P1 Service Lawrence/Topeka Team Doubles Preventative Maintenance Sales in One Year

Preventative Maintenance (PM) Sales across the board at P1 have been on an incredible upward trajectory, thanks to new initiatives and new ways of training and selling.

The Lawrence/Topeka (L/T) sales office is no exception: in just one year, the maintenance base more than doubled, and the team is on track to go even higher in 2023.

During a recent interview with L/T Proactive Solutions Sales Manager Casey Evans, we learned that when the right team clicks into place, so does everything else.

With heavy turnover between 2018 and today, L/T sales has had a bumpy road as they tried to find the right staff to lead PM sales in the office.

Casey initially came to P1 in July of 2020, bringing 10 years of sales experience.

“Before P1, I spent nine years in technology sales for Canon,” Casey said.

But as one can imagine, the pandemic took a deep toll on the copier industry, with employees moving to more work-at-home scenarios.

Casey found himself looking for a more stable industry, and recalled his past HVAC experience.

“I actually got into the HVAC industry as a kid with my dad, who still runs an HVAC business today,” Casey said.

In fact, Casey’s brother, Tracy Evans, is a service technician with P1 in Topeka today.

“We all got started as kids, and at the time I got involved with the sheet metal side of it, but realized working in the shop just wasn’t for me,” Casey said.

So when the opportunity to work on the sales side of the industry presented itself at P1, Casey took it.

“When they reached out to me, P1 explained that PM sales had grown stagnant, and the company wanted to get it jump-started in this market again,” Casey said.

And in 2022, the L/T sales team added two more associates: Proactive Solutions Consultants Dan Swartz and David Walker.

Casey and Dan worked together before in the technologies sales arena.

“Dan hit the ground running, like I knew he would” Casey said.

Dan says the successful seller takes the time to understand his or her customers.

“The ability to imagineer and craft a business case for a specific customer is one of my keys to success,” Dan said.

“I spend a significant amount of time in my geo territory gaining knowledge of the various businesses and how the P1 Solution will fit for them.”

“A rep must have patience to create good dialog with the prospect and first become a reliable resource for them. Once they trust you, they are more receptive to exploring strategies P1 recommends,” he said.

Casey says P1’s current success is because of a dedicated, holistic approach to facility solutions for local customers.

“We are able to focus on the strengths of the service we can deliver to this community, and that means not trying to be all things to all people,” Casey explained.

“It’s about being able to sell our differentiators from the competition, which include the power of P1, single-source, and dedication to proactive solutions. It’s not just filler work, like it is with some of our competition.”

Casey also notes letting sales people sell their own way brings in more success.

“There’s no red tape in terms of how we’re allowed to sell, and how we’re able to get customers,” he said. “Our sales teams feel competent and confident.”

He also understands the value of the resources around him and notes it “takes a village” to build success.

"For example, we have a great resource in our Service Manager Kyndel Paulsen” Casey said. “He has a long history in the field, and brings lots of technical knowledge.”

“When we plan a PM contract, we’re looking at the future and how things might play out and perform, which shapes how we prepare the solution we propose to the customer,” Casey noted.

“Kyndel helps us have a more intelligent conversation – from a technical, financial, and even methodology standpoint.”

But even the best team needs a boost: That one flagship project, or customer, that opens the door for a lot more work.

For Topeka, that customer was the Topeka Correctional Facility.

Several years ago, when the facility found themselves in an emergency due to a gas leak, multiple P1 resources showed up to assist.

“The warden was so impressed with the scope of capability P1 has, we became a regular resource for the facility, which eventually led to a preventative maintenance contract and a large bathroom remodel plumbing project,” Casey said.

Since then, the team has been winning multiple projects with the State of Kansas as well as customers like Michelin in Emporia, KS, USD 491 in Eudora, KS, and Brewster Place retirement community in Topeka, KS.

Cheers to an energized team and much success for L/T Preventative Maintenance in the coming years!

The L/T sales team has been winning multiple projects with the State of Kansas, as well as Michelin in Emporia, KS, USD 491 in Eudora, KS, and Brewster Place retirement community in Topeka, KS.

WHAT’S NEXT

Looking toward the future, Casey says building a service presence and maintenance base in the Manhattan, KS area is on the list.

Proactive Sales Consultant David Walker was hired for just that purpose.

“Going forward we will continue to build our pipeline of new opportunities," David said.

"We will introduce companies and institutions to what P1 can do to help their business be more successful, and become the go-to provider of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing facility solutions in the Manhattan and Junction City areas."

“The goal is always building that maintenance base,” Casey said.

The goal for 2023? $1.5 million!