How does that flat rate work out when they don't have all the materials needed or maybe not the correct materials and it takes more of your time and or money than originally anticipated to get the job done? There about has to be some kind of compromise, and on bigger projects this may be easier to deal with but the job that should only take 1/2 day or less can burn a whole day easily if you run into this kind of problem, plus any material you end up providing that you were not supposed to by your agreement.
What else is required ? The unit is brand new. Barring anything unforseen there usually aren't any adjustments required.
No different IMHO.
Usually an HVAC guy or plumber will have the ability to do all of that. If there is a problem with installing a furnace or AC unit, if he can't make the repair with his basic knopwledgs he can call the factory and get all the information required to do so. In the case of generator manufacturers they keep a lot of that technical information proprietary to protect their dealers. A concept I find hard to understand seeing as how they enjoy the high level of sales through mass marketing by selling through companies like Lowe's, HD & EG Direct. In addition, if the HO's buy the units themselves the warranties goes directly to them from the manufacturer.
As long as you come off as a knowledgeable professional you'll continue to get generator installs. If you convince your potential customer that you are merely an installer, chances are the sale will go to another EC, probably a dealer. IMHO, come off as a professional no matter what.
Not all owners look at it that way, many just see dollar signs and the less they spend the happier they are, as long as they are getting what they think they are getting (that may be the big trick to the puzzle here). When something goes wrong though, the guy that installed it is likely the first person they think of an the person who gets called, even if they are not all that good at troubleshooting and repairing the problem. With a genset like this you could be good with the electrical, but what if they are having engine trouble? It still effects overall performance of the installation. If you sold it they likely expect it to be your problem to take care of all warranty issues though they may be understanding if you get someone else to look at other than electrical issues, but still expect you to take care of all arrangements.
I think you will see in the HVAC industry that if a HO calls a manufacturer or rep on technical issues they will not necessarily be as helpful as they are for authorized dealers/installers/technicians. May not be same for all manufacturers but I think it does happen. It also may not be they won't help, as much as a good HVAC tech just happens to know who to call, and it is not a number on the manufacturers web site or in the owners manual, it is a number they got from the distribution chain.
I can appreciate your position on generator customers and the pride you take in your company's policies, truly an admirable quality. What I have difficulty understanding is the pride you take in being a Generac dealer. Here's a company so bent on making those almighty $$$ that they sell their products thru any company willing to push their gear out the door, be it companies like Lowe's, HD or EG Direct. As an authorized dealer (and one who has gone thru their schooling) you should at least be entitled to compete for generator sales with other dealers in your area without outside companies under-cutting your prices on generator sales. IMHO, if a company like Generac wants to sell their products thru authorized dealers like yourself then open as many as you wish. But mass marketing thru on-line companies and big box stores in addition to having authorized dealers is, in and of itself, bottom-feeding.
As an authorized dealer, he probably gets a better price on his purchases and possibly can compete or at least come much closer to competing with them than you or I could with HD or Lowe's. He certainly should be able to just retail units out like they do also if he chooses. As a dealer and installer he has his service side of things to make up for what he can't quite compete on in the sales department making him potentially an overall better choice than a big box store to some customers. The big box stores sell many other products that are otherwise considered reputable products this is just one product line and doesn't necessarily make the manufacturers of products sold by big box stores bottom feeders, they are just doing what they need to do to sell their product to as many consumers as possible.
Not sure if you're correct on this. Several years ago when Generac recruited me to be a sales dealer I attempted to place my first order with them based on the price list they gave me. After figuring out the shipping, my mark-up and 7% NJ sales tax I found I was able to purchase from EG Direct for less $$. I know, for a fact, that as a simple sales dealer I was not getting the same pricing as EG Direct. They push out 100's of generators a month and get special pricing. If all the dealers got the same pricing then we all could be a bit more competitive.
No question about that but he probably doesn't have the marketing $$ that HD and Lowe's has to advertise or draw potential customers to him nor does he get the same pricing from Generac.
So, because Generac decides to sell thru big box stores as well as on-line dealers that don't charge sales tax this poor chap, in order to land the job, has to go in low hoping to make a few $$ on the back end doing service work ? Not really a fair exchange IMHO.
If you're just pushing product out the door and not any other services then basic rules of sales apply - keep your overhead low, be competitive and try to do as much volume as you can.
Not really but they're just selling product
Maybe a poor choice of words on my part. Maybe greedy would be a better term.
No question about it. I'd want the large income mass marketing has to offer but by the same token I don't think it's right to establish dealerships who can't buy at the same price level the big box stores and on-line stores do. To make matters worse, when some poor, unsuspecting, non-dealer EC installs a job, after purchasing their gen-set from a company like EG Direct, discovers he has a problem with the unit, then and only then does Generac bring themselves up out of the gutter and tell the EC that he has to go thru a dealer in order to get answers and/or service.
OK. Understood. You're dealing mostly on the higher or commercial end of the market. Competition at that level starts to diminish and probably defaults to dealers only. My comments were primarily directed at the residential 20 KW and smaller units. Sorry I didn't make that clear.
Not sure if you're correct on this. Several years ago when Generac recruited me to be a sales dealer I attempted to place my first order with them based on the price list they gave me. After figuring out the shipping, my mark-up and 7% NJ sales tax I found I was able to purchase from EG Direct for less $$. I know, for a fact, that as a simple sales dealer I was not getting the same pricing as EG Direct. They push out 100's of generators a month and get special pricing. If all the dealers got the same pricing then we all could be a bit more competitive.No question about that but he probably doesn't have the marketing $$ that HD and Lowe's has to advertise or draw potential customers to him nor does he get the same pricing from Generac. So, because Generac decides to sell thru big box stores as well as on-line dealers that don't charge sales tax this poor chap, in order to land the job, has to go in low hoping to make a few $$ on the back end doing service work ? Not really a fair exchange IMHO.If you're just pushing product out the door and not any other services then basic rules of sales apply - keep your overhead low, be competitive and try to do as much volume as you can.
Not really but they're just selling product
Maybe a poor choice of words on my part. Maybe greedy would be a better term.
No question about it. I'd want the large income mass marketing has to offer but by the same token I don't think it's right to establish dealerships who can't buy at the same price level the big box stores and on-line stores do. To make matters worse, when some poor, unsuspecting, non-dealer EC installs a job, after purchasing their gen-set from a company like EG Direct, discovers he has a problem with the unit, then and only then does Generac bring themselves up out of the gutter and tell the EC that he has to go thru a dealer in order to get answers and/or service.
In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm on the dealer's side. They make a large investment in becomming a dealer and getting the proper training to service the product. I think it's unfair to these dealers when companies like Generac sell their products thru companies like EG Direct, HD & Lowe's who offer no back-up assistance for the people they are selling to.
I'll get off the soap box now.
