Base pay and commission

[crisp air]

So I just had an interview today at a company in Southeast Michigan that offers base pay and commission for hvac residential service tech. The base pay is hourly, but lower than my current rate. Never working for commission before and being Relatively new to the trade. 2 plus years experiance. I just wanted some insite from someone who has work in a similar situation. Thanks

[monkeyman#1]

My opinion? Run as fast as you can. I strictly do commercial/industrial, however I have known guys that have worked hourly plus commisssion. If you have no scruples, this may be for you. Lots o money to be made swapping out parts. Not saying that all that work on commission are crooked, but in my opinion it lends itself to unscrupulous behavior. Just my opinion.

[crisp air]

Thank you, I was thinking the same thing. It's not for me.

[2141]

I work for a company that pays like this. It is all based on the individual. I hear of a lot of company's that encourage the not so honest approach. My boss says all the time that there is no need to make things up, there is plenty of broken junk out there. You can sell IAQ, parts, service plans, or what ever and get commission. All company's are different some force the issue and some look at it as an incentive. I am 100% honest, show the customer the options and let them make the decision and make an ok living in the mean time.

[Strkout499]

My boss says all the time that there is no need to make things up, there is plenty of broken junk out there.

My company pays the service guys like this too, the installers have a higher hourly. Yes, there is plenty of broken junk in my area, I don't need to be dishonest. If it's a newer system, I fix it. If it's an older system, I'll let the customer decide if he wants it fixed or wants to go with something newer and a warranty. And if we sell the customer something they don't need, we get fired immediately. Our service manager reviews all of our tags once a week and has no problem firing guys on the spot.

[mason]

So I just had an interview today at a company in Southeast Michigan that offers base pay and commission for hvac residential service tech. The base pay is hourly, but lower than my current rate. Never working for commission before and being Relatively new to the trade. 2 plus years experiance. I just wanted some insite from someone who has work in a similar situation. Thanks

This is tough spot to be in when you're in your third year, if it was a good company and you really had your stuff down I could see it working but I wouldn't recommend it until you know your stuff backwards and forwards, then you can focus more on the sales approach. I worked for a straight commission company in my third year and it was a bad experience but I did learn some things about the business.

[2141]

This is tough spot to be in when you're in your third year, if it was a good company and you really had your stuff down I could see it working but I wouldn't recommend it until you know your stuff backwards and forwards, then you can focus more on the sales approach. I worked for a straight commission company in my third year and it was a bad experience but I did learn some things about the business.

Based on my company I would have to disagree to an extent. The company I work for hires guys right out of school regardless of age ( recently a 19 year old and a 58year old) and is focused on training. I will say that I am coming up on 2 years and my bonus check has tripled now that I am more comfortable.

[4 State H & A]

from a point of owning my own hvac business and seeing what alot of guys in my area are doing. This type of thing just isnt a good deal not saying everyone is bad but it really opens the door for the crooks and scammers to do there work. If i were you i would run

[2141]

from a point of owning my own hvac business and seeing what alot of guys in my area are doing. This type of thing just isnt a good deal not saying everyone is bad but it really opens the door for the crooks and scammers to do there work. If i were you i would run

I agree that it opens the door for crooks. I also believe that if you are a crook, you will be a crook no matter how you are paid. I would definitely rather work for a small company that doesn't have the corporate bs and pays a decent wage but that wasn't available to me at the time. I have had it in my head from day one that I went to school to start the process of eventually becoming a great technician NOT a great salesman. If you have other options then go with them but when it comes down to it, base pay plus commission isn't as bad as a lot of people think.

[air1]

I trust commissioned salespersons/Techs about as far as I can spit.

[jnsrose]

I trust commissioned salespersons/Techs about as far as I can spit.

How far can you spit?

[Helioson]

No way for me. Just ask yourself this....what kind of owner/manager would set this policy as a way to pay a technician? It intrinsically sets the tech up to encourage scrupulous behavior. If they REALLY care about you, just pay me the best hourly rate, or just become a salesman, or just become a thief....your choice I guess...

[Roger1234]

Hi guys,

I have a question. If your bring a $130 000 fresh air installation job, how much is the commission usually?
Here is the story:
I work for the HVAC company as an office assistant and my friend gave me this job. He wants to install a new ventilation system in his business.
I wonder how much should i ask my boss as a commission.

[pecmsg]

Hi guys,

I have a question. If your bring a $130 000 fresh air installation job, how much is the commission usually?
Here is the story:
I work for the HVAC company as an office assistant and my friend gave me this job. He wants to install a new ventilation system in his business.
I wonder how much should i ask my boss as a commission.

If you want a commission start a company.

[oldguy1949]

from a point of owning my own hvac business and seeing what alot of guys in my area are doing. This type of thing just isnt a good deal not saying everyone is bad but it really opens the door for the crooks and scammers to do there work. If i were you i would run

I only paid a small comission ( spiff really ) on maintenance agreements & the renewal. Each tech had THEIR customers & usually a good relationship

[BBeerme]

Maybe try a number like 5%. But needs to be 'negotiated' before you hand over the job.

Last place I worked kept this one flake on for too long. He kept screwing up, over and over. I asked the office manager why he kept on such a liability, he's just shrug his shoulders. Eventually found out from one of the other guys that this flake kept dangling this carrot in front of managements face, he knew of some big account and had connections. Which never materialized.

Hi guys,

I have a question. If your bring a $130 000 fresh air installation job, how much is the commission usually?
Here is the story:
I work for the HVAC company as an office assistant and my friend gave me this job. He wants to install a new ventilation system in his business.
I wonder how much should i ask my boss as a commission.

[pageyjim]

If you spec'd the job, arranged payments-financing and got the signature on the bottom line I would expect a commission. If you gave a lead or referral that sold I would expect a spiff for that. That is if your company does that with their techs. In other words a few hundred dollars would be what I would expect in that case.
Let us know what happens. If proper procedures and expectations for this are not in place I could see this going south especially if your expectations are too high. Good luck

[Gasman77]

Hey Guys,

I have worked @ 3 different shops over a 15 year career, two of them were with companys that had " spiffs" on top of my base pay. You do have to walk an ethical line. Basicly if I come across an older furnace or AC and it has an expensive repair I end up talking to the customer if they want to fix or replace. As a home owner myself I would want that option before the tech goes a head and fixes my furnace because he has the parts on the truck then hands me an expensive bill on older equipment. In most cases the customer is already thinking if its older that they may be looking at replacement. It promotes communication with the customer about going over their options. Yes some guys take advantage of this. It is obvious when someone does and good management can take care of this quickly. Both companies also offered spiffs on maintenance and parts plans. I look at the plans as work for me in the future. We will maintain their furnace & AC every year and when and if it breaks down we will get the call. Whats also nice is there is no argument over the bill. If there is a repair and they are on the plan, I come in and fix and the customer is happy that the repair is covered. It is a nice way for techs with ethical standards to make some extra money, its good for the company to grow there customer base and like I mentioned previously if a tech is taking advantage of customers word gets out quick and management can take care of this.

[indy2000]

you need to agree before hand, and have it writing

i would aim for 5-10% off the gross

[markbrown1]

If you are already getting salary higher than this then why are you considering it?