What will most inconvenience you if the power goes out?
That’s a question Jeff Brumm often asks when selling backup generators. The president and owner of Advanced Energy Systems, in Spring Grove, hears responses from the mundane to the fearful.
Like the time he visited a man finishing his basement. Brumm noticed the sump pump was running constantly. Turns out, the pump sat two inches above the water level.
“He said that if he set the pump any lower it’d run all the time because he was on the water table and that’s the only level where the pump can have a break,” recalls Brumm. “He was looking for a generator and said, ‘If I lose power, I’m flooded in a heartbeat.’”
Brumm meets many clients who want to back up power for the entire house or to support a few essential appliances, like a medical device or a private well. Should a brownout or a major storm knock out power, the backup generator will provide reliable electrical service.
Units typically run on natural gas or propane tanks, and they can run for a few hours or several days, depending on the homeowner’s needs.
Clients are often motivated by fear, but it’s not fear that has built loyal customers over the past three decades. Brumm believes it’s a relentless commitment to customer service that explains why clients from around northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin have been calling for service for 30 years.
“We want to earn your business,” Brumm says. “We’re not going to tell you this. We’re going to show you how we’re earning your business.”
Taking a page from Home Depot, for whom Advanced Energy is a preferred service provider, Brumm and his team go out of their way to make sure customers are satisfied with every visit.
“The biggest challenge is showing people why it’s really worth the value, and by far when I start talking to people, it’s a no-brainer,” says Brumm. “After awhile they can see the difference it makes.” ❚
Advanced Energy Systems is located at 2418 Highview St., Ste. A, Spring Grove, (815) 675-1555.