How High-Pressure Sales Can Sink Home Service Success

I was scrolling LinkedIn a few weeks ago when I came across a post from Julian Scadden, president and CEO of Nexstar Network, about how manipulative, high-pressure sales tactics have no business in the home services industry.

I’m sure most of us have experienced a shady salesperson at some point in our lives. For me, it was a sleazy salesman with a home services company. It's a running joke in my home that whenever we have service technicians or salespeople over, they gravitate toward my husband, who usually directs them to me because I have a better understanding of plumbing and HVAC systems after covering these two industries for the past 11 years. So, it was completely outside of his character to schedule a free quote with a roofing company when they were going door-to-door one day.

Naturally, he forgot to tell me about the scheduled appointment, so I had no time to research the company prior to the salesman coming out to discuss the quote. For the purposes of this column, I’ll refer to him as “Tim.” Tim was on time, friendly, and approachable, at first — right up until I started to ask questions. That’s when things started to take a turn. When I questioned the exorbitant price, Tim started directing his pitch to my husband only, implying that I, “the little woman,” couldn’t possibly understand the nuances that go into replacing a roof. This was strike one.

Strike two was when Tim started bad-mouthing competitor roofing companies. Just don’t do that. It’s so unprofessional.

Strike three came quickly thereafter when Tim offered to knock the price down by $5,000, but only if we signed a contract before he left. He went outside to his truck so my husband and I could discuss. The answer was a hard “No.” To which, Tim kept asking, “What would it take for you to do it today?” Then, the estimate started to drop by more and more.

When I told him I was not prepared to sign anything without doing more research, Tim got nasty and accused me of “chasing the cheapest option” right to my face. Even if that were the case, that is my prerogative as a homeowner. I don’t have to do business with anyone I do not choose. And quite frankly, Tim was rubbing me the wrong way well before that outburst. After Tim drove away mad, I researched the company and found it had many bad reviews detailing the same hard sales presentation we just sat through, in addition to installation and warranty issues with the work performed.

I was never going to agree to anything blindly, but it still felt like I dodged a bullet.

In today’s world, consumers are more informed and cautious than ever before. For HVAC contractors — and other home services businesses — this means that old-school, high-pressure sales tactics are not only ineffective, they can actively damage your company's trust and reputation. Homeowners want honest recommendations, transparent pricing, and the confidence that their contractor has their best interests in mind. Pushing for quick decisions or upselling unnecessary services often leads to lost leads, negative reviews, and fewer referrals.

As an HVAC contractor, your employees should encourage prospective customers to get more quotes to see their options. Then, you differentiate yourself by saying, “These are the advantages of choosing XYZ HVAC.”

In his LinkedIn post, Julian says, “You want your customers to trust you. They invite us into their homes. They're often in vulnerable situations (no heat, busted plumbing, you name it). And some so-called ‘experts’ think that's the perfect time to back them into a corner and squeeze them for every penny? Hell no. At Nexstar, we don’t teach our members to ‘close.’ We teach them to connect. To ask questions. To listen. To find out what's really going on. And then we help them solve their problems. Yep, that's our big secret. Treat people like human beings, not walking wallets.”

That’s some great advice.

Every few months, I still get random people from that roofing company knocking on my door. It's never the same person. Each time, I tell them I had a horrific experience with one of their salesmen and will never do business with them. Each time, I ask them to remove our address from their lists. Now, I do it with a 90-pound German Shepherd at my side. They don’t argue with me much anymore. Loki’s a good boy.