Industry Overview
In the past 15 years the appliance industry has under gone major
change. Consolidation has resulted in only four remaining big hitters,
Whirlpool, GE, Maytag and Eureka. These four control all the
familiar major brands names. They have been rapidly introducing
redesigned and completely new appliances. For instance, expensive
front loaders, like the Neptune are now being promoted along with very
complex self-cleaning ranges and side-by-side refrigerators. Many models
now utilize touch pads and computer boards. This rapid introduction of new
models has brought a rash of service problems as the bugs are gradually
worked out.
Many of my customers complain of frequent problems with new appliances,
something that just didn't happen years ago. It is commonplace for a
homeowner to spend $1500 for a refrigerator and $800-1,000 on an electric
range. Many are spending $600-800 on a dishwasher. Front load washers are
pushing $1,000. While it is true that you can buy a washer for only $400,
the average spent per appliance is way up. Overall this increase in
complexity is making it more expensive to keep appliances running
and better for repair technicians
Most homeowners now expect an icemaker, a disposer, a microwave, a quiet dishwasher and a self-cleaning
range. New appliances are mysterious and intimidating to backyard
mechanics. Handy Harry can't fix most of this stuff anymore, he can't even
figure out how to get the covers off. Even if he does, he is stymied
by ribbon cables and computer boards.
Appliance sales are growing and the number of qualified people needed for service falls far short of the demand. As an employer of appliance technicians for many years, I can attest to the difficulty of finding good technicians; I had to train my own.
National service companies are struggling to find trained people and
paying top dollar.
All around the country, those taking my program report no difficulty in obtaining service work. By following my marketing guidelines, many are happily achieving their volume goals within a few months. Competing with the national firms like Sears and GE is really far simpler than it appears. Any local firm that offers true personal service hits them right in the soft underbelly. Today, the search for
good personal service is harder than finding the Holy Grail. Once you get
the word out, your phone will start ringing.
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