the archived Web Exchange with unlimited access to presentation slides with an audio recording of the presenters and question-and-answer discussion.

Can't participate on this date/time? No problem, register anyway, participate live with those from your organization who can make it, and you will receive a video/audio recording link afterward to view and share with others in your organization.

If you have any registration questions contact:

EGIA Registration Support
1 (866) 367-3442 ext. 385
registration@egia.org

Presenters

Megan Billingsley, Senior Research Associate in the Electricity Markets and Policy Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Megan's work focuses on the deployment of energy efficiency through public and utility administered programs. Current research explores residential market demand creation for comprehensive home energy upgrades and opportunities to streamline program design to increase customer and contractor participation in programs.
 

Jay Gentry, President of Con-Com-T, Inc.

Con-Com-T, Inc.

Jay Gentry has over 30 years of experience as a Marketing and Sales consultant to American businesses. In 1980, Jay founded Con-Com-T, Inc. (concomt.com), a sales and marketing consulting firm and since then has worked extensively with leading companies in the building products and home improvement industries. His customers include Louisiana Pacific where he developed and taught the entire sales curriculum for their specialties division, Associated Materials Inc. where he developed and implemented marketing programs, tools, and sales curriculum for company stores, independent distributors, and their customer network of thousands of dealers, and Window World Inc. where he developed their franchise owner training system including all elements of marketing, in home selling, sub-contractor management, and business systems (200+ stores have sold over 1,000,000 replacement windows every year since 2009... including 2011).

Jack Nagy, President, mta360

mta360

With over three decades of experience at the contractor, distribution and corporate levels, Jack's perspective is empathetic to the real-world challenges facing today's businesses. He talks straight and has the ability to simplify business functions to their core. mta360 is a cutting-edge, full service marketing, advertising and training agency dedicated to assisting companies reach its highest potential. Its marketing campaigns and strategies, combined with mta360's business-specific tailored sales training, continues to exceed the expectations of numerous clients.

Moderator: Ed Thomas

This event has passed and registration is now closed.
To access a recording of this event, contact:

EGIA Registration Support
1 (866) 367-3442 ext. 385
registrations@egia.org

Registration Fees:

• FREE registration for Utility & Government representatives
• $195 regular registration for all others

You MUST register in advance to receive dial-in information and web access to the presentations.

Registration includes unlimited access for anyone in your organization to presentation slides with an audio/video recording of the presenters and question-and-answer discussion. Full contact information for all presenters is provided so you may contact them directly to ask your own questions.

Partners

Leadership Academy is brought to you by:

The Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA) is a non-profit organization that serves over 3,000 installation contractors, regional distributors, product manufacturers and other trade allies delivering energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to millions of homes and businesses. EGIA also delivers services on behalf of electric, gas, water utilities and municipalities, including financing, rebate program administration and rebate processing; contractor network management, training and certification; and sales channel development and support. EGIA has facilitated the financing of over 50,000 residential and business projects valued in excess of $800 million, and has administered over $300 million in rebate payments. www.egia.org

Promotional consideration provided by:

The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) is a recognized global leader, supporting the development of a highly professional building performance industry through individual and organizational credentialing and a rigorous quality assurance program. BPI works with building performance industry stakeholders to ensure that the professional bar for excellence in building performance contracting is established and maintained by creating and regularly updating technical requirements through an open, transparent, consensus-based development process. www.bpi.org

Home Performance Resource Center The Home Performance Resource Center is a national not-for-profit organization formed to conduct research and education concerning the field of home energy performance. The Resource Center conducts research and documents home performance-related issues for government policy makers, residential energy efficiency program managers and industry stakeholders to promote job creation, economic recovery, lower household energy bills and deep reductions in residential carbon emissions through improved home energy efficiency. www.hprcenter.org

State and Local Energy Report Launched in August 2008, State & Local Energy Report is a quarterly magazine designed to share successes and spur dialogue among all levels of government and key stakeholders on issues of energy efficiency, policy, technology, and economics.  Our sponsoring organizations include the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA) the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) and the Energy Programs Consortium (EPC). www.stateenergyreport.com

About Leadership Academy

Through direct engagement, webinars, presentations, workshops and network exchange's, Leadership Academy challenges organizations to commit to implement sustainable business practices, and encourage the firm owner's and management staff to actively participate in their, and the company's, long-term growth while integrating utility and government programs into successful business models.

The EGIA Leadership Academy helps attract and inspire those organizations seeking to grow their business to capitalize on numerous federal, state and utility initiatives aimed at encouraging home and business owners to install comprehensive energy efficiency and renewable energy related measures.