Residential Services Provider
From Manual Guesswork to Data-Driven Growth
~$6M impact through centralized quoting and sales change management
Cutting Unearned Discounts Boosted Profitability
Equipping reps with smarter tools, better visibility, and consistent pricing discipline.
Sales reps had full autonomy to discount, often pricing below lower-tiered products, and relied on intuition instead of data for recommendations. Despite a sales process, there was little visibility in the field and managers had no reliable way to confirm compliance beyond handwritten notes.
INSIGHT helped close those gaps by building a pricing model, developing an in-home quoting application, and embedding sales decision tools such as quote history. Enhanced tracking now gives managers visibility, enabling critical data to drive market-relevant pricing.
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Situation
When Sales Autonomy Turns Into Margin Erosion
Unchecked discounting, intuition-based selling, and limited visibility stalled profitability
- Sales had full autonomy to discount with customers in the field, regardless of seasonal or other business influences
- Unchecked discounting led to margin erosion, especially where inadvertently discounting down to a lower-tiered product
- Product recommendations were based on intuition instead of actual customer data and pricing/cost factors
- Limited structure or visibility for the sales team to be able to follow the sales process while in the field
- Limited ability for management to understand if the process was followed other than hand-written notes and required details to complete a quote
Partnership Vision & Process
Solution enables client to optimize profitability through technology, decision support, approval workflows, & ongoing reporting & change managment
Data Capture
Qualitative and quantitative data collection to help determine the right fact-base to inform and optimize the pricing and discounting model, technology, and processes
- Example Quantitative Data: Job data, weather, inventory, availability, historical discounts
- Example Qualitative Data: Ride-alongs, rep surveys, qualitative interviews
Pricing & Discount Model
- Product Positioning Model: Manage product offerings to highlight differences in features and capabilities
- Discount Model: Guidance on allowable discount threshold derived from historical trends, predictive factors, and desired behavior
Process & Technology
- Technology: In-home application to support sales process
- Decision Support: Communicate discount guidance and provide “tool tips” to help guide with descriptions of product benefits and features
- Process and Controls: Digital contract is auto-populated, with API data feed to ERP to streamline sale close-out process; Real-time visibility to sales managers
Ensuring Results
- Change Management: Provide visibility to and coaching for rep behavior, and identify the right KPIs & incentives to gain the desired outcome
- Measurement & Reporting: Gain alignment on performance metrics to demonstrate success, and keep reps accountable as well as monitor areas of improvement
Approach
Turning Sales Complexity Into a Smarter, Profitable Process
Data-driven discounting, in-home tools, and stronger tracking equipped reps to sell with confidence and consistency
- Interviewed reps from multiple locations and joined internal sales training to understand gaps in expected vs. actual process
- Built and deployed a discounting model that accounts for cost factors that affect a sale, including availability of technical installers and weather, including 3rd party data
- Developed an application to facilitate the sales process while in the field to provide optimal product recommendations and quotes, and reduce unearned discounting
- Embedded sales enablement tools to guide the in-home experience such as suggested questions and quote history
- Improved tracking that allows the sales manager to coach and train sales on time spent on each step
Critical Model Factors
Determined factors and data sources to provide tiered product guidance and final pricing guidance
| Model | Model Factor | Data Source | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| System Requirements | Type of System | User Input | xx% |
| System Requirements | Size | User Input | xx% |
| System Requirements | Air Quality | User Input | xx% |
| System Requirements | Job Requirements | User Input | xx% |
| Product Positioning | Customer Budget | User Input | xx% |
| Product Positioning | System Customer Interest Levels | User Input | xx% |
| Product Positioning | Accessory Customer Interest Levels | User Input | xx% |
| Product Positioning | Availability | Future Model Input | Future Model Input |
| Discount Guidance | Install Crew Availability | Daily Input | xx% |
| Discount Guidance | Next Available Day Install | User Input | xx% |
| Discount Guidance | System Functionality | User Input | xx% |
| Discount Guidance | Budget | Weekly Input | xx% |
| Discount Guidance | Temperature | Third Party Data | xx% |
| Discount Guidance | Inventory Levels | Future Model Input | Future Model Input |
Practical Implementation of Technology
Effectively lead sales reps through the sales process utilizing guard rails to ensure desired outcomes
1. Assess Customer Needs & Budget
- Heating concerns
- Cooling concerns
- Dry air concerns
- Damp air concerns
- Loudness
- Temperature Control
- Air Quality
2. Gather Customer’s System Requirements
- System orientation
- Airflow direction
- Dimensions
- Accessibility
- Finishes
- Indoor vs. outdoor
3. Product Offering Guidance
- Package A vs. Package B
- Possible accessories
- Possible add-ons
- Product descriptions
- Investment
- Discount guidance
4. Integrate for Unified Platform
- Application seamlessly integrates into other tech, including financing and contracting
- Centralize job details, such as photos, measurements, install details, and pricing
Survey Feedback from Sales Reps
The app helped me 'get back to the process' where I own the appointment and disallow the customer to take me wherever they want to go in the home.
Sales Rep A
The app has been a helpful tool and the only tool I really use in the home - without it I don't really know what to do.
Sales Rep B
The app suggested a product that I would not have thought of to discuss with the customer and that is the product that I was able to ultimately sell.
Sales Rep C
Overall it’s an awesome tool. I love the guided bracketing, contracting tools, and overall professional appearance we have now.
Sales Rep D
Driving Usage and Adoption
App usage has grown and sustained to ~90%, alongside app improvements and change management efforts
Impact
Driving Consistency, Confidence, and Profitability in Sales
Smarter discounting, streamlined in-home selling, and improved manager visibility delivered measurable impact.
~$6M
Annual Impact
Centralized management of pricing and product offering
Visibility into usage and adoption of sales processes and quote recommendations
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