You sold the HVAC system.

The homeowner said yes to your offer.

The proposal was accepted.

The deposit was collected.

The installers showed up.

The equipment went in.

The job was completed.

You moved on.

Then, several months later, your phone rings.

“Hey. Remember that new HVAC system you sold me?”

Of course you remember.

And judging by the tone of the homeowner’s voice, they are probably not calling to tell you how wonderful everything has been.

Then come the four words every experienced HVAC comfort advisor eventually hears if you’ve been doing the job long enough:

“We have a problem.”

Maybe the system is not cooling.

Maybe there is water dripping where water definitely should not be dripping.

Maybe something is making a strange noise not normally associated with a perfectly fine HVAC system doing its job while you and your family sit comfortably in the home without a problem in the world.

(But unfortunately for this naive but hungry HVAC comfort advisor…there’s probably a problem. Plus, you can kind of hear it in their voice and in the words they are saying.

Dangit.)

Maybe the homeowner believes something was installed incorrectly.

Maybe previous callback visits under the new-install warranty seemed to fix the problem.

Hah!

If only issues figured themselves out, know what I am saying?

Because of course it is back.

It is SO back.

Maybe the equipment needs maintenance.

Maybe a component failed.

Maybe several things are happening at the same time.

Congratulations.

You are back in the sale you previously closed, but it has now popped back open and it’s time to be worth that commission check you earned the first time you closed it.

Are you still with me?

Because one of the most important lessons an HVAC comfort advisor can learn is this:

The sale does not necessarily end when the installers leave.

Anybody can be charming when a homeowner is deciding whether to give your company $20,000.

Psh, don’t threaten ME with a good time!

The real test that separates the “average” HVAC comfort advisor just kind of floating from lead to lead and not caring about the outcomes of their efforts from the people with a burning desire to become top-producing, install calendar-filling, professional HVAC comfort advisors worth their commission checks is how you respond to the following sentence you really don’t want to hear from a homeowner about the new HVAC system you recently sold them:

“We have a problem.”

Yeah, they said it.

Check the file.

Bring receipts (both hard evidence to back you up if a disagreement or misunderstanding arises, and actual invoices from the supply houses and specialty parts distributors your HVAC company uses for new installation equipment and materials)

The proposal.

The equipment selections.

The install notes.

The service history.

The photos (my HVAC company uses CompanyCam to manage and store all the photos from new installs and service calls)

(Note: I may earn a commission from sales of CompanyCam subscriptions I refer at no additional cost to you.)

The emails.

Whatever documentation exists that can help you understand what happened.

You still have all that stuff — or know how to locate it relatively quickly if necessary — correct?

Awesome.

Just checking.

Because you want all of your focus not on your next HVAC sale…

…but on the HVAC sale you already made that could lead to future HVAC sales if you handle this like a professional HVAC comfort advisor worth their commission check.

Capisce?

Here are 10 things HVAC comfort advisors should do when a sale goes south by southwest after the installation.

1. Go see the issue with the new HVAC system you just sold

If the situation warrants it and your HVAC company allows it, go see the problem yourself.

Seriously.

Now, a fair question might be:

“If our company already sent service technicians to address the issue, why would we also send the salesperson who originally sold the job?”

Good question.

The answer is not because the HVAC comfort advisor should suddenly transform into another service technician.

You are not necessarily going there to diagnose the equipment.

You are not necessarily going there to perform a repair.

You are going there to better understand the homeowner’s experience, see the issue with your own eyes, and help preserve the relationship between the homeowner and your HVAC company.

Those are different responsibilities.

If everybody is good with that, contact the homeowner and agree on a mutually convenient time to stop by.

Emails are useful.

Photos are useful.

Service notes are useful.

Phone calls are useful.

But none of them completely replace standing inside the homeowner’s house while they physically show you what is bothering them months after the installation has been completed and they have had enough time to really put the new HVAC system you sold them through its paces.

So prepare yourself to hear things like:

• “Water dripped and destroyed that valuable object with significant value and sentimental meaning to me that I keep here in the basement mechanical room next to the new HVAC system you sold me.”
• “This room still never gets comfortable. It’s either too hot or too cold and that’s why we never spend much time together anymore in this room or talk like we used to.”
• “That thing makes this noise at night. Also, the new HVAC system you sold me…I mean, that’s a touch louder than ‘whisper-quiet’ like the brochure said, would you agree? What? Maintenance? No, why? What? Yeah, I can’t hear you, this new HVAC system, you know…”
• “This is what I was trying to explain on the phone before I had to take the other call. Turns out, it was just a robocall from some politician or maybe my doctor. I always confuse those two. Oh…why are you here again, sorry? Oh right…yes, the heat. Is the heat on? I don’t feel like it’s been on since your HVAC installation technicians packed up their tools and left last summer.”

Suddenly, an abstract complaint becomes something real:

• “No cooling.”
• “Water leak.”
• “Noise complaint.”

Those are useful notes in a file.

But inside the homeowner’s actual life, those same three words can mean:

• “My stuff got damaged because of the new HVAC system you sold me.”
• “My family doesn’t use this room anymore because of the new HVAC system you sold me.”
• “This thing you told me would be quiet is actually driving me up the wall and absolutely insane. And it is all because of the new HVAC system you sold me.”

That context matters.

You may not be qualified to diagnose or repair whatever HVAC issue related to the new system you recently sold them (perhaps still well within the new installation warranty period, of course) is happening.

That’s all good in this neighborhood, my G.

That’s because you do not have to become the HVAC service technician.

You are there to understand the problem and the homeowner’s experience of the problem.

There is a big difference, see what I mean?

And sometimes simply showing up communicates something important to the potentially irate and downright hostile homeowner who may eventually become considerably less irate and considerably more chill after you do this important thing — plus the other nine things on this list as needed:

You did not disappear after the sale.

Want to learn why it might be a bad idea to disappear like a magician in khakis after the homeowner says “Yes” to your HVAC sales proposal?

Check out:

“Congrats, You Sold the HVAC Job. Now Don’t Disappear Like a Magician in Khakis.” A Step-By-Step Guide for HVAC Comfort Advisors on How to Move a Deal from Accepted Proposal to Day 1 of the Install Like an Experienced Professional Who Has Actually Done This Before

2. Let the Homeowner Tell the Whole Story

Do not interrupt them every 11 seconds to explain why they are living in Wrongsville, population: them.

Let them talk it out.

Sometimes letting it all out is like a boiler pressure relief valve relieving excess pressure safely through a discharge pipe routed toward a floor drain (local building codes and application details can vary, of course).

Even if you already read the service technician’s notes from their previous “callback on the new HVAC system you sold” that is covered under the homeowner’s warranty period.

Because remember:

Somebody still has to pay the HVAC service technician for their time, correct?

And that somebody is your HVAC company.

Callbacks like this can eat into the profit margin of the HVAC sale you made quickly and in big ol’ chunks.

Avoidable?

Yes.

Inevitable?

Also, yes.

That is part of doing business in HVAC.

But none of that changes what you should be doing right now:

Let the homeowner speak.

Let them explain the issue with the new HVAC system you recently sold them.

Even if you already spoke with the HVAC service technician about the issue and the proposed solution.

Even if your installation manager already told you exactly what they believe happened and how it was subsequently resolved.

You still need to hear the homeowner’s version.

Why?

Because technical facts are only part of the story.

There is also the homeowner’s experience.

Because what if the new HVAC system you sold them is:

• leaking condensate into a bedroom
• damaging something of value, both monetary and sentimental to the homeowner
• disrupting the homeowner’s schedule and comfort several times because they keep having to accommodate HVAC service appointments for callbacks on the new HVAC system you recently sold them
• simply not feeling worth the substantial amount of money they spent on a brand-new HVAC system because they cannot understand why they are already dealing with these kinds of issues

You need to understand what happened.

But you should also understand what it felt like from their side of the kitchen table.

Their technical conclusion may eventually turn out to be wrong.

Their frustration can still be completely reasonable.

3. Listen Before You Defend Your Company

This is a big one.

Your instinct may be to immediately defend your company.

Resist it.

At least temporarily.

That does not mean throwing your employer under the bus.

It does not mean admitting fault.

It does not mean agreeing with every claim the homeowner makes.

It means you should probably avoid beginning the conversation with:

“Well, our technician said…”

Or:

“The installation was done correctly.”

Or:

“You were supposed to maintain that.”

Maybe all of those things will eventually become relevant.

But first?

Listen.

You can faithfully represent your HVAC company without immediately becoming its defense attorney, know what I am saying?

And there is another important reason to keep an open mind:

The first diagnosis can be correct without being complete.

Wait…whaaaaaat? Shock and horror, I know.

OK, you good? Great, because here is what might happen eventually if you do this job long enough.

Maybe a technician previously found dirty filters.

Those filters may genuinely have been dirty.

Maybe a condensate drain was clogged.

That drain may genuinely have needed cleaning.

Maybe the system required maintenance that had not been performed.

That may also be completely true.

But none of those facts automatically prove there cannot also be another problem.

A component might fail later.

An intermittent problem may become worse.

Something that worked during the previous visit may no longer work today.

Another issue might have been hidden behind the first one.

Those things do not cancel each other out.

Service notes are evidence. They are not necessarily the final chapter.

Do not walk into the homeowner’s house so committed to defending the existing explanation that you become incapable of recognizing new evidence when it is right in front of you.

The goal is not to protect the first theory.

The goal is to solve the homeowner’s problem with the new HVAC system you sold them.

4. Put Yourself in the Homeowner’s Shoes

HVAC professionals sometimes forget what it is like to know absolutely nothing about HVAC.

All day, everyday we work around equipment, materials, terminology, and people such as:

• Furnaces
• Boilers
• Cold climate air source heat pumps
• Evaporator coils
• Condensers with compressors
• Electric radiant ceilings
• Line sets
• Emergency drain pans
• Neutralizing condensate pumps
• Hydronic air handlers
• Dual fuel essentials and accessories
• Pump-up risers
• R-454B and R-32 (And sure…R-410A and maybe even a secret stash of R-22 stashed somewhere…but you didn’t hear that from me, know what I am saying?)
• Smart programmable WiFi thermostats with a touchscreen and AI
• Homeowners who are engineers (because they mentioned it when meeting you, meaning they already know more about how HVAC is supposed to work than the average person…but they just don’t install and service it because that’s your job…right?)
• Tin knockers

This is the life we choose to live every day out here on these streets running estimates and pulling permits.

Homeowners generally do not.

They might call a wall-mounted ductless indoor unit “the split.”

They might call the outdoor condenser “the compressor.”

They might simply point at something and say:

“That white thing keeps leaking.”

You know what they mean.

Do not turn the conversation into an HVAC vocabulary exam.

Come on now. What are we doing?

If somebody just spent thousands or tens of thousands of dollars with your company and something is not working the way they expected, they deserve an explanation they can understand, make sense?

Speak homeowner.

Not “HVAC service technician speak” where an impact driver somehow enters the conversation when a simple hand-tighten would suffice.

There is another part of putting yourself in their shoes that HVAC professionals sometimes miss:

Most homeowners who buy new HVAC equipment expect it to work.

MIND…BLOWN! Right?

I mean, who’d have thought that a homeowner did not purchase a new HVAC system you sold them recently because they have always dreamed about learning how to maintain condensate pumps on Saturday mornings.

If something requires routine maintenance, explain it.

If a particular application has unusual maintenance requirements, explain those too.

But do not act surprised when somebody who just purchased a new system asks:

“Wait…and I am dealing with this…WHY?”

That is actually a very reasonable question to ask about the new HVAC system they just bought that you sold them.

5. Validate the Homeowner’s Frustration Without Prematurely Admitting Fault

This is one of the most useful customer service skills an HVAC comfort advisor can develop.

You can tell a homeowner:

“I understand why you’re frustrated.”

Without saying:

“Our company caused this.”

Those are completely different statements.

If somebody bought a new HVAC system from you and discovered water dripping from an indoor unit (or “condensate“… for those of us who have officially been in HVAC too long) it is perfectly reasonable for them to be upset after dropping a good chunk of change on it.

You can acknowledge that with something like:

“If I bought a new system and found water coming out of it, I would want to know exactly what happened too.”

That statement does not determine whether the cause was:

• installation
• equipment failure
• lack of maintenance
• misuse
• an unusual application
• or something else entirely

It simply tells the homeowner:

I hear you.

Not: “You are right.”

Not: “We are wrong.”

Just: “I understand why this is super frustrating.”

That matters.

People generally become much more willing to listen to your explanation once they believe you have genuinely listened to theirs.

You are validating their experience.

You are not issuing a technical verdict.

6. Document What You See and Hear

Take notes.

Take photos when appropriate and upload them in CompanyCam for other team members to see what you are seeing.

Document where the homeowner says the problem occurred.

Write down important details they tell you.

Review previous service records.

Look at photos from earlier visits.

Record model and serial numbers if necessary.

Do not trust yourself to perfectly remember every important detail three days later…especially after running five more estimates while dealing with three completely unrelated fires to put out.

Your documentation may eventually help:

• the service technician
• the service manager
• the installation manager
• your sales manager
• the manufacturer
• or you

Good documentation transforms:

“Everybody remembers this differently.”

Into:

“Here is what we actually observed.”

Documentation becomes even more valuable when a problem stretches across multiple visits.

Conditions can change.

A component that worked last month might fail this month.

An intermittent issue may become obvious.

A homeowner’s description may also become more precise after living with the problem.

Good documentation helps everyone understand the sequence of events as they unfolded in this version of reality instead of reconstructing it from memory.

7. Show the Homeowner What You Are Talking About (Then Verify What You Can)

Sometimes the best explanation is not another email.

Sometimes it is:

“Come here. Let me show you what I am talking about.”

If it is appropriate and within your role and company policy, physically show the homeowner what everyone has been discussing.

Show them the filter.

Show them the drain.

Show them the condensate pump.

Show them the thermostat setting.

Show them previous service photos.

Show them the maintenance instructions.

A homeowner may have heard “dirty filter” three separate times and still have absolutely no idea which filter everyone means.

Then you point to it.

“Ohhh. That filter, right. Not the…oh wait, that’s not even the filter is it? No. My bad.”

Exactly.

But there is an important second half to this lesson:

Do not just show. Verify.

Suppose everybody believes a maintenance issue caused the problem.

Fine.

Perform or arrange the appropriate maintenance.

Then ask:

Does everything actually work now?

If a condensate pump is involved and testing it is appropriate for someone qualified to do so, verify that it actually moves water.

If a thermostat issue was corrected, make sure the equipment responds properly.

If a drain was cleared, confirm drainage.

Because finding one legitimate problem does not automatically mean you found the entire problem.

A filter can be dirty and a pump can fail.

A drain can be clogged and another component can stop working.

Maintenance can have been neglected and equipment can subsequently fail.

Those ideas are not mutually exclusive.

That is why testing and verification matter.

Are you still with me?

8. Know When to Bring in the Technical Team

You are an HVAC comfort advisor.

Act like one.

Do not suddenly become an HVAC service technician who also knows a thing or two about ’frigeration and whatever else just because the homeowner is looking at you and waiting for an answer.

If you know what you are looking at, great.

If you do not, then by all means…say so.

There is nothing wrong with telling a homeowner:

“I want one of our technicians to look at this because I do not want to guess.”

That is infinitely better than inventing an explanation because you feel pressure to have an answer.

Good HVAC comfort advisors know enough technically to:

• ask intelligent questions
• understand basic system operation
• recognize common problems
• communicate effectively with technical people

Great HVAC comfort advisors also know when they have reached the edge of their lane.

That is when you bring in Service, Installation, or whoever else needs to become involved.

And if new evidence changes the existing explanation?

Good.

That is not an embarrassment.

That is how troubleshooting works.

Again:

The goal is not to protect the first theory.

The goal is to solve the homeowner’s problem.

Want to learn more about when it’s time to stop talking and bring in somebody who knows more about the specific HVAC issue than you do? Check out:

When an HVAC Comfort Advisor Should Just Stop Talking and Bring in the Technical Team

9. Give the Homeowner a Clear Path Forward

Eventually, an angry homeowner does not need another 45-minute review of everything that has happened since installation of the new HVAC system you sold them.

They need to know:

What happens next?

• Maybe your HVAC company is returning to correct an installation issue.
• Maybe a failed component needs replacement.
• Maybe a manufacturer warranty claim needs to be opened.
• Maybe maintenance needs to be performed.
• Maybe the homeowner can perform that maintenance themselves.
• Maybe your company offers a maintenance agreement.
• Maybe the repair is billable and not covered under warranty for a specific and proven reason.
• Maybe another diagnostic visit is needed before anybody knows.

Whatever the answer is, explain the path forward clearly.

Avoid leaving the homeowner with:

“Well, somebody should probably call you.”

Who will call?

When will they call?

And what good is calling when I needed this fixed yesterday, do you understand me?

Give them something concrete instead:

“Service is going to contact you to schedule the next visit.”

Or:

“We found a failed component, and we are going to replace it.”

Or:

“These are the maintenance steps you can perform yourself going forward.”

Or:

“If you would rather have us maintain the equipment for you, here are your options.”

Clarity reduces anxiety.

And sometimes the path forward involves more than one thing.

Maybe the homeowner does need to perform regular maintenance.

And maybe your HVAC company also discovered a failed component that needs replacement.

Which brings us to one of the most important lessons in this entire article.

Sometimes Multiple Things Can Be True at the Same Time

HVAC disputes have a funny way of turning into courtroom dramas:

• Homeowner versus contractor
• Customer versus technician
• Maintenance versus warranty
• Installation problem versus homeowner responsibility

Everybody starts looking for the one person or thing that is “wrong.”

Real life is usually quite messier than that.

A homeowner may have neglected maintenance.

And a component may also have failed.

An HVAC service technician may have correctly identified a problem during the first visit.

And another problem may have developed afterward.

An installation may be fundamentally correct.

And the homeowner may still have a completely legitimate complaint about how the equipment is currently performing.

The HVAC company may have communicated something.

And the homeowner may genuinely not have understood it.

Two things can be true.

Sometimes three things can be true.

Sometimes everybody involved is holding one legitimate piece of a larger puzzle.

That is why walking into a difficult customer situation determined to prove somebody wrong can be counterproductive.

Look for the complete picture instead.

The homeowner does not need you to win a debate.

They need their HVAC system that you sold them to work. Make sense?

10. Remember That Sales Still Owns Part of the Relationship

This may be the biggest HVAC sales lesson of all.

HVAC comfort advisors spend enormous amounts of time learning how to earn homeowner trust before the sale.

We learn how to:

• ask good questions
• build rapport
• explain equipment
• present options
• answer objections
• discuss financing
• and ask for the business

Then the proposal gets accepted.

Installation happens.

Commission gets paid.

And sometimes Sales mentally moves on forever.

That is a mistake.

Post-installation problems are where trust gets tested.

The homeowner may not remember every feature you explained during the estimate. (Understandable)

They may not remember the exact SEER2 rating. (Makes sense)

They may not remember the model number. (Psh, course not)

But they will probably remember what happened when something went wrong.

• Did everyone disappear when things went south with this new HVAC system you sold them?
• Did the HVAC company immediately blame them?
• Did somebody argue with them?
• Did everybody hide behind technical jargon and service notes?
• Or did somebody show up, listen, look at the problem, communicate honestly and help create a path toward resolution?

Sometimes that somebody should be the person who sold the job.

Not because Sales should perform Service’s job.

Not because HVAC comfort advisors should start diagnosing compressors and replacing motors.

Not because every callback requires the salesperson to jump into their car.

But because the comfort advisor may already possess something extremely valuable:

The homeowner’s trust.

You were the person who walked around their house and thoroughly inspected, measured, and documented their HVAC system and components closely.

You were the person who explained their choices.

You were the person they trusted enough to hire your HVAC company for the job.

That relationship does not suddenly become worthless because the equipment has been installed.

Sometimes the comfort advisor is uniquely positioned to become the bridge between:

Homeowner / Service / Installation / Management

And sometimes stepping back into the relationship is exactly what is needed to keep a difficult situation from becoming an ugly one.

The Goal Is Not to Win the Argument

When your HVAC sale goes south after installation, everybody naturally starts moving toward their own corner.

The homeowner wants the contractor to take responsibility.

Service has its diagnosis.

Installation has its perspective.

Management has company policy.

Sales may simply want everyone to stop calling.

But the best outcome usually does not come from deciding who gets to say:

“See? I was right.”

It comes from figuring out what is actually happening and what needs to happen next.

• Understand the homeowner.
• Understand your company.
• Understand the equipment as far as your role requires.
• Bring in technical professionals when necessary.
• Stay open to new evidence.

And remember:

• Sometimes your company made a mistake.
• Sometimes the homeowner misunderstood something.
• Sometimes maintenance was neglected.
• Sometimes equipment fails.
• Sometimes an unusual installation requires unusual maintenance.
• Sometimes the first diagnosis was correct but incomplete.
• Sometimes the problem changed between service visits.

And sometimes multiple things can be true at the same time.

Your job as a comfort advisor is not necessarily to determine who wins.

Your job is to help move everyone from:

“We have a problem.”

To:

“Okay. We understand what happened, and we know what we are doing next.”

That is not just customer service.

That is being a professional HVAC comfort advisor.

Because sometimes things go sideways after the installation.

Sometimes being an HVAC sales professional worth your commission check means stepping back in and helping make things right.

Not as the HVAC service technician.

Not as the defense attorney.

Not as the judge.

As the person who still owns part of the relationship between the homeowner and your HVAC company.

And saving an angry customer relationship may ultimately become one of the most valuable sales calls you ever make concerning the new HVAC system you sold them.

Want to Become the HVAC Comfort Advisor Worth Their Commission Check?

Nice!

Because learning how to handle the angry homeowner with the new HVAC system you sold them is just one part of the job.

If you want more practical HVAC sales training designed to help you:

• sell more HVAC without pressure, discounts, or weirdness
• communicate with homeowners like an actual human being
• handle objections without immediately folding like a lawn chair
• work better with Service, Installation, Management, and the rest of your HVAC team
• build the kind of trust that can lead to more accepted proposals, fuller install calendars, and commission checks you actually earned

Then check out:

JimKHVAC.com

Home of HVAC sales training, free resources, real-world comfort advisor lessons, and JimK – “The Best AI Chatbot for HVAC Comfort Advisors”

No fluff.

No pretending HVAC sales is easy.

No acting like everything goes perfectly after the homeowner says “Yes.”

Just useful HVAC sales information designed to help comfort advisors become better at the job, sell more professionally, and become worth their commission checks.

Helping 1 Million HVAC Sales Pros WIN.

See you over there, my G.